We were lucky enough to get invited to a pre-opening event at Nutella Cafe, two days before their official opening day. I love Nutella, especially on some nice warm crepe…oh the joy of great desserts! Naturally to us dessert lovers, we were very excited for this event! Nutella Cafe will officially open on November 14, 2018.

And while we waited outside before the event started, I noticed that the entrance door has in the shape of Nutella jar! How creative and cute!!! So, you enter through the Nutella jar, into the wonders of all things that is Nutella…

The inside was much bigger than I expected “Nutella Cafe” to be. It was bright, spacious, modern and with lots of seating. It felt a bit like a modern and fun European café somehow.

They had baked goods and ordering counter to the left, and seating to the right. It was long but not too narrow. The middle part between the seats and ordering counter was a perfect space for people getting in line to order some tasty treats. But then, once the middle space gets full of people waiting in line, it does become problematic to move from one end of the cafe to the other.

And of course, they had all sorts of special and exclusive Nutella merchandise here, with New York designs. They had mugs, tumblers, notebooks, mini Nutella, bags…etc., etc…

Now the food. At the entrance, you are greeted by baked goods that incorporate Nutella in some kind of way. They had cookies, muffins, croissants, etc. They all looked really good! I didn’t realize they will have these items, it is good to have more offerings. Also, these items do belong in a proper “café” so it makes sense that they have these here.

What else belongs in a “café”? Coffee! And they do have some good coffee here. They have Lavazza coffee and water section all the way to the back. They also offer other kinds of drinks, including chilled bottled drinks.

A few Nutella executives were here for the event, and told us some interesting things about the café, and also the offerings. One of the first thing he mentioned was the entrance door in the shape of Nutella. Not everyone noticed the design, but I sure did!

Then, he went on to tell us that the entire space inside the cafe is designed with Nutella on mind. If you look at the Nutella jar label, you will notice a bright yellow flower on it. The flower is a canola flower, as the canola oil is used to make Nutella, which gives its creaminess. The light fixtures in the cafe were either in the shape of yellow flowers, or has the yellow flower design in the fixture. Then the ceiling. It has the dark brown wave, which represents the Nutella spread. The white walls with texture represents milk. It is so cool to see that every little detail was carefully thought after. So, once you enter through the Nutella jar shaped door, you are entering the inside of the jar, surrounded by its ingredients. Pretty nice! 

The first we tried here was Pound Cake Panzenalla ($10.95). I am not sure if this is the regular size or it was the sample size for the event. It is made with Greek yogurt, fresh berries, pound cakes, and yes, Nutella drizzle. It was quite nice, perfect breakfast with yogurt, fruit, and chocolate-y creamy goodness.

Then, I ordered from “Create Your Own” section. Here, you choose your base, fruits, and topping. You can also get extra Nutella for additional $1, if you really want to go crazy with Nutella. I wanted something classic, so I went with Crepe ($5.95), with Strawberries ($1.50) and Banana ($1.50), and topped it off with Whipped Cream ($1) and Gelato ($3.95). Don’t have a calculator handy? Not to worry, I already have them calculated for you. The total would be $13.90.

What came out was a pretty big crepe, topped with a big scoop of Nutella-flavored gelato, and a mountain of whipped cream. It was still nice and warm, fluffy and with a good amount of strawberries and banana. It was soooo good!

My hubby went with Liege Style Waffle ($6.95), with Strawberries ($1.50) and Blueberries ($1.50) and the same toppings. The total for this one would be $14.90. The waffle was a bit smaller than I thought it would be, but it was really tasty! It was light and airy, yet doughy and a bit chewy in a good way.

Then, we tried something that was not so ordinary when it comes to Nutella (in my mind). The first one was called Fruit Filled “Clafoutis” ($6.95) with fresh seasonal fruit. This one had blueberries in it. The traditional clafoutis is made with fruits covered with flan-like batter. This one didn’t really taste like flan and fruits, it was more…puffy? I don’t quite know how to explain it, but it was not the best item of the evening.

But then, their Crème brûlée ($8.95) totally made us say “LOVE” with each bite! I was curious how they make their Crème brûlée. They had Nutella spread on the bottom, topped with Crème brûlée. Genius, and yes, super tasty! I really enjoyed this one.

And then there was Cocoa ($4.95) with yes, Nutella Whipped Cream!!!! What!!!! This thing was insane! The whipped cream on its own was great. The hot cocoa had the subtle flavor of Nutella, not overpowering. A perfect little cup on a cold day. What about on a hot day? Get this one iced! Yes, they offer iced Cocoa too! And you can add the Nutella Whipped Cream on top of your latte or other drinks as well for additional cost.

As you can imagine, we were stuffed and on sugar high. But then, they brought out a last dessert item… We just could not say “no” to that… it was Frozen Nutella Pop ($3.95), topped with chopped hazelnuts. It was really dense and creamy, and melts down in your mouth, going down your throat like liquid gold if that makes any sense. And remember the gelato on our crepe and waffle? This is the gelato BEFORE they run it through the gelato machine to whip in some air into the gelato. Thus, as I said, very dense.

As a cafe, they do have bathrooms all the way to the back. It was nice and clean, with diaper change station in it too.

Before the event was over, we were told that they have a special gift for us. It was a customized Nutella jar! We now have Nutella jars with our own name on it! How awesome!!!

I predict there will be some crazy lines when they open their doors to the public… Once the dust settles (if ever), I would love to go back again and try different version of “Create Your Own” items. I can have the sweet goodness with Pancake and/or Croissant French Toast!  And I want to try all the baked goods too. Oh, the joy of desserts! You need to get some Nutella fix? Well now you know where to go!

 

Nutella Cafe – 116 University Pl, New York, NY 10003