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Oct 25, 2024

BonBon's NYC Swedish Candy Store Tour Review

The often-sold-out candy store ships over 1,000 orders a day and has been going viral on TikTok for the last few months, so it's time to find out if it's actually worth it. BuzzFeed Staff Most of

The often-sold-out candy store ships over 1,000 orders a day and has been going viral on TikTok for the last few months, so it's time to find out if it's actually worth it.

BuzzFeed Staff

Most of their locations are open every day from 10 a.m. to midnight. However, their Red Hook location is only open Friday through Sunday but adds something extra special with a Swedish hot dog cart parked outside on Sundays for that post-candy hotdog fix.

Tiny or not, the facade was adorable.

In case you're thinking, "What the heck are Bubs?" it's actually a Swedish candy company that's been around since the early '90s. All of their candy is vegan and has that "foamy" texture everyone raves about without using gelatin. From what I've seen, they come in a variety of shapes: ovals, diamonds, skulls, and octopuses.

People aren't lying when they say the Bubs texture is...fascinating. They're squishy and foamy, somewhat between a gummy and a marshmallow. Even though I loved the satisfying bite they had, I don't think I picked up the best flavors, so I'd definitely venture outside of these next time. Here's what I got:

Watermelon Oval Bubs: The watermelon flavor was super subtle, which, in a way, I kind of liked because I'm not the biggest fan of artificial watermelon. But if you're expecting a watermelon Jolly Rancher, you might be a little letdown. 7.5/10

Blueberry and Raspberry Oval Bubs: I had to dig through my pictures to find out what the heck the flavor of these was because I could not figure it out for the life of me when I bit into them. I don't know how to describe it other than a little strange and more "artificial" tasting than some of the others. 6.5/10

I'm not exaggerating when I say this is possibly the best piece of candy I've ever had — the combination of flavors and textures was absolutely top-tier. The bottom layer is a vanilla marshmallow, and the top is a strawberry jelly that tastes so natural I almost forgot I was eating candy (okay, not really, but you get the point). My cute pink BonBon bag will be half full of these next time. 10/10

These were great and had more of that Haribo gummy taste and texture we all know and love, but a bit more natural (natural flavors are obviously a pattern here!). Did I note what those flavors were before eating them? Nope – my bad! But it's safe to assume the yellow-green combo was some sort of lemon or other citrus flavor and was definitely my favorite. 8/10

Of course, I had to pick up some OG Swedish Fish, and, yes, they are different from the ones we have in the US! These have more of a jelly texture and let you take a clean bite out of them without the pull you normally need to do with the Swedish Fish we have in the States. The flavors (orange, berry, pear, and lemon) were also exponentially better than the vague cherry-ish ones we have. Shoutout to the lemon flavor for once again being my favorite. 8.5/10

I'm sorry for the jumpscare — these weren't my favorite to photograph. Despite their awkwardly long length, I still enjoyed them. Like the Swedish Fish, getting a satisfying bite without the pull was easy. After two bites, though, these got old, and I had zero desire to finish an entire one. I believe the red is a "tropical" flavor that I wasn't the biggest fan of, but thankfully, lemon always has my back. 7.5/10

Because of their small size, these were so cute and fun to snack on. They also had more of that jelly texture, which I'm now realizing is probably my favorite to bite into. I did like the raspberry flavor but didn't love it as much as the strawberry heart; it didn't taste as natural to me for some reason. 7.5/10

I'll preface this by saying I normally HATE banana-flavored candy — finding a banana Laffy Taffy in my trick-or-treat bag as a kid was the worst thing that could happen to me. But I ended up genuinely enjoying these! The artificial banana flavor was a lot more subtle than I expected, and unsurprisingly, the marshmallow texture was incredible. I don't know if these would be my first choice, but if you're a banana candy lover, definitely grab 'em. 7/10

Since I loved the strawberry heart, I was expecting to be a big fan of these. Unfortunately, the strawberry flavor just wasn't as good in marshmallow form. This particular marshmallow also had a slightly harder texture than the banana and didn't give me that satisfying bite. Sadly, I'd probably skip these next time. 5/10

These had that classic Bubs foamy texture, but the sour ones had an even more satisfying bite, in my opinion. They were all perfectly sour without hurting your teeth or making your mouth pucker.

Fizzy Sour Skull: This one was bubblegum-flavored and my least favorite of the three, but that's not surprising, considering that bubblegum is one of my most-hated candy flavors, next to licorice and banana. But, hey, maybe that textbook bubblegum flavor is totally your thing! 6/10

Cola Sour Skull: Oh my, I loved this one so much; 100% my favorite of the three. The cola flavor was so nostalgic, and the texture here was a little less marshmallowy and a bit more jelly-like, which we've already determined is ideal for me. 9/10

Cool Passion Pineapple Skull: When I tell you these tasted like actual fruit, I'm not kidding. For some reason, they were more sour than the others, and I'm not sure if that's due to the acidic fruit flavor or because I just happened to grab one with more sour crystals. Either way, it was incredible and the perfect summer flavor. 8.5/10

Like the skulls, the sour oval Bubs texture was superior to the normal ovals. My friend actually mentioned that the sour ovals were her favorite, and texture-wise, I can totally see why. But I couldn't get on board with this particular flavor — it didn't necessarily taste like pear and was more floral-y/soapy than I would've liked. 6/10

I'll start by saying the flavor of these was incredible — a bit citrusy, a bit blue raspberry, and a little more sour than the others. But the texture was SO. HARD. Biting into them was a chore, and chewing them was even worse. Maybe you're meant to let them sit in your mouth, but all I know is that my jaw was exhausted after one bite. 7/10

To my surprise, I didn't like the sour version of the Swedish Fish as much as the regular. Maybe it's because of the sour crystals, but they tasted more artificial. Even the pear flavor I can't get on board with was more bearable with the non-sour ones than the sours. I'm a broken record at this point, but obviously, the lemon (yellow) was my go-to. 7.5/10

These get a big ol' 'nope' from me. They had the texture of the sour oval Bubs with maybe a bit more "stretch" to them. But the flavor? A total miss for me (but funnily enough, a win for my boyfriend). After looking it up, I found out they were bubblegum but didn't have quite the same bubblegum flavor as the skull Bubs. They were more floral and chemically than I expected, which was such a letdown because they're so, so cute! 5/10

I like to think of Dumle as an upgraded Snickers. It's definitely on the sweeter side, considering the caramel-to-chocolate ratio is basically 9:1. Still, every part of it tastes way higher in quality than a standard chocolate bar you might get in the US. Even though it stuck to my teeth, I'd 100% get it again. 8/10

I'm never completely opposed to liquor-filled chocolates, but these were...very strange. They definitely didn't taste like rum and had more of a licorice or Sambuca taste to them. It was so overpowering I couldn't even taste the chocolate. Maybe it's an acquired taste, but I had one bite and immediately said, "Oh no." 3/10

Chocolate and orange is one of my favorite flavor combos, and let me tell ya, I LOVED these. They were a nice break from all the filled chocolates and had the perfect balance of citrus to the milk chocolate. Biting into these actually reminded me a lot of the filling in chocolate-orange Milanos (another personal favorite of mine). 9/10

Both times I went to BonBon, I probably didn't spend more than 10 minutes in the actual store, so any line you're in will move quickly. But I realized the issue with going on a crowded day is that they sell out of their popular candy FAST, so if you want the Bubs, try to go on a weekday morning or early afternoon.