Dylan’s Candy Bar
“If you're a candy lover or a Willy Wonka fan, then Dylan's Candy Bar is seriously a dream!”
“We ended up here because we refused to wait in a 3 hour line for one of Serendipity's desserts.”
“If your craving pink grapefruit gummy bears or just looking for a vintage pez dispenser, Dylans got it.”
Dylan’s Candy Bar
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range Moderate
8 reviews
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This is a giant candy store with FAO Schwartz-ish decor. It sells hundreds of candies, though almost all mass-produced stuff that you can get at CVS (minus the slick packaging, garish internal decor, and resulting price markup.)
It's also an 'object lesson' in so many American pathologies: poor American dietary habits (processed sugar-morbidity-mortality link will be one of the blockbuster epidemiological findings of the 21st century, I have no doubt); bad dental hygiene that sends health care costs soaring; NYC Times Square-ish tourist traps that lure people into a mass-produced version of NYC; and price gouging for low-quality processed goods that cost very little to make.
Frequent readers of this space know that I favor "structural" analysis over blaming individuals, in this case the consumers who eat up the stuff. I point here to the slick mass marketing operation around this place that obscures all the downsides listed above. Sorry to get Adorno on you, but I could barely contain the fury the more time I spent in this crassly decorated space.
(NOTE: some people level the nepotism charge against the owner, who is the child of a major fashion mogul. I am NOT one of them. It's an unfair critique unless you know the true nature of the upstart financing. I don't. There are plenty of other reasons to hate Dylan's Candy Bar.)
This place is a public health hazard. If you want to shred your paycheck, at least do it at Whole Foods, where you won't increase your risk for Type 2 Diabetes or obesity. I wish Mayor Bloomberg was around just so he could level a solid candy tax on places like this. Just gross!!!
Last, some of you know I like great desserts (see my review of Commander's Palace in New Orleans) and may wonder if I'm a hypocrite. My reaction is this. If you save all the money you would otherwise spend more frequently for assembly-line sweets and put it in to a once-a-month five star creme brûlée, you'll not only hold down the processed sugar intake but you'll also eat something truly great. My view is if you are going to eat unhealthy stuff, at least go all the way with the very best, kind of like my luxury car theory (if you are going to waste that kind of money get a Mercedes/BMW/Lexus, not a B-team Audi. Except at Dylan's Candy Bar, you're not even getting an Audi. You're getting Kia Rio candy at Mercedes prices while elevating your risk for serious chronic disease.)
Dylan's is always crowded, so don't really expect to be able to maneuver around effortlessly. That being said, I've always been there when everything is in stock and everyone has been very friendly and helpful. I'm sure there are off days when the place is way too overcrowded and it's hard to get anything done – I understand that side too.
In terms of the candy, they have everything and more than you even thought was possible. I love their section of older candies that you can't find around anymore. Every time I'm in NYC (which is infrequent because I'm not a fan of the city), I stop in to Dylan's for a quick bag of candy.
I'd say check it out at least once – I'm always satisfied with my purchases and experiences!
This place is fun. In an age where candy shops are going the way of bookstores, this place is pretty cool. It's three floors, including and ice cream area and party room on top, regular candies on the first floor, and a basement with fudge and other goodies. Lots of selections from the candies I used to love in the 90s. I got the cake batter popcorn. Soooo good.
Prices are a little high, but this is prime location. Still worth checking out.
Great place! 3 floors. Bar and cocktails and desserts upstairs. And 2 other floors of candy. Bottom floor has a chocolate section at the back and a place where you can also personalize items. I had their Signature Cookie Butter milkshake and it was amazing! Nice spot to visit if you are in town.
I love candy and I love alcohol – any place that combines that is heaven haha
There are 2 floors where there is candy everywhere and on the 2nd floor there is a café.
The candy store parts are so overwhelming, there is candy and candy accessories everywhere.
The first time we just had ice cream and cocktails, they were really good, so we decided to try their food as well.
The second time we made a reservation, because it seemed to be a pretty busy place, and that was a good thing, because the place was booked when we came. Lots of children's birthdays!(aarrggghh) But I guess that is to be expected in a place like this. At least most of the kids were gone around 8 pm, and the noise level went down a lot haha.
Our server was really nice, I think it was her first shift, but she managed everything really well.
We had mac and cheese, nachos, flatbread and turkey sandwiches. The portion of the nachos and the sandwiches were really large, the flatbread and mac and cheese were kind of small. We shared a little of everything. We had beers with our meal, Blue Moon, it's really good 🙂
For dessert we shared a sundae with chocolate and cookie dough, it's a really large portion! And I had candy martini. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it before she poured the drink, but there was cotton candy in the glass, looked really cool!
Overall the food wasn't the best I ever had, but not bad, just a little bland. You should visit the cafe for the drinks or the ice cream. The ice cream is excellent!!
What a great merger of two wonderful things in life: Candy and Alcohol! The sweet smell nearly overwhelms you as you enter Dylan's. Overwhelming in a great Willy Wonka kind of way! I had to stop myself from buying so much. After 15 minutes of discovering the lower level and street level havens of candy, we ventured upstairs to the cafe – which I was told crafted candy-based cocktails!
I tried their version of an Old-Fashioned and actually liked it! I thought at first it would be too sweet, but the balance was there. I didn't eat the candy orange however.
This is a great place to let the kids look around while enjoying our grown up drinks!
I have loved Dylans candy bar since a teenager. Its a cool (overpriced, but accepted) place to take out of towners or a treat for your kids. You can get candy from just about every time period. I love these Ufo saucer candy wafers my father introduced me to as a child from HIS childhood- and of course they have them. My daughter loves the m&m and jelly belly stations. They now have a cafe bar upstairs that I would love to try one day. The place is just about always packed so go prepared for that. The lines do move quickly however.
A candy store with a bar upstairs, there's really something for everyone – both adults and kids. There are so many different types of candy for people to choose from. Their candy is priced higher than a lot of stores, but in NY standard, it's not too bad. And sometimes they have promotions such as BOGO or $1 off on 2 of the same item. This location is conveniently located, close to Bloomingdales. It's the perfect location to grab a drink with your girlfriends after shopping at Bloomingdales. And then go to dinner at one of the restaurants close by after drinks.