Lily O'Brien's Chocolate Café -Serving Old World Charm With A Taste Of Contemporary Ireland

In The First Of Our New Regular 'Profiles In Business' Features, John Mooney Visits Lily O'Brien's Chocolate Café And Chats To Owner Cathal Queally

In the heart of an area dotted with Starbucks and filled with fast-paced New Yorkers, Lily O'Brien's Chocolate Café brings a relaxed atmosphere and a touch of European ambience to Midtown.

Located at 36 West 40th St. (across from Bryant Park), Lily O'Brien's has quickly built a reputation for its luxurious hot chocolates, rich coffees, and mouth watering sweets. The café has a distinctly European feel and serves its espresso-based Italian coffees and signature hot chocolates in ceramic mugs, rather than paper cups. The flagship "Irish Chocolate Café and Retail Store" provides a place for patrons to relax and take "a break from the chaos of Midtown." Every visitor who has a drink in the café receives a complimentary handmade chocolate. There is a "to go" option for those who do not have time to linger.

The candies are made from 100 percent Belgian chocolate imported in liquid form and created from recipes developed by Mary Ann O'Brien in Ireland. She started with two sauce pans and a wooden spoon in her kitchen and built a company, named for her daughter Lily, which now produces 120 tons of chocolate each week. The delicious chocolates are then shipped to the Lily's Café in New York, where they are also now sold in Food Emporiums and commonly served in upscale hotels and in airline lunch packages.

Timing Is Everything

A native of Bunmahon, Co. Waterford, a tiny coastal town of about 400 inhabitants, Cathal Queally, didn't exactly have the "Luck of the Irish" when he set to establish his Midtown café. The youthful looking, 32-year-old entrepreneur began scouting potential locations in May 2008 and signed a lease that August. Three weeks later, Lehman Brothers collapsed, sending the global economy into a tailspin. His landlord, a building cooperative, was less than cooperative in approving his design plans, which caused a 10-week delay in opening. Scaffolding, erected with short prior notice, has obstructed the view of the shop for months.

Fortunately, the café owner has had support from the folks back home. His father, who runs The Queally Group, one of Ireland's largest agricultural businesses, helped him secure financing. ("American banks wouldn't give me a penny," he says.)

Enterprise Ireland enabled him to set his planning operation from its offices in Midtown. And while the design and construction delays caused him to lose out on the Christmas season of 2008, the timing of Lily's Café opening coincided with Brian Cowen's U.S. visit last March. Thus, Queally counts the Taoiseach among his first customers.

In February, Lily's Café saw an increase in business from Fashion Week - even some of the famously calorie-conscious models sampled the coffees and treats. Last September, during Fall Fashion Week, visitors included comedian Russell Brand, versatile star Vanessa Williams, and actress Jennifer Aniston.

Naturally, Valentine's Day was a boon for Lily's Café, as was the Christmas season, during which corporate gift baskets were a big hit, accounting for $200,000 in sales. Lily O'Brien's has ten different gift boxes that include dark, milk, and white chocolates. Its Desserts Collection, featuring 18 flavors including Vanilla Ice Cream, Lemon and Lime Sorbet, Chocolate Fudge Cake, Amaretto Torte, and Tiramisu, is exceedingly popular.

Choco Competition

Lily O'Brien's competitors among Manhattan's gourmet chocolatiers include La Maison Du Chocolat in Midtown, Vosges Haut-Chocolat on the Upper East Side, Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven on Hudson St., and Li-Lac Chocolates in the West Village, which all have well established reputations. Queally explains that there is a camaraderie among the chocolatiers, who come across each other at events such as the International Chocolate Show held last October at the Metropolitan Pavilion.

"If I weren't doing this, I'd be back home in the meat processing business with my father and my brothers," said Queally, who is the second youngest among eight siblings and has been fortunate enough to travel all over the world, including Genoa, Johannesburg, St. Petersburg, and New Zealand.

Rave Reviews

Lily O'Brien's Chocolate Café has received generally positive reviews from Yelp, the often snarky online review site that enables New Yorkers to profess their love or vent their grievances. Although there are a few gripes about the speed of the service (not too surprising, given the relaxed feel of a European style coffeehouse), the majority of the comments are glowing.

I LOVE this place. I go to Lily O'Brien's whenever I want to catch up with a friend and want something less crowded and better than a crowded ordinary Starbucks.
I've never had a mocha that good before. Despite the calorie explosion... wow!
Entering Lily O'Brien's is like stepping into another world apart from the madness of rush hour.
The chocolates are phenomenal and make great gifts!
Not overly priced or pretentious. Check it out when you're strolling through Bryant Park!

"You look at someone say 'Wow' with a generally thrilled look on their face, and it makes it all worth it," he explained.

"My goal is to make Lily O'Brien's Café a destination," Queally added. "We combine a traditional European feel with contemporary Irish flair. Ireland has not always been known for its high end products. It's nice to bring that to the U.S. and to be the one to do it."