Ray's Candy Store
Dessert shop · East Village
113 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009
Highlights
Iconic shop for ice cream, egg creams & fried Oreos
Iconic shop for ice cream, egg creams & fried Oreos
"Ray’s Candy Store offers soft serve support 24/7. This classic, cash-only spot off Tompkins Square Park has walls covered with newspaper articles and pictures of everything you can order, from ice cream served in a coffee cup to fried Oreos. Ray himself, who's owned the place since the ’70s, will likely be there when you stop by, so make sure to wave hello. We recommend sticking with chocolate, vanilla, or swirl." - willa moore, hannah albertine, arden shore, molly fitzpatrick
"When Ray Alvarez (born Asghar Ghahraman) bought this East Village candy store in 1974, it was already a venerable Tompkins Square institution. Gradually it became more of a junk-food deli and soda fountain, turning out egg creams and french fries, but the candy bar component persists, and so do candy-shop products like deep-fried Oreos." - Robert Sietsema
"Also enduring is Ray's Candy Store, a fixture that has sat in the same East Village spot since 1974." - Bettina Makalintal
"Ray’s Candy Store is a small, narrow spot off Tompkins Square Park where the walls are covered with newspaper articles and pictures of all the different things you can order - from ice cream to a variety of fried things like Oreos and beignets. Ray himself, who’s owned the place since the 1970s, may or may not be there when you stop by, but either way, this is a good place for some classic soft serve in a (coffee) cup or cone. It’s also open 24 hours, for all your 3am soft serve needs." - hannah albertine, emma, bryan kim, katherine lewin, hillary reinsberg, matt tervooren
"Ray’s is like a state fair, but without the adults trying way too hard to win stuffed animals. This classic East Village spot’s deep-fried Twinkies, chili-cheese dogs, soft serve ice cream, and banana split sundaes are available for delivery every day until midnight, and takeout until 4am." - matt tervooren
