1925 Retro Diner Egg Creams on the UES: Lexington Candy Shop

Lexington Candy Shop, at 1226 Lexington Avenue on the corner of 83rd Street, has been pouring sodas since 1925 and opens at 7 am Monday through Friday and 8 am on weekends, with breakfast served at any hour. If you want a retro diner where nothing is staged, this luncheonette is the real thing: the room was last renovated in 1948, and the fountain drinks are still mixed by hand from syrup and seltzer.

Soterios Philis and Tami Naskos founded the shop in 1925. Five years later Soterios was joined by his son Peter, and for decades regulars simply called the place Pete's Place. In 1980 Peter's son John came behind the counter, and in 1990 John formed a partnership with Bob Karcher. The shop calls itself the city's only reminder of an era when every neighborhood had a soda fountain, and it marked its 100th anniversary in 2025.

Walk in and the comparison everyone makes is a time warp. A long counter runs down one side with swivel stools, a few booths sit opposite, and the walls are layered with the clippings and photos that the menu says tell the shop's storied past. Hollywood noticed long ago: the counter appears in Three Days of the Condor, The Nanny Diaries, Fading Gigolo and Law and Order SVU, and in 2018 it was featured on Travel Channel's Food Paradise.

The crowd shifts by the hour. Early weekday mornings are for neighbors who want coffee and eggs at the counter before work. Families come later, and Travel and Leisure Family once called it the perfect destination for a family breakfast, while New York Newsday has labeled the shop a New York City landmark. Weekend afternoons bring museum visitors walking over from Fifth Avenue, which is when the narrow room with its limited seating feels most crowded.

Start with the egg cream, the drink the shop is known for. On the shop's menu a small costs $5.50 and a large costs $6.90, and the counterman builds it the 1925 way, with chocolate syrup, milk and a hard stream of seltzer stirred until a white head rises. Malteds are made with real malt powder and listed at $12.40, while the milkshake and the ice cream sodas are each $11.95, all made with Bassetts super premium ice cream.

The fresh lemonade is the other headline. The menu notes that the New York Times voted it the best in the city three times, and a small costs $8.00. A Fresh Lime Rickey costs the same, and the Fresh Orange Freeze is $13.95 if you want something closer to a dessert. Freshly squeezed orange juice starts at $9.00 for a small glass, a fair price on a block where cafés charge more for bottled juice.

Breakfast is the safest order. Classic pancakes and classic French toast are each $14.95, and the blueberry pancakes cost $17.95. The bread comes from Orwasher's Bakery a few blocks away, which is why the toast arrives thicker and chewier than at most diners. Sit at the counter if you can, since the cook works the griddle right in front of you and the plates land within a few minutes of ordering.

At lunch, the Lexington Butter Cheeseburger is $13.95, or $15.95 as a jumbo, and a plain burger is $10.50. The Lexington Special piles roast beef, bacon, melted American cheese and a fried egg with Russian dressing for $22.95, and the tuna melt is $16.50. An honest judgment: the savory plates are honest diner cooking rather than destination food, so if your budget only covers one item, spend it at the fountain.

Finish with a banana split at $14.95 if you are sharing, or skip dessert entirely if your egg cream was a large. Kids handle the room well, since the counter stools let them watch drinks being mixed, but keep orders simple during the lunch rush. Takeout and local delivery run all day, and you can call ahead for pickup, which is the easier route when the counter is full.

Read the fine print on the menu before you sit down. From 10 am to 5 pm, tables carry a $10 minimum per person, so a group that only wants coffee should take counter seats or come before 10. Credit cards are accepted only for purchases of $10 or more, and the shop limits each check to two cards. Gratuity is cash only, so bring bills for the tip even if you pay the food on a card.

There is no reservation system to lean on, and the dining room is small, so plan for a wait at weekend brunch. The calmest window is the first stretch of the morning, before the table minimum starts. If the line runs out the door, order an egg cream and a lemonade to go and walk them toward the park. The shop also hosts private parties and photo shoots, and gift certificates and T-shirts are sold at the register.

The shop sits three blocks from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the rest of Museum Mile, which makes it a natural first stop before the galleries open. Head west on 83rd Street to Fifth Avenue, then south to the museum steps. The 86th Street station on the 4, 5 and 6 trains is three blocks north, and the 77th Street stop on the 6 is the quieter choice if you are coming from Midtown.

For an afternoon loop, walk east on 86th Street to Carl Schurz Park, where the promenade looks over the East River and Gracie Mansion sits at the north end. On the way back, Orwasher's Bakery is worth a detour to buy a loaf of the same bread the shop uses for its toast. The whole circuit takes about an hour and ends conveniently close to the Second Avenue subway at 86th Street.

Address: 1226 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10028, at 83rd Street. Hours: Monday through Friday 7 am to 6 pm, Saturday 8 am to 6 pm, Sunday 8 am to 4 pm. Breakfast is served anytime, tables have a $10 per person minimum from 10 am to 5 pm, cards need a $10 minimum, and tips are cash only. Use Karpo APP to line up a museum morning around your counter seat.