Yes, you can actually have your cake and eat it too when it comes to celebrating your birthday in NYC because many spots around the city offer fabulous birthday freebies to make your day a bit sweeter!
Here are the best gifts you can get for free in NYC for your birthday.
Quick/To-Go Food & Drink Freebies
You can start your big day with a coffee and croissant, have a burrito for lunch, chow down on some wings for dinner, and finish the day off with a birthday cake–all for free! All the quick/to-go food and drink freebies you can get in NYC on your birthday are as follows:
🍪 Au Bon Pain – free sandwich or salad (sign up required)
🍿 AMC Theatres – Stubs members get free popcorn (AMC Premiere Members get free popcorn + drink) (sign up required)
🥨 Auntie Anne’s – free pretzel (sign up required/must spend $10+ in previous year)
🍗 Buffalo Wild Wings – 6 free wings (sign up required)
✨ Cava – $5 credit (sign up required)
🍪 Chick-fil-A – free cookie or brownie (sign up required)
🍪 Chip City – free cookie (sign up required/valid 30 days after birthday)
🥑 Chipotle – free chips & guac (need to purchase something at least $5)
🥗 Chopt Salad – $3 credit (sign up required)
🍪 Crumbl Cookies – free cookie (sign up required/valid for 1 month)
🍰 DIG – free dessert (sign up required/valid for 30 days of birthday)
🥐 Dominque Ansel – free croissant and small cup of coffee at Flatiron location (sign up required)
✨ Fresh & Co – $5 credit (sign up required/valid only on birthday)
🍗 Fuku – $5 credit (sign up required)
🧋 Gong Cha – $5 off a drink
🍩 Krispy Kreme – free box of original glazed donuts
🧋 Kung Fu Tea – free bubble tea (sign up required)
🥯 Liberty Bagels – free rainbow bagel with birthday cream cheese (valid on actual birthday)
✨ Maman – $10 credit (sign up required)
🍮 McDonalds – free item of choice (sign up required)
🍩 Melt Shop – free milkshake (sign up required)
🌯 Moe’s – free cup of queso or guac (sign up required)
🍰 Ole and Steen – free small cake (sign up required)
🥤 PLNT Burger – free Oatasty Shake (sign up required)
🍿 Regal Movies – free popcorn (sign up required)
🥤 Smash Burger – free milkshake (sign up required)
🧁 Sprinkles Cupcakes – free cupcake (sign up required/valid 30 days from email receipt)
☕️ Starbucks – free beverage of choice (valid on actual birthday/must have ordered within past year)
☕️ The Bean – free coffee (sign up required)
Restaurant Freebies
Why have just a small snack on your birthday when you can have a whole meal–for free?! Some great restaurant freebies yo can snag on your birthday in NYC are as follows:
🍕 Anthony’s Coal Fire – free 12” pizza (sign up required)
✨ AweSum Dim Sum – free peach bun
🥢 Benihana – $30 gift certificate (sign up required/valid during birthday month)
🦀 Crab House – free AYCE meal with 4 paying customers (vaild day before, of, or after birthday)
🥞 Denny’s – free Diner Everyday Value Slam (sign up required/valid during birthday month)
🥢 Hometown Hot Pot BBQ – AYCE hot pot with 5 paid guests on actual birthday
🥞 IHOP – free stack of pancakes (sign up required)
🥠 PF Changs – free birthday dessert (sign up required)
🍣 RA Sushi – $20 gift certificate (sign up required)
🍱 Sugarfish – free Trust Me Box (valid on actual birthday/must dine there 2x a year and register for Birthday club in person)
🍕 The Pizza Professor – free personal pie (valid on your birthday)
🥘 99 Favor Taste – free all you can eat hot pot
Beauty Freebies
Planning to dance the night away under a glittering disco ball or have reservations at one of NYC’s hottest new restaurants? Get your hands on some beauty freebies to get birthday ready!
✨ Aveda – free 30 ml. aromatic nourishing compostion oil
✨ Bare Minerals – free present
✨ Bath & Body Works – free body care item with purchase (sign up required)
✨ Benefit Cosmetics – free brow arch
💄 Sephora – free birthday gift (sign up required)
💄 Ulta – free birthday gift (sign up required)
Lifestyle Freebies
Everyone deserves some free pampering on their birthday, and you can do that and then some in NYC on your birthday! Find the best lifestyle birthday freebies below:
🧖 QC NY Spa – free admission (for you) with a paying guest during birthday month
🚲 Soul Cycle – free class (walk-in on your birthday)
🧗 VITAL Climbing Gym – free climb on your birthday
⚾️ Yankees – 50% off select tickets
Note: To get your hands on a lot of these birthday freebies, you have to sign up for the brand’s rewards program at least one month in advance.