By 
Los Angeles has never been a place known for having the best chocolate chip cookies. While there is no shortage of good bakeries in LA, there has yet to be a place exclusively known for chocolate chip cookies.
In NYC, cookie places abound, but there is one specific place that has been dominating New York City since 1995, and that is Levain Bakery. In June 2023, Levain Bakery opened its first West Coast location in the Larchmont Village neighborhood. Its main street, Larchmont Blvd, is dotted with ficus trees, cute cafes and boutique shops — very reminiscent of the East Coast.
Since I’m not a cookie fiend, I had never heard of Levain Bakery until I saw an Instagram story from my friend Amy showing the long line. She’s an amazing foodie, so I asked her about Levain Bakery. She said: “In my opinion, it’s the best cookie in the world. I tried it 9 years ago and no place compares. Period. I eat an inhumane amount of them lol whenever we go to NY. We knew and loved them before Facebook was around. IG didn’t even exist lol. I love them with all my heart since the first day lol.”
For someone unfamiliar with Levain Bakery, it might seem like a relatively new business, but the truth is, Levain has been around since the mid-’90s! The more I kept digging into the history, the more fascinated I became.
Founders Connie McDonald and Pam Weekes met in the early ’90s during a swimming class in Manhattan while training for a triathlon. At the time, Pam worked for fashion designer Norma Kamali and Connie worked at a bank.
After their strenuous swimming classes, Connie and Pam bonded over their love of cookies. This was before protein bars and shakes were popularized. They shared on InsideHooks.com: “We’d finish our workouts and would be ravenous, we made these cookies to satisfy our seemingly never-ending hunger.”
Photo courtesy: Levain Bakery
Connie and Pam quit their respective jobs and in 1995, they opened their first bakery in NYC. Before being known for their signature oversized cookies, Levain Bakery started out selling fresh bread below, a restaurant at West 74th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. As of today, there are three Levain Bakery locations in Manhattan.
Connie and Pam have been named the cookie queens of NYC. Over the years, visitors from all over the world have made Levain Bakery a pilgrimage destination. When I Googled “Best cookies in NYC”, Levain Bakery reigned supreme at the top. They’ve even shipped their cookies as far as Alaska!
Although Pam and Connie are the founders of America’s most famous cookies, they are huge proponents of fitness. Pam shared with the New York Post: “I try to work out every day as part of my life. Diversity in your diet, your life and your exercise leads to a healthy and happy life.”
It’s fascinating to me how, at a time when social media didn’t exist, Connie and Pam managed to create a massively successful cookie empire.
Taking advantage of the long July holiday weekend in LA, I showed up at Levain Bakery at 7:30 am. But I wasn’t the only one planning on going early to avoid the long lines!
As I was getting closer to the cash register, I was tantalized by the smell of fresh cookies and the sight of the bakers prepping the cookie dough on the trays, ready to be popped in the oven.
Just like its New York counterparts, LA’s location also doubles as a bakery, offering fresh bread and other pastries.
Once I got inside and was my turn to order, I asked the girl what their most popular cookies were. She said: chocolate chip, walnut and dark chocolate peanut butter. I also asked her about the flavor of the cookies that were in the tray, which looked absolutely delicious. “That’s the coconut caramel,” she said.
There were so many cookie flavors that it was hard to get only two. After debating which ones to get with the girl at the register, I settled on three: chocolate chip, chocolate chip walnut, and caramel coconut chocolate chip. The girl at the cash register was nice enough to comp me the dark chocolate peanut butter as well. “It’s so good, you have to try it at least once,” she said.
I also ordered a hot coffee. As I walked back to my car, I noticed people in line eyeing my bag of Levain cookies. The coffee was scalding hot, so it was impossible to enjoy it in the first few minutes. After a few minutes I took a few sips, but it was nothing to write home about.
Once I got in my car, I decided to take one bite of each. WOW! These cookies are quite heavy and so substantial that I was full after a few bites! If you order more than two, like most people did, know that they hold up pretty well for the next few days.
My favorite part about the cookies was the crispy exterior!!
Chocolate chip cookie
Coconut caramel cookie
Dark chocolate peanut butter
The dark chocolate peanut butter really surprised me. They used Reese’s peanut butter chips, and it was delicious. The chocolate chip is their signature cookie, but flavor-wise, it didn’t stand out to me that much. Surprisingly, I liked the walnut chocolate chip better (not pictured), and my favorite by far was the coconut caramel cookie. It was the crispiest and the least sweet, with hints of coconut and slightly burnt caramel inside.
Levain’s massive cookies are known for their slightly gooey interior and crispy exterior. Most chocolate chip cookies are on the flatter side, but Levain’s cookies resemble a scone! While you can reheat the cookies at home, the best way to eat them is while they’re fresh out of the oven!
Overall, I liked Levain, but I wasn’t crazy enough about them to go back and wait in line for over an hour. Granted, I’ve never been a huge chocolate chip cookie fan, and I only eat them once in a blue moon. Levain’s cookies were also a tad too sweet for my liking – and because they’re so substantial, I didn’t even eat lunch. I did love the texture!
The cookies were $5 each, which is pretty pricey, but given their size and well-earned reputation, the price was to be expected.
Don’t forget to check out the cool mural they did in the parking lot! 🍪🍪
Address: 227 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004
Hours: Monday-Sunday 8am-10 pm
Have you tried Levain Bakery? Do you think it’s worth the hype?
