Lily O’Brien’s Chocolate Cafe

Wondering if they shut their doors for good or if it is only a temporary thing to remodel or something else along those lines. I even went onto their website, which is not gone… but has no news either. (Yea, signed up for a now non-​existent newsletter in hopes of getting news that they’d be back.)
I’ve had their coffee, café latte, croissant, and even their prosciutto croissant — but NOT their hot chocolates. DAMN!!!

Was craving for their hot chocolate until I realized I walked past it… BECAUSE IT IS CLOSED! I don’t know where to go now to get my decadent chocolate cravings. But I have to say, a cup of hot chocolate was pretty pricy here ($ 4 – 5). But you can tell they put a lot of heart into making them unlike Starbucks. Good news, they are opening Maison Kayser down the block. Here’s to more French pastries.

It was a hot stuffy day in Manhattan and as the afternoon approached and my lunch settled into food coma mode, I needed a coffee.
Luckily, Lily was there to help.
Ordered a mocha after thinking this is a chocolate place, the mochas must be amazing.
However, the actual said beverage did not have enough chocolate flavor. Sad.

I was told to visit this spot since they had fantastic hot chocolate — I thought it was good. They have some great options for hot and cold coffee and chocolate beverages and I chose their Dark Hot Chocolate. It had a nice taste and had a good, deep chocolate flavor, but wasn’t as good as other places I’ve tried. They gave a complimentary caramel chocolate truffle, which was okay.
I think this is a good spot to get your chocolate fix if you’re in the area, but not a destination.

FACT: I don’t really like chocolate
I’ll eat it, have it, try it, but it is never my go to, or my craving.
But a friend was having a chocolate themed birthday bash and we were each required to bring so many types of chocolate. And so I walked into the cute little store on west 40^th to pick up some goodies.
Everyone seemed to love the goodies in the three different boxes I picked up, I tried two. The Brazilian Orange Truffle which was the perfect mix of dark chocolate and orange creamy filling. And the the Crème Brule which I was not a fan of, but as I said I don’t like chocolate but I dislike white chocolate more, so i have no idea why i put it in my mouth.
I also happened to pick myself up a yummy milk hot chocolate which was simple wonderful, not an over flow of chocolate flavor which I know lots of people like, but as stated I’m not one of them.
All in all a nice selection and friendly staff.

Reviews on their Hot Chocolate!
I AM A HUGE FAN OF HOT CHOCOLATE!!! Was doing some studies at NYPL… the weather was not being nice to us this week. fluctuating. hot and cold… a hot chocolate will be nice for the cold weather. so I found Lily O’Brien next to NYPL. and their signature drink is definitely their hot chocolate. so I went in and got a skim dark hot chocolate!!!
I feel bad. I gave City Bakery 5 stars. But I prefer Lily’s hot chocolate compare to any of it!!! The hot chocolate is rich and yet not too thick as City Bakery. It’s hot and you can enjoy it slowly… They have unique macaroon flavors. like tiramisu, candied bacon… but it’s kinda expensive. 2.50 for a tiny little one…
I love their nice, warm, and cozy café… Sitting down there with my hot chocolate on a late afternoon is the perfect thing. especially after long hours of study!!! :) this was my reward! :D

Yummmy! Brownie with very nice presentation (see the pic I uploaded).
Staff was nice n friendly. 1extra star is for living social deal.

Cute little chocolate bar with cute decorations around christmas time. Looked like a perfect place to stop by on a cold day.
BUT the chocolate is just mediocre and the drink was just whatever (at least, that’s what i can say about the drink I had, which was the white lily hot white chocolate)
:(at least it was warm inside!

In the passage of time, with a friend upon my travels, has induce me to a sweet ending for the night at Lily O’Brien’s.
One regular milk hot chocolate for me lady at $ 4.50, one large dark hot chocolate for the gentleman at $ 4.95 in conjunction with one chocolate Macaroon and one raspberry Macaroon at $ 4.60 each were highly desirable. Lily O’Brien’s chocolate café has ample seating where the setting is good for an intimate date. Surely, it is overpriced but the quality of confections and fluid entities are not overpowering rich heavy unlike Max Brenner, but it’s very light. The Macaroons are not fresh as it was obviously very stale to be possibly two days old. Our happy ending to a day’s long congregation for sweet confections was complete with two free chocolates with carmel filling.
Customer service is attentive and friendly who are able to hone their interpersonal skills without the abrasive attitude. It sits opposite Mid-​Manhattan Library. A loyal rewards card is available where the tenth hot drink purchase is complimentary.

The hot chocolate here is AMAZING! I’ve had the signature milk hot chocolate and the caramel hot chocolate — both of which were very rich and delicious, but not too heavy. It was perfect!
The truffles were good… but not as good as the hot chocolate and a tad over priced ($ 1.25 per piece).
The staff is very helpful and friendly. The place is a bit pricey, but the hot chocolate is worth going for — especially on a cold winter day. It is one of the best hot chocolates I’ve had — and I’ve had a lot. I would definitely recommend and will definitely go back for more!
Also, did I mention you get a free chocolate truffle with every purchase? :)

chocolates & hot chocolate… not really a fan BUT i absolutely love their christmas décor!
had a buywithme deal for a large drink and a box of 14 chocolates
—-White lily hot white chocolate w/​espresso & milk chocolate on top: SOUNDS DIVINE. but really just tasted like a latte.
—-box of chocolates. their chocolates don’t taste any better than sees candies or just hersheys honestly. i wouldn’t pay good money for these
NOTE: you can become a fan on facebook to get free hot chocolate for you and a friend on your birthday!

When I received my order of the Skinny Lily & took my first sip, I heard the angels sing. Not overbearing sweet & rich like most hot chocolates– thank God! It was like Lily O’Brien’s PERFECTED the hot chocolate. Even though the Skinny Lily uses skim milk, the consistency was still thick. Dark chocolate hot cocoa can go wrong if made incorrectly but God damn, each sip was like floating on Cloud 9… warm… delicious… savory… all I can dream about is having my next cup! :(
The Nutella macaroon tasted no different than a regular macaron. That will be my only complaint, sorry!
Décor is cute for a little café. Definitely gets crowded though. Come early to grab a seat!

Wow, this place is hoppin’ with deals! I always see their deals, and decided to try it out, finally. I had the White Lily which is just like my white chocolate mocha-​nice and sweet, the way I like it. They also have some sea salt caramel drinks, yumm!
If you «like» them on fb, you get a chocolate. If it’s your bday and you «like» them, you get a box containing 4 chocolates of your choice. Also, you can get free hot chocolate for «liking» that page.
We decided to get everything at once and we just liked them even more!

More free stuff on your birthday!
I noticed a small business card saying you get a small box of 4 chocolates if it’s your birthday and you like them on Facebook. I «liked» them and I got my hookup. I got a small box of peppermint, mango, and hazelnut chocolates for free.
Additionally if you just like them on facebook you get a free single wrapped chocolate too. Kinda like Lindt Chocolate.
The coffee, café au lait, was pretty standard coffee and milk. Nothing extra ordinary, but any place that rewards you for being a fan is top notch in my book.

I love the idea of this place and I was happy to try a new breakfast spot to counter my regular jaunts to Starbucks or Zeytinz. However, it only gets 3 stars because I found its coffee to be too small and its oatmeal to be too bland.
I don’t want to be harsh. I really thought the place was cute and their desserts looked delicious, but my only experience so far has been a quick breakfast and it was just okay.

Super Cute. Mighty Expensive.
Great place to meet for an indulgent treat.
Red Velvet cake was certainly above average. Café mocha was deeee-​lish.

First, I cannot believe that I haven’t reviewed this place yet.
Second, I am glad to see 80+ reviews, but, I know how busy this place is people, and somehow it feels like there still aren’t enough positive reviews.
I first started going to Lily’ O’Brien’s before Rosemary took over as «creative» head of the store last fall. Since then, she has made the window displays fun and interactive, tried to keep the snack and treats new and seasonal and just made the place more fun to visit.
This time, I went in to try the (French-​style) Red Velvet macaroon. I got a cup of Irish afternoon tea (by Bewley’s) to wash it down. I have to say, that, next to Cousin John’s Red Velvet whoopie pie, this is the best Red Velvet snack I have eaten. It may even be better, I just need to make certain that I drink something unsweetened to counter the sweetness.
After I sat down with my macaroon and tea, I started talking to Rosemary and the staff, and they were so nice — I got to sample the passionfruit macaroon as well (very sweet and a sort of caramel flavor), a plum/​banana/​kiwi smoothie, and I also picked up a few crème brûlée candies for my Mom.
It was nice to be able to sit down in the back, read while I waited to meet someone. I even got a refill on my tea.
I highly recommend LOB’s — just go in and ask for Rosemary as she will try to make sure that you get what you are in the mood for.

After ice skating at Bryant Park for 2 hours, I came to Lily O’Brien’s Chocolate Café. The café is tiny and only has 4 or 5 tables so this is really not a good place for big groups.
We ordered a big dark hot chocolate and they were nice enough to offer a chocolate caramel as a treat while we wait. It is pretty good but not really special. The hot chocolate is pretty thick but definitely not the thickest I have had.
Didn’t get to try any of the desserts or cookies though so I cannot say for those items but they sure look delicious!

The gold dusted chocolate macaroon tasted like cardboard. No chocolate flavor at all. Maybe it was just the ones I had that day? They can’t possibly be that popular and taste that way! Overpriced cardboard. Smh.
The hot chocolate, I must admit, is heavenly. So decadent, so smooth, so velvety. If you get only one thing, get this!
It’s a small place, but cute if you can manage to find a seat.
Service is not friendly. Just polite. I’m a pretty nice person. I smile at people when I talk. They should smile back.

Normally I’m dashing past this place at about four miles an hour trying to get to my bus as I cross over from the East Side. However, last night a sign stopped me like a cartoon character with the typical puffs of smoke on my heels as I saw a sign that read (paraphrased) «Free piece of chocolate with any coffee».
Entering Lily O’Brien’s is like stepping into another world apart from the madness of rush hour. The interior is made up of several shades of brown (a nod to the chocolate no doubt) and there is a long, leather seat on one side with a comfy looking seating area in the back for a small group. The staff was immediately attentive and I ordered a regular coffee and got my free piece of chocolate.
I’m rarely surprised by coffee. I’m used to everything from Au Bön Pain’s good coffee to my office’s rather… well not so good coffee. So when I took my first sip of this coffee I was shocked at how much flavor there was and how rich it tasted. I take my coffee with only a bit of milk, so I knew this wasn’t some sugar fueled flavor. Then I combined the wonderfully sweet and rich chocolate (with a hazelnut tasting center) and a little party happened in my mouth.
I’m looking forward to coming back to Lil O’Brien’s to check out what else they have to offer!