I tried it! Standing in an hourlong line for the Suprême croissant

Welcome to ‘I tried it!,’ a new series where our reporters try new or trendy experiences in New York — so you can decide if you want to.

Combine sweet pastries, TikTok, and actual scarcity and you have yourself a recipe for a New York City food sensation.

On a recent Tuesday afternoon, I stood in line for the 12 p.m. drop of the Suprême croissant at Lafayette Grand Cafe & Bakery in NoHo.

Skin burning in the sun and stomach rumbling, I wondered what it would be like to bite into the buttery, flaky, creamy creation I’ve seen people losing their minds over on TikTok.

What made me want to wait in line for the Suprême

Since last summer, TikTok and Instagram have been on fire with accounts of the hourlong wait for the Suprême, a spiral croissant about 5 inches in diameter, stuffed with cream and topped with specialty drizzles and garnishes.

Folks compose tidy reels about their experience waiting for and eating the Suprême, and post aspirational photos of the croissant being split open neatly by manicured hands.

Lafayette’s executive pastry chef Scott Cioe and his team invented the Suprême in 2022, announcing it on March 31, the day the bakery reopened after a two-year hiatus.

The novel shape of the Suprême — a thick disc instead of the traditional crescent — allows for copious filling, lavish decoration and a beautiful upright presentation to make any social media creator sing.

The Suprême’s perennial flavors are Chocolate and Pistachio; Cioe’s team also develops limited-time flavors of the month — seasonal picks like Pumpkin Chai Latte and Peaches N’ Cream; this month's flavor is Strawberry Lemonade.

Throughout the spring of last year, the Suprême was available for casual purchase whenever the bakery was open. By June, you couldn’t get one unless you arrived early in the day.

By August, demand was so high that Lafayette set up a schedule, with fresh batches “dropping” at 8 a.m. and noon (they’ve since added a 4 p.m. drop).

For those who pay any attention to the New York food scene, it’s become almost impossible to overlook this viral sensation.

What the waiting was like

Conventional wisdom says get to the line at 380 Lafayette St. a full hour before the drop. I arrived at 11:12 a.m. and was thrilled to be first in line. It was 11:20 a.m. by the time another croissant-craver arrived — a local who’s been meaning to try the Suprême and happened to have a meeting next door. (Risking lateness in the name of pastry heaven, she declined to give me her name.)

By 11:34 a.m., the line was still only six people strong. Recent arrivals included Molly Joyce and Dabrionne Slayton, two twentysomething Ohioians visiting the city for work.

“My friend told me about this place, but she heard about it on TikTok,” Joyce explained. “I saw something on TikTok that said you have to get here before 11:50 to get one, so, trusting TikTok.”

Finally, by about 11:45 a.m., the line had reached the corner of Great Jones, about half a city block away.

I asked Joyce to save my spot while I chatted with fellow croissant cravers. Would I find mostly tourists?

I talked to Phil Jee and Sonija Kwok, both in their 20s visiting from British Columbia. They’d also learned about the Supreme on TikTok and agreed to wait for no more than 20 minutes.

By 11:54 a.m., the line had wrapped around the block, containing 45 hopeful croissant eaters by my count.

Next I met Rosie Arrayago and Mariel Sasso, friends visiting New York from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“We saw an advertisement on Instagram and we thought it looked really, really yummy,” Arrayago said, going on to strategize with Sasso about which flavors to get, how to share.

Suddenly, the line started moving, so I dashed back to the front, only to see that the first group, including Joyce and Slayton, had been invited inside.

No problem, I thought. I just slid back into my No. 1 spot — surely people had seen me standing there?

But when the hostess came back for the next round of guests, she gave me a quizzical look. “Wait, were you here?”

I offered my warmest and most confident smile. “Yes. Remember? I was first? I asked to use the bathroom before getting in line?”

She said she’d better get a manager, and soon enough a man appeared, asking if I’d actually been in line.

Thankfully, in that moment Joyce and Slayton exited the establishment, trademark blue Lafayette pastry boxes in hand. “Yes! She was here!” Joyce said, and I was soon ushered inside to make my selection.

I purchased one of each — Chocolate, Pistachio, and June’s feature, Strawberry Lemonade — for a cool $31 plus tip.

What to know before you go:

Plan for the weather.

The line is unsheltered and I was wishing I’d worn a hat and sunscreen. On rainy days, you’ll want to bring an umbrella.

Everyone got a croissant.

I hung around until 12:45 p.m., when the final group of croissant lovers made it inside — they’d arrived around 12:30 p.m. There were still Suprêmes available and no one left empty-handed.

Reviews were mixed the day I went.

Some were thrilled: “Ahhhh so good!” was Arrayago’s report. Slayton said she loved the Chocolate Suprême and would wait 30 minutes (no more) for another bite.

But Jee was disappointed by the Strawberry Lemonade and Pistachio numbers he and Kwok tried. “Both were good, but given the price I expected maybe a little bit better. If the line’s more than 20 minutes, I don’t think it’s worth it.”

Me? I thought the flavors were to die for, but for my taste there was way too much filling.

Find a table. And make sure you have napkins and a serrated knife.

By the time I left the scene close to 1 p.m., I realized that I was truly starving, so I found a large stoop on the north side of Great Jones Street to dig into my bounty.

You do not eat the Suprême without a surface and a napkin. My kingdom, in that moment, for a fork and a serrated knife.

Before I knew it, the generous strawberry filling was all over not just my fingers but even my wrists, the pastry box, the paper carrying bag and the other croissants. The spectacle of eating the thing surpassed the spectacle of waiting for it.

I struggle to think of a messier food. Sloppy Joes with a too-small bun? A burrito you accidentally loaded with too much sour cream and guac? If a video of me trying to eat that croissant on the street ends up on TikTok … well I guess that would be perfect.

I’d go back.

Next time, I’d enjoy the Suprême with the proper equipment, and likely a coffee to accompany it. I’d bring a friend, too. What a fun way to encourage idleness and leisure in a busy life.

This weekend Lafayette is also running a limited edition Pride Suprême in honor of NYC Pride. It will be available at the bakery Friday through Sunday, and a portion of the proceeds will go to Trevor Project.