damnlines for iPhoneLive lines & push alerts — freeGetdamnlines.comWhere chef Dominique Ansel debuted the Cronut in 2013 — the croissant-doughnut hybrid that touched off a global pastry craze.
189 Spring St, New York, NY 10012
No camera at Dominique Ansel Bakery yet — these are the closest live lines we cover.
damnlines hasn't pointed a lens at Dominique Ansel Bakery yet. The most-wanted lines get a camera first.
The line here is the Cronut's shadow. Chef Dominique Ansel introduced the croissant-doughnut hybrid at 189 Spring Street on May 10, 2013; by its third day a crowd of over 100 people had queued on the sidewalk, per Wikipedia. That queue became the shop's signature and never fully cleared — The Infatuation still lists the bakery in its ranking of NYC's longest restaurant lines, at #11.
The Infatuation's read is that the line's size 'depend[s] on how many tourists are hoping to film a taste test,' and that 'the weekends are a nightmare.' Its advice, repeated in both the line ranking and the bakery review, is to come on a weekday morning, when 'there probably won't be a wait.' The shop sells two separate viral items — the Cronut and the cookie shot — so not everyone in line is there for the same thing.
There is a documented way around the wait. Per the shop's own pre-order site, every Monday at 11am EST you can reserve 2 to 12 Cronuts per person for pickup the week two weeks out, then 'go straight to the cashier' instead of queuing; the bakery's FAQ also lists Cronuts on Caviar and DoorDash. damnlines does not run a camera at this venue, so everything here is reported by others, not measured by us.
Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines.
Reservations: Dominique Ansel Bakery runs a weekly pre-order system for its Cronut rather than table reservations: orders open every Monday at 11am ET for pickup two weeks out, capped at 2-12 pastries per person per week, per the official Cronut Pre-Order site.
There's no fixed number. The Infatuation ranks it #11 among NYC's longest restaurant lines and calls weekends 'a nightmare,' while noting a weekday morning usually has no wait. damnlines does not measure this line live.
The Infatuation advises a weekday morning, when 'there probably won't be a wait.' Weekends draw tourist crowds filming taste tests, per the same guide.
Not necessarily. Per the shop's pre-order site, you can reserve 2 to 12 Cronuts per person every Monday at 11am EST for pickup two weeks out, and pre-order pickups skip the line straight to the cashier. Cronuts are also on Caviar and DoorDash, per the bakery's FAQ.
189 Spring Street in SoHo, 10012, near the Spring St stop on the C/E. Per the shop's site, it opens at 8am daily and closes at 7pm Sunday through Thursday, 8pm Friday and Saturday.
Per Wikipedia, chef Dominique Ansel launched the Cronut here on May 10, 2013 — the croissant-doughnut hybrid that set off a global craze and, by its third day, drew a line of over 100 people.
For the Cronut specifically, yes - you must pre-order online, with orders opening every Monday at 11am ET for pickup two weeks later, per the official Cronut Pre-Order site. The site doesn't address whether other bakery items require pre-ordering.
The official Cronut Pre-Order site only covers the Cronut pre-order process and doesn't state whether walk-in purchases of other items are possible, so that isn't established.
Sources: The Infatuation: Dominique Ansel Bakery review (SoHo) · The Infatuation: NYC's Longest Restaurant Lines, Ranked · Wikipedia: Cronut · Cronut Pre-Orders (official) · Dominique Ansel New York: FAQ (official)