Washington Heights Cafe Named Among Best New Pastry Shops In NYC

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Most days are better when they start with a pastry breakfast, and Eater NY recently published its list of "NYC's Finest New Pastries."

In a little bit of neighborhood pride, a Washington Heights cafe that opened just before the pandemic got named as one of the best new pastry makers in the city.

Eater NY critic Ryan Sutton named the Colombian cafe Salento, at 2112 Amsterdam Avenue (near West 165th Street) as one of the four best new pastry eateries in the five boroughs.

Here's what Sutton had to say about the cafe:

"My typical order here is a buñelo, a cassava fritter filled with white cheese and a smidge of bocadillo, or guava paste. The sweet-salty flavor profile keeps things out of cloying territory, while the light dough ensures that the treat functions more as a snack than a caloric breakfast replacement.

For something that induces a sturdier sugar rush, however, consider Salento’s aborrajado de platano maduro, a classic treat from Colombia’s Southwestern Valle del Cauca. Cooks take sweet plantains, stuff them with cheese, then fry them. The resulting snack, barely three inches long, conveys a delicate crunch before giving way to the custard-like texture of the maduro. A firm sliver of cheese in the center helps balance out the sweetness, as does some of the more complex caramel overtones of the fruit, but make no mistake, sugar is the name of the game here, especially when a wallop of fragrant guava hits your tongue."

Salento is named after a small pueblo in the coffee-growing region of Colombia.

Ownership of the Washington Heights eatery calls it a "community-focused cafe" aimed at being a place to share flavors from Colombia through a seasonal menu of foods paired with "exceptional coffee."

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Salento's menu includes almost a dozen types of coffee, Pandebono (Colombian cheese bread), Bunuelo de Queso con Guayaba (fried Colombian cheese doughnut filled with guava, Omelets, Beef Patties, Empanadas, and much more.

Salento also recently opened an outdoor seating area.

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You can check out the menu and more information about the Washington Heights cafe on its website.

Read More: Searching for NYC’s Finest New Pastries