I wish I had more time to explore the menu at Ray’s Candy Store in East Village, NYC. It’s a special place, and probably one of the most unique “restaurants” I’ve ever visited. There’s a charm to the store that comes through even before you walk in the door. Part of that is the manic aesthetic to the menu and decorations, and part of that is the wholesome spirit of the 90 year old purveyor who still works the late shift at the 24 hour operation. Maybe those two things are the same.

This was my first trip to New York (mostly), and hence my first visit to Ray’s Candy Store. Ray Alvarez purchased the store in 1974 and has been serving people behind the counter ever since. While the sign says “candy store” it’s really more of a junk food deli. There are old school soda fountain options like Egg Creams, Lime Rickeys, etc. Then there’s a slew of deep fried treats like fried Oreos, bananas, Twinkies, and more. The menu is essentially whatever is written on paper plates and taped to the wall. If I wasn’t going out to dinner right afterwards I would have ordered some Belgian fries…anything for an excuse to hang out and chat a little longer. I didn’t meet Ray on this trip, but I did hang out with Stella who has worked there for a very long time. Ray is a legend, and a lot has been written about his history of defecting from the Iranian navy in the 1960’s (he dove off of a warship and swam 2 miles before traveling to Florida, and then later New York). Stella told me stories about Anthony Bourdain visiting Ray’s shop periodically over the years, and his last visit two months before he passed. There was a picture of Bourdain with Ray behind the counter to support the claim. I asked Stella what Bourdain would order, and she told me that he’d usually get an Egg Cream. If it was good enough for him, then it’s good enough for me. I ordered one.

An Egg Cream is a Brooklyn invention from back in the soda fountain days. I’ve had one before in Chicago (and here’s a link to others if I try more in the future), but I didn’t really enjoy that first experience. An egg cream contains milk, seltzer, and traditionally a Fox’s U-Bet chocolate syrup. My experience was that it’s interesting and tasty for the first 30 seconds, but then things separate and flatten. While I still think that’s true, something about it felt different while I was closer to its birth place. Maybe you’re just supposed to drink it quickly instead of savor it? Either way, Ray’s Candy Store makes a good one without any pretention (paper cup, no lid). Stella talked me into a medium instead of a small because it was only a little more expensive and the “ratios are better.” I went with the traditional chocolate (I think she added a little bit of vanilla), but they also offer strawberry and other flavors.

I’ll add more stuff to this post once I’m able to return to New York. It’s a long trip, and I don’t know when that will be, so until then I just encourage you to stop by and grab a drink/snack if you’re around. Say hello to Ray for me.

Side note: I apologize for the weird lighting in the photos. They have some old fluorescent lights in the store that did not pick up well with my phone camera.