Boulangerie Cheskie

Cheskie’s doesn’t do baguettes, laminated pastry, or glossy fruit tarts—and it doesn’t need to. What this Mile End kosher bakery does is rugelach that collapse into a perfect swirl of cinnamon and chocolate, danishes that glisten like stained glass, and babka so dense and rich it might count as its own food group. Open since 2002 on Bernard Avenue, the shop has become a rare bridge between Outremont’s Hasidic and secular communities, with regulars that range from bubbies and skateboarders to out-of-town celebs on babka pilgrimages. Owned by Cheskie Lebowitz and his wife Malky, with daughter Esty on deck, the bakery runs on speed, warmth, and consistency. There’s no seating, no frills, just a glass case of sweet gravity pulling you forward. The black-and-white cookie may have been a metaphor in Seinfeld, but here, it’s a reality—one bite, and for a second, everyone’s on the same page.