Chocolate in NYC 2025 Trip Report: Part 3 of 3
A return to NYC for chocolate and more. In Part 3, thoughts and photos on my time visiting chocolate spots in Manhattan.
Thursday Redux
Union Square Adjacent. Of the three destinations listed below, the one I can recommend without reservations is Cocoa Store.
Blue Stripes Cacao – 13th Street between University and 5th.
This location is not associated with the in-store brand and those products are not available here. It feels like an NYU hangout and while the selection of pastries (that can be filled with Nutella, etc) is good, I would ask for a “fresh” hot chocolate made from nibs that are ground in front of you.
Max Brenner – Broadway between 13th and 14th.
Oded’s gig before BS cacao. I think of this as “the Rainforest Café of chocolate.” It’s a themed restaurant and everything is more interesting while you’re there and you are accompanied by young (pre-teen) kids.
Cocoa Store – Broadway between 18th & 19th
Walk north through Union Square – and try to schedule your visit on a market day – and head up to the 6th floor loft. It’s a eclectic and wide selection of bars and everything can be sampled. There is also a best-by table where some bars that are nearing their expiration date are marked down.
Eataly Has a selection of Italian chocolates and confections (on Madison Square Park/23rd St. Walk north on Broadway from Cocoa Store.
While lunch is available at Eataly, you might try Taralucci e Vino on 18th Street if you want a less touristy-frenetic vibe.
Monday Reconnaissance
Mostly Midtown
In Grand Central – Jacques Torres is in the Westside Passage at Lexington Ave. Li-Lac Chocolates (in a new location, closer to Lex than the last time I visited) and Murray’s Cheese are both in the Grand Central Market. All three are on the Concourse level.
[L] Jacques Torres; [C] Li-Lac; [R] Murray’s – there is not a huge selection but it’s one of the few places carrying Pralus’ Barres Infernales, my fave candy bars.
Van Leeuwen (ice cream; in the spot formerly occupied by Jacques Torres) and Magnolia Bakery (known for their frosted cupcakes) are both on the lower (food court) level. Junior’s (known for cheesecake) is no longer serving. There is a Neuhaus at street level, 42nd/Vanderbilt.
I went upstairs into the Met Life Building to see what was in the location formerly occupied by Godiva:
A bagel place and a specialty coffee shop. I did not try either place so I cannot comment other than to say there is no Godiva store here any more.
Around Bryant Park – Gabriel Kreuther (42nd St – the standalone shop is permanently closed but a limited selection is available at the restaurant and orders can be placed online for pickup at the restaurant); Royce’ (40th St closer to 5th, currently semi-hidden by scaffolding); and Angelina (6th Ave south of 40th).
Angelina. The prix fixe brunch is $55/pp and a cup of hot chocolate with a pastry is $25. I have had the hot chocolate in Paris so I was not tempted to walk in out of the rain.
Royce’ was at the Salon du Chocolat and I have known the brand for many years, visiting their previous location. They are best known for their Nama products, unsupported (not enrobed and with no chablon on the underside) slabbed ganaches made with Hokkaido cream – they deliver on the promise of ganache. However, the ingredient list includes “artificial flavor,” which surprised me as it seems off-brand.
Along 5th Ave – Läderach; La Maison du Chocolat (inside 30 Rock); and Teuscher (mid-block in Rock Center off 5th Ave). I did not stop at either.
[L]: Läderach – frisch schoggi are the best options in my experience; [C] La Maison du Chocolat – in my experience it’s worth waiting for your next trip to Paris; [R]: Teuscher – I just don’t understand the appeal of their champagne truffles (it’s the mix of textures that doesn’t work for me.
The Louis Vuitton Chocolate Boutique (57th between 5th and Madison, 4th flr, not in the LV luggage building on the corner). I was not allowed to take photos of the pieces. The chocolates are produced by Maxime Frédéric, a well-known French chocolatier. The pieces look uninspiring and ordinary. Some sport LV branding. All are relatively very expensive so I did not purchase. I think you have to love LV products to want to try these. There are much better options, but they are not in midtown.
Thursday Walking Tour
When I was planning my trip I had four simple goals for today: a) see Rhonda at Ron-Sue (I’ve known her since 2007 when she started up in the Essex Street Market and have always appreciated her approach and the work); b) check in to make sure that Stick With Me and The Meadow were still open and were where I thought they were; c) visit what I thought was a new kid in the neighborhood (Thierry Atlan); d) visit Joan at Chocolat Moderne (I’ve known Joan since 2003 – before she opened her doors for business).
A more complicated goal was to scout out a walking tour that provides an introduction to the breadth of chocolate offerings Manhattan has to offer.
First Stop: Roni-Sue’s Chocolates
Take a #6 subway to Spring St then walk to 148 Forsyth St. When you search for “best chocolate shops in NYC” Roni-Sue’s does not appear in the results. BUT, if you are in the neighborhood don’t miss it and it’s a great starting point for the walking tour outlined here. The work is not as visually fancy as that from Stick With Me, but everything is very well made and the flavors are clear and clean.
Cart 0
Second Stop: Stick With Me Sweets
From Roni-Sue’s it’s less than a 10-minute to Stick With Me Sweets at 202A Mott St. Founded by Susanna Yoon, ex of the pastry department at Thomas Keller’s Per Se, the pieces are unassailable technically and the flavors are often based on NYC food classics. There are no bad options here and if you are looking for this style of work no one in NYC does it better.
Third Stop: The Meadow (along Spring to Mulberry St).
From Stick With Me it’s about a 3-minute walk to The Meadow at 240 Mulberry St. Along with Cocoa Store, the Meadow offers a wide selection of craft chocolate bars from makers around the world. What sets The Meadow apart from Cocoa Store is that you can also purchase gourmet salts, craft cocktail bitters, and fresh flowers – making this a great store for gifting the hard-to-buy-for person in your life.
Fourth Stop: Thierry Atlan
The walk from The Meadow to Thierry Atlan at 436 W Broadway is between 8 and 11 minutes – the longest of the morning. The shop is modest but offers bonbons, bars, panned items, macarons, gelato, sorbet, and coffee drinks.
The cases from the back of the store to the front.
I got one bonbon, a fresh mint slabbed ganache. Fresh mint is hard to do – but this version was spot on. Mint can often be one note, but there were the bitter undertones I expect from starting with fresh mint, the flavor was clear and unmistakable, and the textures were in balance. I got two macarons – Lemon and Violet/Cassis. The texture of the almond biscuits was perfect and the flavors were also spot on. The lemon was bright and fresh and the taste settled into the almonds used for the flour and in a good way. Cassis (black currant) is notoriously difficult to do well, but it was delicate and recognizable at the same time. The finish had delicate floral violet notes up in the nose. Treats worth every cent.
Pat Vdb
As you walk from The Meadow (walking down Spring Street, not Houston, as it’s more pleasant) to Thierry Atlan, consider adding Marie Belle (Broome St) to your tour. It’s a block or two out of your way but if you’re feeling in the mood for a hot chocolate – Marie Belle is the place in SoHo to go. The work – including slabbed ganaches with colorful transfers – is also top notch.
Fifth Stop: Chocolat Moderne
Chocolat Moderne is located on the 9th floor at 27 W 20th St, between 5th and 6th. While it has expanded into an adjacent room, the main production area and display area [R] are in the original location. The chocolate is Valrhona, the flavors are clean and recognizable with some wonderful Greek-inspired combinations; there are enough varieties to satisfy every family member and the packaging is understated and elegant making these perfect for gifting. 3D molds with transfers are the most common presentation – and all are very well made by hand. And don’t overlook the bars.
From Thierry Atlan, you cross Houston St where W Broadway turns into La Guardia Place and you start walking through NYY country. La Guardia Place ends at Washington Square Park. Crossing the park you find yourself on 5th Avenue at 8th St. This walk is the longest of the day – about 20 minutes – but it can take longer if you stop for lunch (in the mood for pizza? then try Arturo’s on Houston/Thompson) or decide to watch any of the performances that may be going on.\
In Conclusion
New York City (especially Manhattan) is not in the same league as Paris, Brussels, Turin, and a couple of other cities I have visited for chocolate in terms of the sheer number of shopping options.
What Manhattan does offer – as evidenced by my Thursday walking tour – is a wide variety of styles of work. I did not cover makers without retail locations (Kee’s is a notable maker to seek out) and there are some makers slated to open soon, notably Daniel Corpuz who exhibited at the Salon) that I could not visit.
I have also not covered retail shops from other famous European brands and avoided the touristy theme-park-in-a-store options from industrial makers in Times Square.
Finally, if you wanted to, you could do the Thursday Walking Tour before lunch, then do the Monday Reconnaissance in the afternoon.
Rule #1 Redux
Do Your Homework
If all you knew about the best chocolate in NY was from the following lists, you’d have some amazing experiences – but there are many missing pieces.
So, Chocolate Fans, before you plan your visit to NYC, check to make sure the store is not permanently closed and for current days/hours of operation. The listings, even on mapping and review sites can be wrong.
BTW – this applies to every city you visit. While I was away a friend asked me for chocolate recommendations in Madrid and most of the ones I recommended had closed.
Written by Amber Sutherland-NamakoRestaurant Critic, Food & Drink Editor
0
armand
Missing are Chelsea Market Baskets (Chelsea Market 15th-16th Sts/9th-10th Aves), and Spoiled Parrot (Tin Building at South Street Seaport), which I was told – too late to visit – has a great bar selection along with candy and confectionery.
Jamestown Creative
Do you know of a shop/maker not listed here? Let me know in the comments and I will be sure to add it to my list of places to stop by a future trip to NYC.
Parts 1 and 2
Clay Gordon
Clay Gordon