Ghirardelli Empire State Building Shop and Menu Review

Ghirardelli opened its first New York City Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop at the Empire State Building in 2024, bringing the San Francisco chocolate brand to one of Manhattan’s best-known landmarks.

Where the Ghirardelli NYC Shop Is Located

The shop is located at the Empire State Building and was designed as both a retail store and dessert stop for visitors. Its placement gives Ghirardelli a highly visible New York location tied to one of the city’s busiest attractions.

What the Shop Serves

The menu includes Ghirardelli sundaes, milkshakes, hot chocolate, coffee, brownies, cookies, chocolate-covered strawberries, and other chocolate-focused treats. One of the signature options is the brand’s hot fudge sundae, made with chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, almonds, a cherry, and a Ghirardelli square.

The store also includes a Pick & Mix area where customers can select individual chocolate squares.

Design and Store Details

The roughly 2,700-square-foot space incorporates visual references to Ghirardelli’s San Francisco roots, including blue-and-gold finishes, a replica marquee, and a hot-fudge kettle display.

Those design elements make the location feel more like a branded destination than a standard candy shop.

Why the Location Matters

For Ghirardelli, the Empire State Building store marked its first permanent New York City chocolate and ice cream shop. For the Empire State Building, the tenant adds another food-and-retail attraction to the visitor experience.

What Makes the Empire State Building Location Different

The setting is a large part of the appeal. Ghirardelli already has a strong connection with San Francisco, so opening inside the Empire State Building gives the brand an equally recognizable New York backdrop without pretending it suddenly became a local chocolatier.

For visitors, it also creates an easy dessert stop around sightseeing. You can do the observatory, walk through Midtown and then make the entirely defensible argument that navigating Manhattan has earned you a sundae.

Who Will Enjoy the Shop Most

The store makes the most sense for Ghirardelli fans, families visiting the Empire State Building and anyone who wants a dessert destination rather than simply buying a packaged chocolate bar. The menu gives groups enough options to choose between sundaes, drinks, baked treats and individual chocolates.

The Pick & Mix section is useful if a full sundae feels excessive or if you want something portable. The larger desserts are more of a sit-down commitment, particularly after a day when everyone has already been walking around Manhattan.

Ghirardelli Empire State Building Shop Review

The Ghirardelli shop at the Empire State Building is best understood as a destination dessert stop built around the brand’s sundaes, chocolate and San Francisco identity. The original opening-day promotions are no longer relevant, but the location remains notable as Ghirardelli’s first New York City shop.

It is not subtle, but neither is putting an observation deck on one of the world’s most famous skyscrapers. Sometimes New York calls for a little excess, and hot fudge is considerably cheaper than real estate.