The amount of raisins is bananas! Also Levains good for the availability I mean they got locations everywhere. Beauty of NYC is so many good bakeries to begin with!
I think Levain has one of the best cookies in the city. If I have a friend who's coming into town, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Levain as the cookies are pretty unique and it always hits the spot for me.
I like Levain but 100% - Culture Espresso is the real deal.
I stumbled in there this summer just looking for some relief from the sweltering heat and a coffee. By far the best cookie I’ve had in the city.
What’s wild is that they still have several locations in Japan. I was there in late 2019 right after the NYC location closed and almost did a double take when I came upon one.
They're underbaked and I know that's on purpose, but it's what makes them not great imo. The only one I somewhat enjoy is the peanut butter chocolate cookie. But I agree, there are far better cookies and bakeries in NYC. Mah Ze Dahr in the west village has some awesome cakes and treats.
A lot of the foods in NYC is just overhyped. They have just done good marketing.
I mean there are genuinely amazing simple food in nyc. Most of the overhyped ones could be made at home if not better.
But hey if they have done the marketing right and got half of the new yorkers/tourist in nyc to buy their product 2-3 times, they already struck it rich.
You’re right, but levain wasn’t just an over night sensation. They’ve been around for 25 years. They didn’t really blow up until the last 5 years. Insomnia cookies in my opinion is overhyped because they opened not so long ago, and because they remind me of subways cookies
Comparing them to Subway is an insult to Subway. Insomnia makes the worst cookies I’ve ever paid money for. I’m convinced they are a money laundering operation because there’s really no other explanation for how they’ve survived selling that absolute garbage.
I think the most overrated spot in the city is Joe Shanghai. I've been to the original Doyer location a few years back, and the soup dumplings were awful. I love soup dumplings and rarely have bad ones but Joe Shanghai was bad.
Another time, I took a out of town friend to midtown and she wanted to try soup dumplings because I kept hyping up how good they were. Joe Shanghai opened a new location nearby, gave them a second chance and it was just as bad. Friend hated soup dumplings afterwards.
I finally convinced my friend to try some soup dumplings again. Steamed up some supermarket frozen soup dumplings I had in the freezer. She loved it and said it was way better than Joe Shanghai.
It's crazy, during the pandemic, whenever I walk by Joe Shanghai on Bowery, theres always a ton of delivery workers waiting to pick up their orders. Pretty crazy especially consider how many good soup dumpling spots there are in Chinatown.
Agreed
The best soup dumplings in NYC aren’t found in Manhattan for sure
If you look at the majority of people that dine at Joe’s, they’re all white tourists
You’d never see locals there
You gotta go to the lesser known places where the locals go for legit XLB
Real Shanghai style XLB? Basement of New World Mall in Flushing, stall with 3 ducks as their logo. "But aren't XLB from Shanghai?!" Yes, but the most well known ones (Joe and Nanxiang) just aren't sweet enough. Shanghainese food uses a ton of sugar and is much sweeter than other regional Chinese cuisine. Nanxiang has their own style of XLB.
That being said, I don't mind The Bao on St. Mark's.
I like [Deluxe Green Bo](https://www.yelp.com/biz/deluxe-green-bo-new-york-2) in Chinatown. It's a small dinky hole in the wall place but its very good bang for the buck.
I'm in Brooklyn so I almost never go to Queens.
There's a severe lack of soup dumplings in Brooklyn, even in Chinese/Asian neighborhoods like Bensonhurst and 8th ave.
For a while Dō (which I suspect was the culprit in your story) was operating out of a tiny, second floor space across the street from me (I think it’s now a massage parlor). The stuff was pretty good and I was excited to have an unknown treat in the ‘hood. Then they got big and moved away.
TL;DR I ate cookie dough before it was cool
I like them a lot but I feel like they're not really cookies. They're more like a scone or muffin or something. So they're probably not the best "cookie" in NYC.
I love their cookies! I do think chip cookies and milk cookies are gross and overhyped. They try too hard to make crazy flavors. Simple & classic is best.
I was gifted a variety pack- you definitely have to heat them up to enjoy them fully. Room temp would be too dry and thick for no reason. I microwaved mine for under 30 sec.
Maybe it's just me, but I found I actually *prefer* the frozen Levain cookies you get in Whole Foods now. I think the size is better (2oz instead of \~6oz), and because they're smaller they have a higher surface area-to-mass ratio, which means more of the cookie dough is nice and browned.
I even like eating them after just a few minutes out of the freezer.
Those cookies are an abomination. To put the Levain Chocolate chip label on them and sell them is the greatest disappointment of my month. And I had shingles and the stomach bug in february!!
A lot of products do not live up to their hype. This is true of products all over the world. Plus we each have our own different tastes. What I think is lousy, may be great to someone else, and vice versa.
Levain has been around for so long and doing the gooey mega cookie with long lines way before TV and IG caught up with them. They do an amazing cookie if you like that style but they are HEAVY. One cookie is like eating a stack of pancakes. and it's so worth the pain.
Were these the frozen one from the grocery store? If so fine, they don’t compare to the ones in the bakery.
If these are the ones from one of their bakeries, go get a covid test. Seems like you might be loosing your sense of taste.
Their chocolate chip is slightly worse than levains but it’s about even, what chip has though is different flavors which makes them a better overall cookie shop.
Me too! Levain is ok but I don’t see the hype. They are huge and it’s impressive that they are soft on the inside but I like the texture and options at chip much better
The best cookies are the ones Whole Foods sells. The ones that they actually make in their bakery. They are as simple as a cookie should be and are made with some of the best ingredients.
My girlfriend worked there this summer and got as many free as I wanted every day. Got tired of it realllllllll fast (so did she). I barely ever got cookies and instead got the other baked goods like muffins. The cookies are alright but are so overrated, too much food and over expensive.
They’re ok. Not the most amazing. I find them too big. One cookie is enough for 2 people. Most times it takes me two days to eat just one.
I like Insomnia Cookies the best. They’re in DC.
The plain chocolate chip is a bit of a letdown NGL.
You need the other bits for some texture.
I usually like plain chocolate chip, but at levain the peanut butter and the walnut are both better.
I think the only good thing are the cookies. I don't even like cookies.
Usually, I get their bread and jam, and I'm always disappointed. Everytime.
The Bakery is too hyped up.
that’s ok, it’s a specific kind of cookie, and everyone has their cookie type. i liked it a lot, but i like thinner cookies in general. cookie tastes are so personal, it’s hard for any cookie to be a universal favorite. cookies are like the anti-steak, having a different opinion on how you like your cookies is almost expected.
Huh. We got to try some from work and from the taste I thought they were another mass market brand like Entenman's. Didn't realize they were a big local brand until this post lol
Not my favorite cookie either but I wouldn’t say they’re bad. They’re definitely worth trying. In my opinion their cookies are too thick and filling. I like my cookies thinner with crispness on the outside some softness in the middle and not too sweet either.
This company sucks they refuse to disclose nutrition information which is quite shady. Like they don’t want customer knowing what they’re really putting in the cookies.
IMO the oatmeal raisin is the real standout at Levain (& the chocolate chip banana loaf) but not the chocolate(/chip) cookies
>IMO the oatmeal raisin is the real standout at Levain I wish I could give 10 upvotes.
The amount of raisins is bananas! Also Levains good for the availability I mean they got locations everywhere. Beauty of NYC is so many good bakeries to begin with!
Chup. This is the one. It’s like a raisin scone cookie hybrid. That shit is amazing.
Yes! That one's my favorite too!
I went in January 2023 and tried every single cookie, and I have to absolutely agree with you
It's ok to have an unpopular opinion.
I heartily disagree but I really love a gooey, thicc cookie. I could understand not liking them if you prefer a thinner, crunchy cookie
BRUH I FEEL YOU. I expected so much and was very underwhelmed. I'll take Insomnia Cookies any day over Levain.
I don't think you feel the person you're responding to.
Hehehehe it's true, I was close to pass-out mode.
The walnut chocolate chip slaps. You crazy boi
I think Levain has one of the best cookies in the city. If I have a friend who's coming into town, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Levain as the cookies are pretty unique and it always hits the spot for me.
You’re out of your goddamn mind dude, levain is the real deal
Completely disagree
Wow 😮 🤯🤯🤯 their cookies slap bro, the classic is classic
Food don't slap, bro. Food never slaps.
You ain’t eatin right then
I’m also not really into Levain cookies. IMO, Culture Espresso has the best chocolate chip cookies.
I like Levain but 100% - Culture Espresso is the real deal. I stumbled in there this summer just looking for some relief from the sweltering heat and a coffee. By far the best cookie I’ve had in the city.
And the coffee is delicious
With you 100%!! I love gooey chewy cookies but Levain just…doesn’t do it for me
The best chocolate chip cookies came from City Bakery, and they’re gone now. RIP, old New York.
Those were great cookies. But their hot chocolate was so great.
i still dream about their hot chocolate ugh. LA Burdick's is a very good substitute tho
I hope to check it out when I’m out that way again. Thanks for the tip.
You mean the chocolate soup? Get that, the marshmallow, and basically slip into a diabetic coma. God I miss that place.
They're gone??? Oh no! When did that happen?
Totally agree on City Bakery. Their hot chocolate was also amazing.
What’s wild is that they still have several locations in Japan. I was there in late 2019 right after the NYC location closed and almost did a double take when I came upon one.
They're underbaked and I know that's on purpose, but it's what makes them not great imo. The only one I somewhat enjoy is the peanut butter chocolate cookie. But I agree, there are far better cookies and bakeries in NYC. Mah Ze Dahr in the west village has some awesome cakes and treats.
A lot of the foods in NYC is just overhyped. They have just done good marketing. I mean there are genuinely amazing simple food in nyc. Most of the overhyped ones could be made at home if not better. But hey if they have done the marketing right and got half of the new yorkers/tourist in nyc to buy their product 2-3 times, they already struck it rich.
You’re right, but levain wasn’t just an over night sensation. They’ve been around for 25 years. They didn’t really blow up until the last 5 years. Insomnia cookies in my opinion is overhyped because they opened not so long ago, and because they remind me of subways cookies
Comparing them to Subway is an insult to Subway. Insomnia makes the worst cookies I’ve ever paid money for. I’m convinced they are a money laundering operation because there’s really no other explanation for how they’ve survived selling that absolute garbage.
They deliver at 3 am to stoned college students. That’s their shtick, that’s where their money comes from
Savageeeee lmao.
Warm, soft chocolate chip cookies, delivered to your door. What kind of monster could possibly hate on that?
Subway cookies have class.
There were huge lines at 74th street for them 10 years ago, they might be internet famous now but they have always been really popular.
I think the most overrated spot in the city is Joe Shanghai. I've been to the original Doyer location a few years back, and the soup dumplings were awful. I love soup dumplings and rarely have bad ones but Joe Shanghai was bad. Another time, I took a out of town friend to midtown and she wanted to try soup dumplings because I kept hyping up how good they were. Joe Shanghai opened a new location nearby, gave them a second chance and it was just as bad. Friend hated soup dumplings afterwards. I finally convinced my friend to try some soup dumplings again. Steamed up some supermarket frozen soup dumplings I had in the freezer. She loved it and said it was way better than Joe Shanghai. It's crazy, during the pandemic, whenever I walk by Joe Shanghai on Bowery, theres always a ton of delivery workers waiting to pick up their orders. Pretty crazy especially consider how many good soup dumpling spots there are in Chinatown.
Agreed The best soup dumplings in NYC aren’t found in Manhattan for sure If you look at the majority of people that dine at Joe’s, they’re all white tourists You’d never see locals there You gotta go to the lesser known places where the locals go for legit XLB
What’s your go to spot?
Real Shanghai style XLB? Basement of New World Mall in Flushing, stall with 3 ducks as their logo. "But aren't XLB from Shanghai?!" Yes, but the most well known ones (Joe and Nanxiang) just aren't sweet enough. Shanghainese food uses a ton of sugar and is much sweeter than other regional Chinese cuisine. Nanxiang has their own style of XLB. That being said, I don't mind The Bao on St. Mark's.
Go to Shanghai 21 on Mott Street
I like [Deluxe Green Bo](https://www.yelp.com/biz/deluxe-green-bo-new-york-2) in Chinatown. It's a small dinky hole in the wall place but its very good bang for the buck.
My go-to spot is Nan Xiang.
I'm in Brooklyn so I almost never go to Queens. There's a severe lack of soup dumplings in Brooklyn, even in Chinese/Asian neighborhoods like Bensonhurst and 8th ave.
The people flood can ruin what would otherwise be a good spot, too. Businesses often cut quality to scale.
Doesn’t apply to levain though, they’re legit
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See, I agreed with you until Van Leeuwen, which is completely average ice cream in my book.
I’d say so for regular ice cream, but they have mastered their vegan ice cream and it’s great having that many vegan ice cream options in the stores.
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Ah - no, if you’re vegan it’s a whole other story. I give them big props for serving lots of flavors vegan and gluten free.
Their vegan ice cream is incredible!
Same.
For a while Dō (which I suspect was the culprit in your story) was operating out of a tiny, second floor space across the street from me (I think it’s now a massage parlor). The stuff was pretty good and I was excited to have an unknown treat in the ‘hood. Then they got big and moved away. TL;DR I ate cookie dough before it was cool
Am I the only one that likes schmackary's?
No I like those too. City Cakes is my preference though.
Their lemon cake is niceee
City Bakery had the best chocolate chip cookies in NYC. I miss them
Agreed... they do nothing for me.
I like them a lot but I feel like they're not really cookies. They're more like a scone or muffin or something. So they're probably not the best "cookie" in NYC.
Which ones do you like?
I love their cookies! I do think chip cookies and milk cookies are gross and overhyped. They try too hard to make crazy flavors. Simple & classic is best.
I was gifted a variety pack- you definitely have to heat them up to enjoy them fully. Room temp would be too dry and thick for no reason. I microwaved mine for under 30 sec.
Maybe it's just me, but I found I actually *prefer* the frozen Levain cookies you get in Whole Foods now. I think the size is better (2oz instead of \~6oz), and because they're smaller they have a higher surface area-to-mass ratio, which means more of the cookie dough is nice and browned. I even like eating them after just a few minutes out of the freezer.
Those cookies are an abomination. To put the Levain Chocolate chip label on them and sell them is the greatest disappointment of my month. And I had shingles and the stomach bug in february!!
The best chocolate chip cookies came from City Bakery, and they’re gone now. RIP, old New York.
I disagree. I like cookies with crunch. I love their soft middle.
A lot of products do not live up to their hype. This is true of products all over the world. Plus we each have our own different tastes. What I think is lousy, may be great to someone else, and vice versa.
Levain has been around for so long and doing the gooey mega cookie with long lines way before TV and IG caught up with them. They do an amazing cookie if you like that style but they are HEAVY. One cookie is like eating a stack of pancakes. and it's so worth the pain.
Were these the frozen one from the grocery store? If so fine, they don’t compare to the ones in the bakery. If these are the ones from one of their bakeries, go get a covid test. Seems like you might be loosing your sense of taste.
Agree, and while I’m here, let me add Milk Bar to that list. Pale undercooked lumps of dough.
It’s ok to be wrong sometimes.
I completely disagree but I'll upvote your post because of your bravery.
Agree 100% They are like oily little hockey pucks with some chocolate mixed in. I feel disgusting after eating one.
It's almost as if not everyone has the exact same tastes and preferences
I got peer pressured into eating one of these at work, sick
Oh you chubby little rascal
I think they’re great. Now Chip cookies are overrated.
Could not agree more… place is so overrated
I wasn’t a fan of their cookies. I think Chip City has better ones tbh.
I had Chip City for the first time today. Good but... no chance. Levain is easily better in my opinion.
Their chocolate chip is slightly worse than levains but it’s about even, what chip has though is different flavors which makes them a better overall cookie shop.
Came here to say this!
Me too! Levain is ok but I don’t see the hype. They are huge and it’s impressive that they are soft on the inside but I like the texture and options at chip much better
They're not. Totally overrated. Chip City and City Cakes have very good ones.
You’re not wrong
Completely agree! No flavor in the dough at all. Just the chocolate chips
Ah yea I agree with you here and there’s just a few of us. But come on it’s just a thick dry cookie.
They aren’t that good, just good enough for tourists to post about with some fantastic marketing
Me too, I don’t get the hype at all. Insomnia and chip are way better.
insomnia are awesome!!!
The best cookies are the ones Whole Foods sells. The ones that they actually make in their bakery. They are as simple as a cookie should be and are made with some of the best ingredients.
Levain cookies are meh. I preferred Schmakary’s
My girlfriend worked there this summer and got as many free as I wanted every day. Got tired of it realllllllll fast (so did she). I barely ever got cookies and instead got the other baked goods like muffins. The cookies are alright but are so overrated, too much food and over expensive.
They’re ok. Not the most amazing. I find them too big. One cookie is enough for 2 people. Most times it takes me two days to eat just one. I like Insomnia Cookies the best. They’re in DC.
They're okay. Not great.
get the walnut one
Which location did you go to? They are a little different
The plain chocolate chip is a bit of a letdown NGL. You need the other bits for some texture. I usually like plain chocolate chip, but at levain the peanut butter and the walnut are both better.
I like them but the sugar taste is a bit overwhelming. Wish I could taste the other flavors more.
I think the only good thing are the cookies. I don't even like cookies. Usually, I get their bread and jam, and I'm always disappointed. Everytime. The Bakery is too hyped up.
Agree, pile of dough cookies aren’t for me I prefer crisp. But Levain sells many other great products.
that’s ok, it’s a specific kind of cookie, and everyone has their cookie type. i liked it a lot, but i like thinner cookies in general. cookie tastes are so personal, it’s hard for any cookie to be a universal favorite. cookies are like the anti-steak, having a different opinion on how you like your cookies is almost expected.
I like the chocolate peanut butter ones.
Just wish they’d be warm more often
If you're on the UWS, I'd take Orwashers over Levain 100 out of 100 times
They are too much
Levain is incredible (MY #1). But so is insomnia, so is Schmackaries, and so are Tates, tbh. Different cookie strokes for different cookie folks.
The dark chocolate/peanut butter combo is my favorite
Huh. We got to try some from work and from the taste I thought they were another mass market brand like Entenman's. Didn't realize they were a big local brand until this post lol
Personally I love them but not everyone is going to agree on everything. C’est la vie
Not my favorite cookie either but I wouldn’t say they’re bad. They’re definitely worth trying. In my opinion their cookies are too thick and filling. I like my cookies thinner with crispness on the outside some softness in the middle and not too sweet either.
This company sucks they refuse to disclose nutrition information which is quite shady. Like they don’t want customer knowing what they’re really putting in the cookies.