Jeff O.
Yelp
I'm probably not alone in feeling like it's increasingly difficult to distinguish all the chains and chainlets specializing in half-pound, Instagrammable, kid-friendly cookies that everyone enjoys, even if they struggle to admit it. Chip City isn't doing anything wildly different from its counterparts in the niche (and presumably cutthroat) colossal-cookie sector, but it's worth visiting, and it's a standout in some important respects.
For one thing, the hospitality is exceptional. Every time I've been here, the staff has been unfailingly informative and welcoming, leaving me absolutely no choice but to tip $1 on a $5 cookie.
Also, the rotating cookie cast always features at least one option for special dietary desires/needs, such as vegan and gluten-free. 90% of patrons, including yours truly, don't require such accommodations, but they're absolutely essential for the 10% who do, and it's something I commend.
As for the cookies themselves, I'm simply not buying the criticism -- extremely common in reviews of jumbo-cookie joints -- about items being cloying or underbaked. You know what you're getting into when you walk into a place like this -- it's not some elegant patisserie or minimalist chocolatier, so yeah, they're gonna be a little heavy-handed with the sugar. And look, unless you're biting into raw cookie dough, a soft center is part of the appeal with a frisbee-size cookie -- it is, ideally, a study in contrasts, from the crisp edges to the chewy middle.
Chip City does what it does and it does it well -- it's not using esoteric, hyperartisanal ingredients, but nothing tastes like Duncan Hines. It sells fun flavors -- PB&J, horchata, s'mores, etc. -- that understandably are crowd-pleasers. And while it closely resembles other cookies-on-steroids spots, it does its genre proud and is itself worthy of emulation.
