After months of anticipation the iconic Magnolia Bakery has finally arrived in Boston. Known for their cupcakes and its feature in Sex and the City, this bakery has had its sights set on Boston for a while now. Their new location is in Faneuil Hall, Magnolia and they’re ready to show Boston that it was worth the wait.
Magnolia Bakery is a family owned business, which is why they had a slow and careful growth, making sure what they were doing was right.
“Setting up this location has been like a theater production,” says Chief Baking Officer Bobbie Lloyd. “We’ve been looking in Boston for years but we wanted to make sure we were in the right location. We liked the idea of being in an iconic building for the community. A contractor helped us get us this great location and now we’re in the production stage.”
And that wait has definitely paid off. Having a prime location in Quincy Market has made a great mix of customers for this already iconic spot. “Some people drive into the city just to try out what we have and some come in because they’ve been to New York and are excited to see it in Boston. Others have just discovered us through our location and then realize what Magnolia is.”
A big draw to this location (other than their iconic cupcakes) is the regionally inspired Boston Cream Banana Pudding, a twist on their Banana Pudding. Magnolia’s Banana Pudding is on its way to becoming as iconic as its cupcakes, and for good reason.
“It’s traditionally southern so not that many people on the east coast are familiar with it,” explains Lloyd. “The moment that I tried it was life changing— it’s like an ice cream and cake combo.”
Wanting to create a “reverse Boston Cream Pie,” with more pudding than traditional Boston Cream Pies and softened cookies instead of cake, Lloyd says that this regional feature is already neck in neck with their classic cupcakes.
And that’s not the only regionally inspired dessert that you’ll be seeing at Magnolia. “We change the menu at each location every month based on fresh produce and holidays at our 30 stores worldwide,” says Lloyd, “so there will be more nods to Boston and the North End.”
Magnolia seasonally bakes in small batches in store so they can use local ingredients, and they love to see what’s available at local markets to inspire the next regional dessert.
Now open for a little over a month, Lloyd has been wowed by their reception. Despite Boston’s unseasonably cold spring so far, Lloyd says that “New Englanders are a hearty bunch” and that Magnolia’s reception in Faneuil Hall has been great to see after all of the buildup.
Though Magnolia has locations worldwide, Lloyd is hoping to keep expanding Magnolia over the eastern seaboard. With such a great reception in Boston and their other new location in Washington DC, it will be exciting to see where this bakery goes next.