Max Brenner New York
Chocolate-filled pipes run around the ceiling at 841 Broadway. The chocolate turns up on the savory side too, on waffle fries dusted with chili and cocoa.2
Why go
Oded Brenner and Max Fichtman founded this chain together and parted in 2012, and it was not friendly.3 Fichtman sued, and the non-compete Brenner signed stopped him selling any chocolate at all for five years.3 When the five years ran out he opened Blue Stripes on East 13th Street. It is a block from the room that still carries his name.3
Time Out described this room in 2010, and I have not found anything written about the food here since.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the waffle fries with chili and cocoa powder, which is the whole idea of the place on one plate.2
- Order: the dessert pizza, which is built for a table.2
- Avoid: coming for Oded Brenner's own chocolate. Scott Lynch, in Gothamist, lists a Cake & Shake, tahini chocolate truffle bars and Nutella swirl buns as what he makes now at Blue Stripes.3
What locals & experts say
- Time Out New York, on the room, October 2010: the menu tells you to
Get addicted, be happy,
andthis isn't a place for self-control.
2 - The Infatuation, listing it in March 2025 and saying so:
We haven't been here yet, but want you to know this spot exists.
1
Good to know
- Which door: 841 Broadway, the New York flagship.1
- With children: the kids' menu carries a Chocolate Oatmeal Trophy and a Melting Marshmallow Crepe with gummy bears and vanilla ice cream.2
Verdict
could-visit — Dessert is the meal here, and the room is as much of the product as the chocolate is. I would not go on my own.