Lexington Candy Shop
Diner · Upper East Side
1226 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10028
Highlights
Old-fashioned soda counter serving tuna melts & egg creams
Old-fashioned soda counter serving tuna melts & egg creams
"This throwback luncheonette that opened in 1925 is only three blocks from the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the Upper East Side—the itinerary for a Manhattan family outing writes itself. There are tons of easy-to-like dishes here, like their fluffy pancakes and egg creams, which are as fun to drink as they are to watch being made. And when someone makes a mess, you can rest easy knowing vinyl and linoleum remain some of the most easily wipeable surfaces known to humankind." - willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah
"A competitor in the National Egg Cream Invitational, participating alongside other classic soda-fountain establishments in a contest to make the best egg cream." - Nadia Chaudhury
"Before going viral for their hand-mixed Cokes and egg creams, Lexington Candy Shop—established 1925—was just a place you could go for reliably buttery tuna melts and fluffy pancakes on the Upper East Side. You can still do this, it just might be a bit more crowded. Come alone and sit at the counter with a book, or come with a few people and wait for a table in a room full of posters of movies set in the neighborhood. Apart from the occasional influencer, most regulars look like they've been coming here for 60 years, minimum." - willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, will hartman, bryan kim, neha talreja, sonal shah
"When a diner has been open for almost 100 years, there’s a good chance that it’s worth a stop. A short walk from The Met, Lexington Candy Shop on the Upper East Side is one of the only places in New York that still mixes sodas just like they did when they opened in 1925. Sit up at the counter, grab some pancakes or an excellent tuna melt, and watch the waiters pump cola syrup into seltzer, mix egg creams, and pour coffee from a percolator that still uses a gas burner." - bryan kim, will hartman, willa moore, sonal shah, neha talreja
"The Dish: Chocolate Egg Cream This Upper East Side diner and luncheonette is one of the few places you can still get an egg cream made right in front of you, the old-fashioned way. A pint glass gets a pump of whole milk, a squirt of bubbly seltzer, and a pump of chocolate sauce. It’s essentially a refreshingly carbonated chocolate milk, made using equipment that's probably been around since the place opened in 1925." - bryan kim, sonal shah, willa moore, will hartman, molly fitzpatrick, neha talreja
