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Astoria is known for having incredible restaurants and bakeries, but when I lived there, I had to wonder: Was I biased? At the time, everyone raved about Levain Bakery’s softball-sized cookies in Manhattan, but I would line up outside of Chip City—then known as Chip NYC—for one of their gooey-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-outside treat. Back in 2017, not long after Chip opened, I deemed it the “best cookie in New York City.” Years later, I can say: It wasn’t just a proximity thing. These cookies are that good.
What Makes Chip City Cookies Different?
Massive, $4-and-up cookies have been trending over the past few years, with plenty of competitors popping up, from Gideon’s Bakehouse to Crumbl. What I love about Chip City is its limited, ever-changing menu of creative cookie flavors. A classic chocolate chip is always on the menu, but every day boasts three wildcards, which can range from more traditional cookie flavors like white chocolate macadamia nut and triple chocolate to unexpected takes, like blueberry cheesecake and banana nut oat.
With such a tightly edited selection of cookies, they’re almost always guaranteed to be good—provided they’re not overbaked (some of the newer stores have had issues with this, where they’re a bit dry).
The brand is also known for pop culture collabs, like an Angelica-inspired, purple-frosted cookie in honor of Rugrats’s 30th anniversary, or a Scooby Snack-ish cookie to celebrate the mystery-solving pup’s latest movie.
Crumbl Vs. Chip City: Which Is Better?
Crumbl has more locations and a wider variety of cookies, but if you’re going by the overall taste and quality of the cookie, I have to give it to Chip City. While Crumbl’s cookies are best for dunking (or sugar lovers), Chip City’s gooey-chewy combo is ideal for people who prefer a moist cookie with chewy (not crisp) edges. Personally, I prefer the gooey centers and thickness of a Chip City treat. The cookies tend to be a bit more balanced in terms of flavors too, using dark chocolate chips (for example) to offset the sweetness of its classic cookie dough.
OK, But How Big Are These Cookies Exactly?
They’re not quite as massive as Levain‘s or Gideon’s (which clock in at 6 ounces apiece), but they’re still easily shareable. Each one weighs 5.25 ounces, according to the company’s website.
How Many Calories Are in a Chip City Cookie?
A nearly half-pound cookie is like a meal in and of itself. So, as you might expect, each one will set you back between 570 and 680 calories, with the classic chocolate chip cookie clocking in at 610 (the plant-based chocolate chip cookie tips the scales at 680, and the lowest-calorie option is the Oatmeal Apple Pie flavor).
How Much Do Chip City Cookies Cost?
Expect to spend about $4.50 per cookie. (Pro tip: Bring your own milk—a glass will set you back at least $2.50, and that money is best spent on…more cookies, obvi.)
How Can I Get Chip City Cookies for Free?
Sign up for their rewards program, and every time you purchase, you’ll earn points that can be redeemed for merch, drinks—and yes—cookies. You can give them your phone number when you check out to collect your points, or use the Chip City app (which also allows you to order cookies for pickup and delivery).
What Are the Best Chip City Cookie Flavors?
We’re biased toward chocolate chip cookies, but we love how well-balanced the vanilla, dark chocolate and brown sugar notes are. We tend to avoid any flavors with a graham cracker base (like the s’mores), because they’ve been a bit too dry for our tastes.
That said, here are our faves:
- Chocolate Chip — The dark chocolate chips are key.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter — The peanut butter cuts through the richness of the almost brownie-like cookie.
- White Chocolate Cranberry Oat — The dried cranberries and white chocolate chips are generously mixed into every bite of this cookie, which is surprisingly moist and gooey for an oatmeal dough. (Most of the time, when oatmeal cookies are this big, they’re dense, cakey and dry.) The only thing that’d make it better? Sub the white chocolate for dark, in our opinion.
- Banana Nut Oat — Like banana bread, only in cookie form, with toasted walnuts and a smattering of chocolate chips.
- Oatmeal Apple Pie — One bite, and it’s instantly fall. The chewy, honey-spiced oatmeal cookie is the perfect wrapper to a baked apple core.
- Blueberry Cheesecake — It’s like a moist blueberry scone with a tangy cream cheese frosting center.
What’s the Chip Crookie?!
The Chip Crookie is a croissant-cookie mashup that’s a bit pricier than the store’s typical cookies. (A crookie costs $6 apiece, whereas the typical cookie is $4.50.) It tastes a lot like a fresh croissant stuffed with cookie dough, and it’s only available at select locations from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where Can I Find Chip City Cookies?
Chip City has stores in seven states, spanning 33 locations as of March 2024. (Two years ago, when I wrote this post, they had just 12 and were only in New York!) You can find them in NY, NJ, MA, MD, CT, VA and FL. The company also ships its cookies nationwide via Goldbelly.