NYC’s Beloved Levain Bakery Brings Its Gigantic Cookies to Bethesda

Levain Bakery, the NYC institution known for chunky cookies weighing in at six ounces, opens its second D.C.-area location today (Tuesday, July 13) in Bethesda, Maryland. Palm-sized cookies available in five flavors are the main attraction, joining cinnamon butter brioche, raisin or walnut sticky buns, sour cream coffee cake, ciabatta, and whole grain loaves of bread. To drink, there’s tea, coffee, espresso, and cold brew. The Bethesda Row location (4844 Bethesda Avenue) opens from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.

Born on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in 1995, the bakery made its first foray outside of New York last September with a Georgetown outpost in the former Johnny Rockets space. Its Bethesda location opens with a pair of limited-time ice cream sandwiches. D.C.-based Dolcezza Gelato lends a sweet cream flavor that goes in between chocolate chip walnut cookies. Dark chocolate chocolate chip cookies get stuffed with roasted strawberry gelato. Opening day proceeds go towards nonprofit Bethesda Help. Delivery from Caviar and Doordash starts next week.

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• Mid-Atlantic restaurant Shilling Canning Company marks its two-year anniversary in Navy Yard with a seven-course tasting menu at its chef’s counter starting July 23. Tickets are $95 with option beverage pairings for $55.
• Bastille Day is Wednesday, July 14, and here’s how Francophiles can celebrate in D.C. [W]
• Smoothie and juice bar Turning National opened its sixth area location in Takoma Park (6833 Fourth Street NW). The D.C. suburb also has a new all-day burrito joint with the arrival of El Sabor a Mexico (353 Cedar Street NW). [P]