If you’ve been on TikTok lately, you’ve probably seen the Ghost Latte from Padoca Bakery haunting everyone’s FYP — and for good reason. This adorable, pillowy ghost made of marshmallow fluff sitting atop a latte has officially taken over fall in New York City.

Allen and I had to see what all the hype was about. We first tried to go on a Sunday morning, and wow — rookie mistake. The line wrapped around the block with everyone (and their dog) waiting for their ghost fix. We decided to try again Monday morning, and it was a completely different story. No line, no chaos — just the cozy smell of espresso, sugar, and fresh bread greeting us at the door.

I ordered the Ghost Latte with the Teddy Graham cracker flavor, and yes, it was as cute (and delicious) as it sounds. The “ghost” is actually a cloud of marshmallow fluff floating on top of your latte, and you can pick your flavor base. Padoca offers it with their seasonal fall drinks — think strawberry matcha (yum!), cardamom latte, chai latte, or apple cider. The whole thing is festive, fun, and perfectly extra in the best way.

What’s funny is that Allen and I have been fans of Padoca long before it blew up on social media. Their pon de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) is so freaking good. The cheese-to-dough ratio is insane — it’s gooey, chewy, and just salty enough to balance out their sweet treats. Honestly, we used to come here just for that before TikTok turned it into an influencer hotspot. The latte was good, you definitely can taste the teddy gram flavor. I would recommend getting one… During the week, and grabbing a PDQ. The staff is so friendly. Remember, it’s a small cafe, and it does take a while to create one of these cute lattes so please be kind to the people working there and patient.

So while the ghost latte may have brought the crowds, Padoca has always been worth the trip — viral or not. If you’re planning to go, take my advice: skip the Sunday madness and go on a weekday morning. You’ll actually get to enjoy your ghost latte in peace (and maybe snag a few pon de queijo on the side). Or you can always walk a couple blocks away to get a bagel at Thompson’s Square Bagel. (My go to is a salt bagel with the fig cream cheese, so delish!).