Here is everything we know about New York’s Nutella cafe

If any restaurant has even a hint of Nutella on the menu, you can be pretty sure that it’s worth a detour. Everything else might taste like total garbage, but if there’s the chance of rounding things off with a spoonful of something dark, gooey and nutty, all else is likely to be forgiven. Most chefs use this power in moderation, afraid of the consequences of too much chocolate. Some, however, are apparently determined to overindulge.

To the joy of ecstatic chocoholics everywhere, there is a cafe in New York that promises to take food way beyond even the world’s wildest Nutella fantasies. An homage to all things hazelnut, the restaurant is the second location of a growing Nutella franchise from parent company Ferrero, after a first cafe opened in Chicago last year. Given what’s on the menu, it’s hardly surprising that Number Two has popped up in The Big Apple.  

Anyone who dreams in chocolate can now head to Union Square and get their hands on a whole host of sticky sweet Nutella creations, including grilled chocolate banana bread, croissant, hazelnut blondie and, for the health conscious, chocolate chia seed parfait. The entire menu is served in a dining room festooned in Nutella branding, including a giant Nutella jar door and a wall to ceiling Nutella light display, like the store is trying to summon a crime-fighting chocolatey superhero. There is a store filled with limited edition Nutella merch and, of course, mountains of nutty jars.

For more discerning Nutella diners, one of the most exciting aspects of the new cafe is the opportunity to “create your own” dessert. This variable item allows customers to add Nutella to bases that range from buckwheat crepe to polenta pancake and everything in between, as well as topping off their creation with a variety of fruit and other extras. Anyone feeling especially gluttonous can even opt for extra Nutella for $1, or several scoops of gelato for $3.95. There aren’t many pre-diabetic boxes that the “create-your-own” option doesn’t tick.

Unsurprisingly, the Nutella cafe has a huge following on social media, allowing millions to dream about drowning themselves in chocolate spread over the internet. If you haven’t got much chance of making it to New York or Chicago in the coming months, you can at least head to Instagram for some fantasy fuel. If, however, you are a chocolate fan and in North America, you now know exactly where you need to go.