Levain Bakery
“The outside of each cookie is crispy and once you bite in, it's warm, chewy chocolate chip cookie heaven.”
“I bought their signature Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie as well as an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie and a Baguette.”
Levain Bakery
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range Moderate
8 reviews
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My. God.
These cookies are incredible. Based on pictures and blogs, I felt this place would be overhyped, but I can tell you, the hype is real people!!!! From pictures it appears these are cakey cookies, with a crisp edge. The best way to describe the texture is basically like a really soft baked fudgey brownie or half baked cookie dough.
They have four flavors, the two most famous are the dark chocolate peanut butter and chocolate chip walnut. My favorite was 1/ Chocolate PB (for SURE), and 2/ dark chocolate with chocolate chips. I'm just not a huge fan of walnuts.
Pro-tip: Buy a bunch, freeze and defrost for later!
Pro-tip 2: You can get these delivered via Postmates (not Seamless)!
It was my first time waiting 30minutes for cookies…but it was totally worth it, because Levain has the BEST COOKIES I'VE EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE 😀 The store itself is TINY (there are a few seats near the window area, though), and there isn't space outside the store to eat the goodies either. In fact, the store has a sign that encourages its customers to enjoy their pastries at the nearby Central Park.
I was dying to try the other goodies but unfortunately we just had lunch so we were stuffed 🙁 A friend and I decided on the Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie and the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. I skipped on the double chocolate cookie because it looked waaaaaaayyyy too sweet. To be honest, the Chocolate Chip Walnut cookie was delicious but it was borderline too sweet for me–I split it with my friend and it was the perfect amount. Surprisingly, I much prefer the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, because it's just super buttery and not over-the-top sweet. I'm soo obsessed.
Pro tip: order a cup of milk to go with the cookies!!!
They accept cards!
Best cookies I've ever had.
This location may be a bit hard to find, since it is tiny and located below a main building. It is not wheelchair accessible and the lines tend to be pretty long. However, they do move along quickly. I would suggest trying out the Harlem location where the lines are shorter and store is just a bit bigger (but not by much).
At $4 a cookie, you might think it's not worth it. However, the cookie size is at least that of 3 cookies combined, both vertically and horizontally. It's definitely got some depth to it. Everyone raves about the Dark Chocolate Cookies, but my favorite is the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. It's crunchy and sugary on the outside, almost as if the sugar has been caramelized, while the inside is moist and warm, and filled with sweet, chewy raisins. The whole cookie has a very buttery flavor that the other offerings don't have. It's baked to perfection and you can clearly taste the doughy goodness. When paired with milk or coffee… the feeling is indescribable.
My second favorite is the Chocolate Chip Walnut, and this is coming from someone who doesn't like the taste of walnuts. This cookies pairs sweet chocolate chip with mild, bland walnuts, forming a perfect balance of flavors.
The Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip are good as well, but a bit too sweet and chocolatey for my taste. They do not skimp on the peanut butter, and it will feel as if you are getting big bites of fresh peanut butter sauce in your mouth.
These are very good cookies. And outrageously large. It's slightly crispy on the outside, and soft and ooey gooey melty on the inside. It's like a scone, but not. It's scone-like in texture; however, it is moist and dense all the way through, unlike a typical dry scone. The $4 price point seems appropriate, maybe a tad bit expensive, but I'd expect to pay that much for a cookie of this caliber. I'd recommend!
I did the Cookie experiment and ordered one of each. How else am I going to find out which one I like the best? These are my profound conclusions:
Chocolate Chip: The standard for all cookies. If it wasn't for the oatmeal, I would like this one.
Oatmeal Cookie: I really like this one
Dark Chocolate Chip: A bit too sweet if there is such a thing. However, if you have a sweet tooth- this might be your cookie.
Dark Chocolate with Peanut Butter: The cookie that is picturesque as the peanut butter melts as you take a bite into it.
You usually have the option of getting it in a box or bag. Wrapped box is a nice gift idea.
You may be wondering if the cookies are really worth all the hype. One word for you: YES. Yes, they really are. More than your average cookie, they are almost like a scone in size, which results in the best combination of textures and flavors. Soft, gooey insides with crispy edges.
These cookies are huge – definitely shareable. My favorites are the chocolate chip walnut and the chocolate with peanut butter chips. I usually don't even care for peanut butter in baked goods, but these cookies converted me. They're that good.
The hype is REAL. That's all I have to say. I can't even when I took my first bite. Literally died and went to cookie heaven.
Double Chocolate Cookie:
-is this a cookie, or is it a brownie?
-holy crap, how is it so luscious, almost pudding-like in my mouth?
-this is not a chewy cookie, you could seriously gum it. I don't even know how it avoids falling apart
-this will satisfy your chocolate cravings for a week
-seriously, I had 3/4 of this cookie and I needed to take a break from life and just lie down for a bit.
-it's a lot to handle: texture-wise, flavor wise.
Will definitely need to come back to try the chocolate walnut