3. Mondel Chocolates, Manhattan

Mondel's Chocolates

Mondel Chocolates has catered to college students and old Hollywood stars alike. Located near the Barnard College and Columbia University campuses at 2913 Broadway, the Morningside Heights store was opened in 1943 by Hungarian immigrant Carl Mondel and his wife, Elsie. The Mondels’ daughter Florence grew up working in the shop and retired around 2015. For legendary actress Katherine Hepburn’s 90th birthday, the shop sent her a box of chocolates. A note taped up in the store on Hepburn’s stationery reads, “Thank you for the delicious chocolates — how very thoughtful — Ms. Hepburn was pleased.” After that initial taste, Hepburn regularly returned to the store for an order of pecan turtles, molasses chips, butter crunch, dark orange peel, champagne truffles, and dark almond bark, according to the New York Times. The “Hepburn Mix” as it came to be known is still a popular order.