Levain Bakery

Levain Bakery at 167 W 74th Street on Manhattan's Upper West Side is a small bakery, entered from a few steps below street level, that became famous for its six-ounce cookies. The cuisine is American bakery goods, and the emblematic item is the chocolate chip walnut cookie, a thick, domed cookie with a crisp exterior and a soft, underbaked centre. The dark chocolate peanut butter chip cookie and the oatmeal raisin cookie are the other well-known varieties, and the sticky buns, brioche and breads are also on offer. Cookies are typically sold individually and are large enough to share. The shop is very small, with a counter and no proper seating, so visitors buy at the counter and eat outside or take the cookies to nearby Central Park or the Museum of Natural History. The atmosphere is quick and busy, marked by the smell of baking, and there is no dress code. Beverages are limited to coffee, tea, milk and soft drinks, and there is no formal beverage programme. Levain does not take reservations, and queues form at weekends, so visitors typically arrive early in the day or on a weekday to shorten the wait. It is generally open daily from roughly 8AM to 7PM, and hours should be confirmed. Prices are moderate for a bakery, with a single cookie costing a few dollars, and buying a half-dozen or a dozen is the usual approach for gifts. The location on West 74th Street sits between Central Park and the Hudson River, in a residential part of the Upper West Side, and it pairs well with a walk through the park and a visit to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.