Last Updated on November 22, 2025 by Brian Kachejian
Levain Bakery Upper East Side NYC Photo by Brian Kachejian
As someone who grew up in New York City and has had access to some of the world’s greatest bakeries, I can be pretty choosy about baked goods. I have been to many of the best places in Manhattan and throughout Long Island, but I am always looking to discover something new, to try new recipes, and to find creative culinary delights. My ears are always open. I had heard from a few people that Levain Bakery is one of the best in the city and that their cookies are simply irresistible, so I decided to see for myself. Let me tell you, I am glad I did.
I stopped by the Levain Bakery located at 1484 Third Avenue, New York City, on the Upper East Side between Eighty-Third and Eighty-Fourth Street. I walked in, not really knowing anything about the bakery beyond its stellar reputation. I am the type who likes to talk. I enjoy talking to people I do not know, especially people behind the counter, and I always hope they are friendly. In this instance, everyone in the store was as nice as could be, especially the clerk who waited on me. I asked for advice because I wanted to know what their most popular items were, and he was more than happy to tell me. The place was packed with baked goods, breads, loaves, and, of course, cookies. I decided to try the top three items the clerk recommended.
The first item was the Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake. It looked incredible behind the counter, as did all the loaves lined up beside it. He told me this loaf was extremely popular, although I did not want to commit to an entire loaf. I just wanted to taste it, so I asked for a slice, which they gladly served. This was an outstanding slice of bread. It was soft and tender, almost warm, although I am not even sure it was. It was so fresh that it gave off a natural warmth. The chocolate melted instantly on my tongue, and every bite of that slice delivered the same experience. I sat outside and felt a wave of pure happiness wash over me. This was good stuff, and I was only just getting started.
It was now time for the cookies. I am a big fan of white chocolate chip macadamia style cookies. Of course, they had them there. I did not have to ask whether they were popular; that was one I definitely wanted to try. The cookies are not cheap there, but then again, nothing is really cheap in New York City anymore. Almost all the cookies are a little under five dollars a piece, but these are not the small Chips Ahoy-style cookies; these are big, thick, heavy cookies.
When I took the first cookie out of the bag, I could not believe how heavy it was. On the outside, the cookie is hard; it has a rugged, crisp shell, but when you break it in half and squeeze it a little bit, you can feel the tenderness, you can feel the softness. When I broke this one in half, I saw how huge the macadamia nuts were. I was a little scared because I did not want to chip a tooth, so I was cautious when I bit into it. I soon found that everything was as soft as can be, and, of course, once again, there was this burst of homemade-style cookie flavor that engulfed me in glory. This was a fantastic cookie, one of the best white chocolate macadamia nut cookies I have ever had.
I asked the clerk what the most popular cookie was, and he said without a doubt, it is the chocolate chip walnut cookie. So, of course, I had to order one. If you are going to ask anybody what the most popular item in a store is, it is usually the one who is selling it every day all day long. They know what sells, they know what people love, and he told me, Oh yeah, you have to order a chocolate chip walnut cookie. Of course, I walked outside, sat down, and took it out of the bag. This was the third item I tried that day, and it turned out to be the best of them all. Words could not describe how good this cookie was. I do not even like walnuts, but I liked them in that cookie. Whatever they are doing, however they make it, whatever they are putting into it, I hope they continue to do so, and I am sure they will because these cookies rock.
Brian Kachejian and the chocolate chip walnut cookie
Levain Bakery has been around since the mid-nineteen-nineties, long before the tourists started treating it like some New York attraction. It began as this small Upper West Side spot run by two friends who loved to bake and were always pushing themselves with athletic training. You walk in and you can still feel that original neighborhood energy, that sense that it was built for the people who lived right there, not for the crowds that came later.
Their monster cookies started as something the founders made to get themselves through those long training sessions, and somehow that simple idea turned into one of the most talked-about cookies in the city. It spread through word of mouth the way real New York things do, one person telling another until everyone knew about the chocolate chip walnut cookie. And yesterday I was one of them, and I’m glad I found out, too. Now it’s your turn. You can also see it for yourself in the video I made while I was there.
