Levain Bakery – Upper East Side, NYC

So this is an extension of their West Side location, and it's much larger. There's more space inside overall and more space to sit. It's very modern and bright. When my friend and I arrived, there was a little line but it moved very quickly. I guess that was both good and bad, because we felt quite rushed. It was also hard to see the products with people in line covering the display, and we had to weave around them to see what the cookies looked like. All while the cashiers were staring at us like we should hurry up.

We ordered one Walnut Chocolate Chip cookie each to have at the store, I got an iced coffee, and my friend got the Oatmeal Cookie as well as a Dark Chocolate cookie. The Walnut Chocolate Chip was just as fantastic as I remembered it to be! I'd keep coming back for this one. However, the Oatmeal Cookie was a bit of a let down. It was missing that special something that you usually get in an Oatmeal Cookie.. The warmth? Cinnamon? Some sort of spice? I really don't know. It was fine, just wasn't a knock-out. The iced coffee was just alright as well, nothing to write home about but nothing to complain about either. I also really liked their sip lids that help avoid using straws. You have to be extra careful with these, but they're worth it.

Overall, it's worth a try. Go for the Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookie if you can, I think that's their main attraction. It's pricey at $4.00 a cookie, but they're large and filling. They also offer some sort of chocolate chip buns or banana bread or something of that sort, but I've never tried them. So if cookies aren't your thing, you might find something else here that you'd like.