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When it comes to sweets, candy gets no respect. In New York, grown-ups can--without embarrassment--satisfy their collective sweet tooth with high-end chocolates, beautiful wedding cakes (and trendy cupcakes), gourmet doughnuts, and Viennese pastries. But for those of us who still get cravings for good old-fashioned candy, is there a place for us in NYC? Gothamist had been wondering this for awhile. And when an old college friend came to visit last week to see The Gates, we figured we'd take her in search of some fancy candy, as she was the one who had gotten us hooked on Swedish Fish in the first place.
Dylan's Candy Bar on the Upper East Side seemed our best bet. We figured that a candy shop that was co-founded and owned by Dylan Lauren (daughter of Ralph) would offer the best candy money can buy, and the Wonkaesque setting to go along with it. Gothamist expected a place that would welcome not only children but "adults" like us who still eat sweet treats on a daily basis.
What we found was a place that seemed more suited to children's temperaments than to adults', on many levels. First, on a weekend afternoon, the store was so packed we struggled to move at all upon first entering. Definitely the kind of thing that doesn't faze a child who's got her mind set on gobstoppers, but made us tense up immediately. Second came the blaring candy-themed songs, one after another, which made Gothamist worry for the sanity of the workers who had to listen to the perpetual candy-song loop.
But more important than the crowds and the music, was the food itself. Upon stepping up to the bar of Dylan's Candy Bar, we immediately set our eyes upon the candified cupcakes--the homage to the classic chocolate Hostess-style cupcake, the Snickers cupcake, etc. We noticed that the cupcakes were supersized and were supplied by Crumbs Bake Shop, a place that has gotten lackluster reviews from the NY Daily News, among others.
We hoped that the cupcakes would be better than Gothamist had heard. Unfortunately, they were worse. The Hostess was rather mediocre (and with hardly any cream filling), the Snickers, inedible. The frosting on the Snickers cupcake seemingly strived toward Snickers-like flavor, but instead was just strange and unpalatable. With both cupcakes, the cake itself was dry and unmemorable.
Gothamist was perplexed as to why Dylan's Candy Bar would choose these cupcakes, considering the many other caterers and bakeries that turn out amazing cupcakes every day. (There's even a better version of the Hostess-style cupcake--made with Valrhona chocolate--available in NYC from Sage American Kitchen caterers.) Gothamist also tried the chocolate-peanut butter fudge, which was super sweet but definitely delicious, as well as some of the signature chocolate candy bars (hazelnut, dark, caramel) that could also hold their own.
Every sort of candy you can remember from your childhood is also on offer, in bins that allow you to measure out how much of each you want. Germ-phobes might be put off, though, by the sight of small children using their hands to measure out the candy instead of the little metal shovels provided. But in the chaos of the weekend crowds at a place like that, you can't expect the candy police to keep kids' hands out of the proverbial (and literal) cookie jar.
It's not that Gothamist didn't like Dylan's Candy Bar; it's just that next time, we'll take our niece or nephew, not fellow grown-ups (no matter how much they love gummi bears).
Dylan's Candy Bar, 1011 Third Ave. (at 60th St.), phone: 646-735-0078.
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Based purely on the stories about Dylan Lauren from a friend-of-a-friend who used to work for her, I refuse to ever give her a penny of my money. Give me Economy Candy any day!
The prices there are outrageous! Same candy to be had at your corner deli for much cheaper, and without the annoying tracks of "Lollipop, lollipop, oh lolly, lolly, lolly, lollipop. Pop!" playing in the background.
I haven't been there in 18 months, and after reading the article, the song is once again stuck in my head.
who the heck would want to eat a "trendy" cupcake. that sounds so dumb.
I usually walk by Dylan's Candy Bar once a week or so in the morning. The day that a saw a mouse making a beeline past the entrance, before the store opened, was when I figured there's no need for me to shop there.
I have to agree with the above comments 1) ridiculous prices at Dylan's and 2) you are far better off at Economy Candy - for price, selection, and like feeling you are actually in New York.
My wife and I went there a few days after Christmas after the wait at Serendipity was too long. We were crushed in the mass of people browsing the bulk candy selections and opted to try their sundae/hot chocolate drinks. While we were waiting, the menu screen from the "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" DVD kept looping on a LCD screen above us, so we had to endure the 30 seconds of menu music for half an hour. I may never watch that movie again. The drinks were good but too sweet, and the sugar rush we got lasted well into the wee hours. It was a fun visit for about 20 minutes, but we stayed for an hour and overdosed. I don't plan on going back anytime soon -- there are better and less crowded places to get hot chocolate treats in town.
I'll third Economy Candy. THAT's the kind of candy store I grew up with, and still enjoy visiting. And their prices are gentle, for sure. Enough of the meshuggenah fancy-shmancy stuff.
(I used to work for Sage American Kitchen, by the way, and their faux-stess cupcakes are incredible!)
I'll third Economy Candy. THAT's the kind of candy store I grew up with, and still enjoy visiting. And their prices are gentle, for sure. Enough of the meshuggenah fancy-shmancy stuff.
(I used to work for Sage American Kitchen, by the way, and their faux-stess cupcakes are incredible! We had them instead of a big cake at our wedding.)
but they have a pixie stick maker!! a pixie stick maker!! then again, i don't really like pixie sticks that much.
I gotta give Dylan's points. Every time I have given someone a gift basket (I like to put them together myself) they have been blown away when they open it up and see Wonka bars or some weird candy we had when we were kids. It's definitely worth the price to have a few minutes of being transported back to when you were five. It makes being an adult suck just that little bit less.
Economy Candy is so much better
a true candy store for the true candy lover
no frills but the real deal
sorry dylan
ITS CANDY FOR GOD SAKE, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE A RIP-OFF ARTIST ABOUT EVERYTHING?IF IT WAS MORE AFFORDABLE, MORE PEOPLE WOULD GO!