Levain Bakery Opening Friday In Philadelphia

Restaurants & Bars

Levain Bakery Opening Friday In Philadelphia The viral bakery known for its huge, gooey cookies is opening its first Philadelphia location Friday in Rittenhouse.

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphians and visitors to the city will soon have a new way to satisfy their sugary cravings, as the popular Levain Bakery is opening this week in Philadelphia.

Levain will open at 8 a.m. Friday at 1518 Walnut St. in Rittenhouse.

The grand opening will feature a ribbon cutting, Philly-branded totes with free bakery swag for the first 100 guests, and celebrations that will run through the weekend.

Levain Rittenhouse's opening day proceeds will be donated to Broad Street Love, headquartered just a few blocks away. Broad Street Love's mission is to restore dignity and increase self-sufficiency for individuals in Philadelphia impacted by deep poverty through a variety of stabilizing social services.

This location, Levain's 15th, will offer the brand's six classic flavors: Chocolate Chip Walnut (also available as gluten-free and vegan Chocolate Chip Walnut), Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, Two Chip Chocolate Chip, and Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip, alongside seasonally rotating flavors. All cookies, breads and pastries are baked fresh on-site daily.

This location will also offer local pick-up and delivery.

Levain was founded in 1995 as a small bread bakery on the Upper West Side of Manhattan by Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald. The two best friends started baking six-ounce cookies with simple, high-quality ingredients as the ultimate post-race treat after training for triathlons and keeping a robust fitness regimen. After finalizing the recipe for their original Chocolate Chip Walnut cookie, they quietly offered the cookies for sale, and they flew off the shelf. Nearly 30 years later, the heritage brand's famously crispy outside, gooey in the center, giant cookies have been lauded by Bon Appetit, The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, and more.

Levain Rittenhouse is located on Philadelphia's bustling Walnut Street, a kismet location, given Levain's original cookie - Chocolate Chip Walnut. The bakery inhabits a former bank, thoughtfully designed to retain original architectural elements, creating a one-of-a-kind bakery backdrop.

The bakery's look and feel, helmed by Sarah Carpenter, includes a mural designed and hand-painted by Tara Jacoby, a Philadelphia-based illustrator and art director. This mural, inspired by the original ceiling archways covered in art deco-inspired flourishes, features cookie-filled Easter eggs among iconic Philadelphia landmarks.

When it comes to bakery openings, Weekes and McDonald carefully seek out neighborhoods and communities that feel special and intentional and Levain Rittenhouse has been no different. The founders' affinity and connection to the region, not to mention the city's world-class restaurant scene, led them to choose Philadelphia as the newest home for Levain. The decision was further inspired by Levain team members who hail from Philadelphia, and the many beloved guests who have traveled from Philadelphia to experience a Levain bakery in other cities over the years.

"With each new bakery, we aim to be a true neighbor and member of the community. We love Rittenhouse and we are delighted the bakery is in the heart of Philadelphia," the co-founders said in a statement. "Rittenhouse has no shortage of delicious bakeries; we couldn't be more excited to break bread...and cookies with our new neighbors."