Coney Island's Sweet Tradition Since 1941
Family-run candy shop on Surf Avenue. Hand-dipped red candy apples, soft-serve ice cream, marshmallow treats, cotton candy, popcorn. Open 365 days a year.
Hand-dipped daily. Same recipes since 1941. The four treats that have put Williams Candy on the Coney Island map.
Williams Candy Shop opened on Surf Avenue in 1941 and has been a Coney Island fixture ever since. We make our candy apples, marshmallow treats, and popcorn fresh every day, using the same recipes the Williams family started with — chewy caramel, fresh toppings, no shortcuts.
We're one of the last family-run candy shops on the Coney Island boardwalk. While most of our neighbors close from November to March, we stay open 365 days a year. Come visit us after a Cyclones game, after the Mermaid Parade, or after a quiet winter walk on the boardwalk.
In 2024, Williams Candy appeared in Anora, the Sean Baker film that won five Academy Awards in March 2025 — including Best Picture. Visitors still come in to see the filming location.
Trays of candy apples, cotton candy in the window, soft-serve, neon, and the family who's been running it for over 80 years.
Brooklyn Paper, NYT, NY Post, The Guardian, Condé Nast Traveler, Brooklyn Eagle, NBC New York, Time Out, amNewYork, and more.
Williams Candy and Pete's Clam Stop — directly next door at 1320 Surf Avenue — are owned and operated by the same family. Peter Agrapides Sr. opened Pete's Clam Stop in 1975, seven years before the family took over Williams Candy from the original Williams family in 1982. Today, his son Peter Agrapides Jr. is behind the counter at Williams Candy.
The two shops share the same phone number — (718) 372-0302 — and frequently run joint Mother's Day, Easter, and summer promotions. Pete's retains the old outdoor grab-and-go counter style that defined old-school Coney Island, where Agrapides says: "At Pete's the counters are on the street where all of them were."
Heads up: Pete's closes for winter (Oct 10 – Apr 10), but Williams Candy stays open all 365 days a year — including every day Pete's is closed.
Brooklyn-born regulars, visiting tourists, Oscar-winning filmmakers — everyone leaves with the same sticky fingers and big smile.
"Right next door to Nathan's. This place has been around forever and it's a great little stop for nostalgia. Candy, popcorn, ice cream and novelties to take you back to summer as a kid."Porthos7 · West Chester, OH · TripAdvisor
"My favorites are the chocolate covered marshmallow sticks!!! Always fresh always delicious!!! Their assortment of candy dipped apples are also amazing. Super clean, super fresh and super friendly!!!"Greg D. · Brooklyn, NY · Yelp
"Probably my favorite brick and mortar shop in all of NYC. It feels like you are stepping back in time. Every angle is filled with bright colors, pretty candies, and an old-timey feel. If you are a fan of the movie Anora, you must stop by."Sophie O. · Honolulu, HI · Yelp
1318 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11224 — one short block from Nathan's Famous, steps from the Coney Island boardwalk.