By 
For many years, Los Angeles has lacked good places for 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 cookie place that has been dominating New York City since 1997, and it’s Levain Bakery. In June 2023, Levain Bakery opened their first West Coast location in Los Angeles, specifically the neighborhood of Larchmont Village. This street, dotted with ficus trees, cute cafes and boutique shops, is very reminiscent of the East Coast.
Since I’m not a cookie fiend, I had no idea about Levain Bakery. I saw an IG story of my friend Amy, where she snapped a photo of the long line. She’s an amazing foodie, so I asked 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.”
If you’re planning on going, I think it’s important to know the backstory! For someone who doesn’t know anything about Levain Bakery, this may look like another newly founded 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 at 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.
Conversations around cookies started after their workouts. 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 Kim 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 on 74th and Amsterdam Street. As of today, there are three Levain Bakery locations in Manhattan.
Kim and Pam have been named the cookie queens of NYC. Over the years, visitors from all over the world have made Levain Bakery a destination in their NYC trip itineraries. When I googled: “Best cookies in NYC”, Levain Bakery came up at the top. They’ve shipped their cookies as far as Alaska.
Despite being the founders of America’s most famous cookies, it’s no surprise that Kim and Connie are huge proponents of fitness. Palm shared with the NYPost: “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 where social media didn’t exist, Connie and Kim 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 for the oven.
Just like the NY counterparts, LA’s location is also a regular bakery, selling fresh bread and other pastries.
Once I got inside and it 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 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. So after debating with the girl at the register on which ones to get, I got 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 coffee. As I went back to my car, the people in line looked at my Levain cookie bag expectantly. The coffee was too hot and honestly, nothing special.
I decided to take a bite of each before I took off. The cookies are quite heavy and very substantial! I was full after only 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 crispiness!!
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, and a favorite, but I didn’t like it that much. Surprisingly, I liked the walnut chocolate chip better (not pictured), and my favorite of them all was the coconut caramel cookie. Out of all the cookies I had, this one was the crispiest and the least sweet. The flavor of the caramel was sweet, but not overpowering, and I also loved the hints of coconut and the slightly burnt caramel.
Levain’s cookies are known for their slightly gooey inside, crispy outside and big sizes. Most chocolate chip cookies are on the flatter side, but Levain’s cookies resemble a scone! While you can reheat the cookies at home, they’re best eaten while they’re fresh out of their oven!
I liked them, 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 are $5 each, which is pretty pricey, but given the size and the well-earned reputation, it is 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?
