Rainbo’s and...Cakes & More

I highly recommend their banana muffins! SO moist. I don’t like muffins — I’m a cupcake gal, and I wasn’t expecting to enjoy my muffin. But this was memorable. Enjoy!

Amazing fish tacos and staff. I love coming here because it’s quiet the staff is super attentive and the fish is fresh and they use amazing sauces. It’s a total hidden secret in the lower east side.

This bakery rocks! Last night, I experienced one of the best birthday cakes that I have ever had — an amazing mound of vanilla cake with chocolate chips. It was dense, delicious and not overly sweet. Also, I have had their muffins in the past and they are hands-​down the best in the city.

I have tried their delicious muffins and their salmon sandwich.
The muffin was very moist and a definite deal for only 2.50.
The salmon sandwich is just so good for $ 5. It has a big hunk of salmon curbed with some hoisin sauce and some acidity from the tomatoes is DELICIOUS. I just wish I can fit one more.

Rainbo’s
The guys working behind the counter are amazing as is the food they are producing. While my efforts to order juice are too oft curtailed by the delicious Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin or the Chocolate Chip Muffin topped with a Macaroon (it would make a good German’s Chocolate cake swoon with jealousy) I have no doubt they are fantastic.
Also, the fish sandwiches are always great. For $ 5 for a sandwich and $ 2.50 for a muffin you really can’t go wrong. Did I mention that the staff was amazing too? It’s because they are.

Rainbo’s is a real neighborhood gem in the Essex Market! Fresh fish, great muffins (with deliciously cheeky names), veggie juice — all at ridiculously low prices. At $ 5, the salmon sandwich is the best deal in town.

Fish and baked goods. What a strange combination, right? Funnily enough, these guys make it work. I started off being tempted by their cupcakes and whoopie pies with handwritten signs. I’ve tried their red velvet cupcake and pumpkin whoopie pie with ginger cream cheese frosting, and both were delicious. The ginger flavor wasn’t very pronounced, but the cream cheese frosting was delicious by itself. The banana chocolate chip muffin was top-​notch. Very banana-​ey; tons of banana chunks in there, and the muffin top was so huge and crusty that there was definitely a good crust-​to-​filling ratio.
Their salmon sandwich truly is the best deal in town. A fresh hunk of salmon steak, grilled and served between two hoisin-​spread slices of toasted bread with lettuce tomatoes. Utterly refreshing and probably the best way to eat fish.
At $ 4.50 for a salmon sandwich, $ 1.50 a cupcake and $ 2.50 for a 4 or 5 inch whoopie pie, it doesn’t get any better than this.

First and foremost, I can admit that I didn’t come here for muffins. In fact, when I visited there were none present. Instead, I was looking for a tasty treat after dining (and drinking of course) at bondi road. While this journey originally began as a quest for brownies, I settled on getting a cupcake here because their display looked absolutely delish.
I purchased a red velvet cupcake, which failed to satisfy my cravings for red velvet and a cupcake. That moisture and density of flavor I love about red velvet cake was completely nonexistent. The outside of the cupcake was a bit dry, but that aspect cleared up a bit as I worked my way to the center. That was when the distinct freezer-​burnt taste set in. I took a few more bites, trying to convince myself that anyplace that has received a unanimous five star review on Unilocal would never serve such a subpar pastry, but my continued tasting only served to confirm that my cupcake must have recently been emancipated from a month long stint in a bakery freezer.
To top it all off, the TWO employees working the tiny booth both completely ignored me, in spite of my obvious interest in becoming what appeared to be their only customer of the day. Sheesh.

Rainbo’s market is by far the best part of my NYC trip. I actually had RIDICULOUS cravings for the banana nut choc chip muffins. so bad that I actually put out an add on craigslist to see if someone could ship them to me. I actually did end up getting some shipped to me and I was depressed when I ate the last one. There is not a muffin that can compare to theirs. I wish they were closer to me, and you can bet your ass that as soon as I get back to the city again I will be there! This time I will know to buy more and take them home. Sum it all up… THE BEST MUFFINS IN THE WORLD!!!

Ira and the gang at Rainbo’s made an amazing red velvet cake for my wedding which was a huge hit! They charge less than any other bakery in NYC that I was looking at and their execution of the design I wanted was perfect!
The cake was also moist, delicious, and better than typical wedding cake quality. My guests were stealing cake off of each others plates and my husband ate 3 slices that night, I think.
Pictures to come when I get my wedding pictures in.

living within walking distance of rainbo’s and sugar sweet sunshine are going to be the death of me! I need to limit visits to twice a week =P
the muffins here are AMAZING… I will echo the other reviewers’ endorsement of the banana choco chip muffin… their blueberry muffin is delicious as well. in fact, even if I come here at the end of the day and just have to take what I can get — still delicious! today, all that was left was a pumkin-​apple-​streusel muffin, which sounds strange, but you know what — it was still really good!!! the guys who run this place are super cute and sweet as well.

Oh. Im so glad someone added Rainbo’s to Unilocal.Im too lazy to ever add places that I like that aren’t already listed.
This place fucking rules. I lived 2 blocks away from Rainbo’s in the Essex Market for over a year and had breakfast there 6 days a week. (Closed on Sundays)
How can someone make a damn muffin so well? The Banana Choc Chip muffins are the single best muffins ever made in the world forever period. The very rare Chocolate Macaroon muffin is stuff of legend and the Camp muffin, with its chocolate chips, nuts and graham cracker crust is a constant threat to the obesity thats known to run in my family.
Ira and Ron were cool to me from the very first visit and always let me cut in line when the place gets crowded. They have even been known to stash my fav muffin under the counter when theyre getting low. How awesome is that?! Why they have taken it upon themselves to refer to me as Moise, I dont know. but I take it as part of my payment for such awesome food.
Something you might not know is that the 2 of them also own the adjacent Fish Stand and the weird gay/​bondage/​decorative cake /​waffle place across the way. Im not sure why they hide the brownies and cookies over there because on the rare occasion that I remember to buy one, I love it! The white choc macadamia brownie is killer.
oh. ps. a tip on eating the rainbo’s muffin: Dont take the hot ones fresh from the oven. I know its tempting, but theyre fucking SCORCHING hot! They taste better at room temp anyway. Oh, and ask for A FEW extra napkins. Trust me.

mmm… homemade muffins by the sweetest gay bakers in town. pick your own off the tray. get the banana-​chocolate-​chip: yummy-​goodness. so cheap and tasty, it is a breakfast crime.