The NYC Bakery That Makes Giada De Laurentiis' Last-Meal Request

Even amongst celebrity chefs who've gotten the opportunity to travel the world trying countless new and exciting foods, there are typically a few places that they'd never get sick of visiting to have a meal stateside. Some may know, for instance, how Anthony Bourdain never passed up a trip to Johnnie's Beef in Chicago, but other famous names have some more unexpected picks. For Giada De Laurentiis — who is generally known to favor the cuisine in Italy, where she was born — few things can come close to the delightful treats that Levain Bakery in Manhattan has to offer.

Located on the Upper West Side, Levain is a French bakery that De Laurentiis has frequently called one of her absolute favorite places to dine in New York City, especially as a result of the shop's remarkable cookies. De Laurentiis, a widely successful recipe maker, gave kudos to the New York staple in a blog post on her Giadzy website that went through several of her favorite places to eat in the city that never sleeps. "This tiny French bakery on the Upper West Side is easy to miss, but trust me, it's worth it for the giant, dark-chocolate chip cookies," De Laurentiis praised. "If I had to choose my last meal, it'd be these cookies."

The last meal-worthy cookie in question is among the many that fans of Levain Bakery absolutely swear you must try. The West 74th Street bakery — named after the French word for "leavened bread" — has been lauded as one of the best cookie suppliers in the entirety of New York City since it opened in 1995, with its special cookie recipe blending soft, cake-like qualities with the solidified, gooey texture and shape that makes the mouth water. This unique take on the dessert has even led to its own subset of homemade copycats (like giant Levain-style M&M cookies) becoming popular among the masses.

While De Laurentiis was particularly taken with the bakery's dark chocolate chip cookies, others have noted that flavors like the classic chocolate chip walnut and oatmeal cookies are equally worthy of critical acclaim. In fact, Levain's strong variety is one of the many reasons why the one-time New York City exclusive bakery became so popular, which has led to its recent nationwide expansion. After opening locations across the East Coast throughout the early 2020s, the chain made a big jump by popping up in the West Loop of Chicago beginning in 2022 — the chain's first foray outside of its region of origin. Levain Bakery now has locations in California, giving cookie lovers on both coasts an alternative to grocery store bakeries when they need to satisfy a sweet tooth.