Levain Bakery

Levain Bakery began in 1995 as a little neighbourhood bakery on West 74th Street, opened by two friends, Pam and Connie, who shared a passion for bread. It was the cookies that made the name, however: huge, thick, six-ounce rounds with a crisp outside and a soft, almost molten centre. The original shop, down a few steps below street level near the corner of Amsterdam Avenue, is still the one that most visitors seek out, and the queue on the pavement outside is part of the Upper West Side scenery.

The chocolate chip walnut cookie is the signature and the one to try first. The dark chocolate chip and plain chocolate chip versions are close behind, and seasonal flavours appear through the year. The bakery also sells a small range of breads, pastries, loaf cakes and savoury sandwiches, along with coffee, and gift sets come in its recognisable blue box. One cookie is easily enough for two people to share, and they are best eaten fresh and still warm, or warmed through later to bring back the gooey centre.

The 74th Street shop is open every day from 8am to 8pm. It is small, with little or no room to sit, so think of it as a takeaway stop. Queues are longest on weekend afternoons and during school holidays, but they move quickly because the menu is simple. Mornings and early evenings on weekdays are usually the quickest times to be served.

Levain is inexpensive for a treat and suits families, students and anyone with a sweet tooth. Since those early days the business has grown, with other bakeries on the Upper East Side, in Harlem, the Flatiron District, NoHo, Williamsburg and Astoria, plus nationwide shipping, so you are never far from a cookie. Still, the original shop has the most character and the strongest sense of where it all began.

The bakery is at 167 West 74th Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. The 72nd Street station on the 1, 2 and 3 lines is about five minutes' walk away. Take your cookie to Central Park, a few blocks east, or combine the stop with a visit to the American Museum of Natural History on Central Park West.