Levain Bakery (W 74th St)

Levain began in 1995 as a small Upper West Side bread bakery run by two friends, and became world-famous for a six-ounce chocolate chip walnut cookie — a dense, under-baked-on-purpose object closer to a warm pastry than a cookie. The West 74th Street location is the original home, and the smell reaches the sidewalk before you do.

There are now outposts across the city and beyond, but the original block retains the ritual: the short line, the paper bag already translucent with butter, the first bite taken standing outside. Split one cookie between two people on a bench in nearby Central Park and you will understand the fuss.