Great Coffee in NYC (It is Possible!)
The Rant
One of the struggles living in NY, particularly for expats from countries that pride themselves on good coffee, is that for a city that is meant to have everything, great coffee seems strangely lacking.
I like to understand things so here are some plausible explanations: *&^tty coffee, and coffee that has sat out all day on its burner, abounds, and from what I can gather American’s have gotten used to the taste. Then there is the more recent proliferation of StarBucks, a great company, but famous for your burnt taste means your coffee is well, burnt! As a result I suspect that what I call ‘real’ and ‘great’ coffee is somewhat distasteful/strange to the American palette. Also American’s tend to drink many cups of coffee in one day so perhaps countless cups of espresso wouldn’t be the best idea? But that answer is not sufficient if one includes the copious quantities of caffinated carbonated drinks consumed here…
Still, I have learned that all the ranting in the world won’t get me a great cappuccino (or flat white) - so I have been actively logging great cafe’s when I find them - see list below.
Where to find Great Coffee (espresso, cappacino, latte…and the odd flatwhite)?
DISCLAIMER: Great by NY standards may not be what I’d call great elsewhere, but you have to go with what you can get! And most of the places listed are good for food too…
East Village
MUD - 307 E 9th St (b.w 2nd & 3rd Ave) - coffee is good, but great with combined with awesome food and ambiance too!
Mudtruck - most often found parked at Astor Place, outside the uptown 6 subway stop, this deliciously coloured orange van serves MUD’s coffee, good for a quick pre-work fix.
Via Della Pace - 48 E 7th St (off 2nd Ave) - great ambiance, great food and great Italian coffee made by real Italian’s! Good for day and night…
Tarallucci e Vino - 163 First Ave (at 10th St) - mmmmmmm little pasteries, sandwiches and cappuccino (which sometimes pass for a flat white) - plus a window with a bench and counter to sit at, from which you can watch the various Village wanderers amble while feeling like you are watching NY from a cafe in Italy or Paris…
LES
Ini Ani - 105 stanton st. new york, ny 10002 - great coffee! It is a blend that comes from Samatria and the food is good too! Really chilled and better still - free wifi! Recommend the latte…mmmmmmm
88 Orchard St - (corner broome and orchard) - yum snacks and great locally grown organic coffee delivered from upstate. Actually really lovely teas, too…Enjoy the people watching and the wifi (though sadly no points to plug laptop in tho…). Yum cupcakes across the road, too…
Soho
Cafe Colonial - 276 Elizabeth St, (cnr Houstan) - the coffee was a nice surprise and certainly worth a revisit, the food is good but better for breakfast and lunch, over dinner.
Ruby’s - 219 Mulberry St (off Spring) - you’ll find Aussie accents and be able to order great coffee - including a flatwhite! Like you’d expect in a Bronte beach cafe, all the food is delicious and fresh …
Ceci Cela Patisserie - 35 Spring St (b/w Mulberry and Layayette) (also in Tribeca) - yum mini (and full size) pastries to wash down with a pretty decent cappuccino! I found this beautiful little patisserie by accident my first time in NY and everytime I came back I would forget where it was and then, thankfully, happen upon again…
Bread - 20 Spring St (b/w Elizabeth & Mott St) - I have to be honest, an Olsen twin (presumably the non-anorexic one but I can’t be sure) passed me onto this place (Jacqui who commented will vouch it is true) so if you don’t like it, blame here. I think she was right though: the espresso IS decent! And the soup and bread I had were awesome. [NB: part of my reason for name dropping here is that the story should never be forgotten, and it never hurts to have a high profile disclaimer]
Village/West Village/Tribeca
Joe the Art of Coffee - 9 E 13th St (near 5th Ave) and 141 Waverly Pl, after 6th Ave - good coffee and yum pasteries. For the nostalgic amongst you, the Waverly place location was actually one of the first decent coffee places I found on my very first visit to NY.
SoyLuckClub - 115 Greenwich (b.w Horatio and Jane st’s). They, of course, know how to make a great soy cappuccino!
Doma Cafe - 17 Perry St (off 7th Ave) The coffee is decent, the food is good, the free wireless is great.
Cafe Angelique (2 locations) - 49 Grove St (cnr Bleeker in W.village) and 68 Bleecker St (near Broadway). The 1st location has more room to eat and sit and better food - go for brunch/lunch! The second is mostly takeaway
Grey Dog’s Cafe - 33 Carmine St (b.w Bleeker & Bedford St). Proper coffee and good food.
Ceci Cela Patisserie - 166 Chambers St (b/w West Broadway and Greenwich)
Union Square
Coffee Shop - 29 Union Square W (at 16th St) The food is good and the cappuccino’s decent, this is 24/7 ‘cool’ diner, complete with bar, modelesque waitstaff and an electic crowd.
Chelsea
Cafeteria - 119 7th Ave (cnr 17th) sometimes the coffee is great, sometimes so-so. Recommend the trip because the food is always great. This place is what you think swanky cafe’s in NY would look like based on media and then you move here to find there aren’t many at all.
Wall St/Financial District
Zaitzeff - 72 Nassau St (cnr John st) a surprise and exciting find! An unassuming, healthy burger joint, serving great coffee (and organic milk), good food (there are also salads and so forth), shared tables and a very chilled, un-Wall st atmosphere.
All Around Manhattan
Le Pain Quotidien - in most neighbourhoods you’ll find one. The cappacino’s are pretty good, and when coupled with their food (particularly anything using their delicious breads), well worth the visit.
Some Additional Notes: Many of the coffee places listed by me are in the Village area because that seems to be where they are, but could also be because it is more my area. You will also note there aren’t that many great places given Manhattan’s size. I am told Brooklyn has great offerings too, but not having tested them myself haven’t posted the names. Of course this is not a comprehensive list and I encourage you to add more in the comments.
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March 29th, 2006 at 9:15 am
The other day I was out with my cousin who lived in New York for five years. Desperate for her morning coffee on our way to a tv recording we made a quick stop at Sydney’s fish markets for the essential coffee hit. Apparently fish mungering and baristaing dont mesh well together. My cousin commented that she should have been tipped off when the lady who served her did not remove the gloves she had been handling the fish with. Thoroughly unsatisfied with her purchase, we went about finding her a more satisfying coffee, and got on to chatting about the coffee situation in New York. When she lived there, she used to hang out at the bar of an Italian restaurant most mornings sipping her morning fix, without another soul in the classy restaurant, as this was one of the few haunts she could find a decent coffee! I’ll find out where it is and let you know ….
May 11th, 2006 at 8:58 am
An article on good coffee in:
http://nymag.com/urban/guides/bestofny/food/04/coffee.htm
Haven’t tried any except Joe’s but think it is worth a look in…
May 11th, 2006 at 10:23 am
Hey, just came across your note on trying to find great tasting coffee in NY - especially for someone from Sydney :-) There was an article in SMH just about the same subject - might be of interest to you:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/good-living/daily-grind/2005/06/06/1117910235184.html
October 26th, 2006 at 8:38 am
Here’s a list i just came across of free wifi spots across Manahttan. you never know when this may come in handy….
*Abingdon Guest House/Brewbar Coffee* – 13 8th Ave. near Bleecker, 212-243-5297
*Ace Bar* -– 531 East 5th St. between Ave. A and Ave. B, 212-979-8476.
*Algonquin Hotel -–
*Free wifi in the lobby area, 59 W 44th St. between Fifth and Sixth Ave., 212-840-6800.
*Apple Store* — 103 Prince St. between Mercer and Green, 212-226-3126. Free Wifi, workshops and demos.
*Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar* — 205 W 50th St. between Broadway and 7th Ave., 212-262-2400.
*Bowery Poetry Club
* — 308 Bowery between Houston and Bleecker, 212-614-0505.
*Bryant Park
* -– The whole park is a wifi hotspot. From 40th to 42nd Streets between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, 212-447-4222.
*Cassava*–
474 6th Ave. at 12th St., 212-255-4805.
*The Cellar* - 325 East 14th St. between 1st and 2nd Ave., 212-477-7747.
*Chelsea Market
*– 75 Ninth Ave. at 16th Street, 212-243-6005. Free access throughout the market.
*Comfort Inn Midtown* –- 129 W. 46th St. near Broadway, 212-221-2600.
*Courtyard by Marriott* -– Free wifi in the lounge area. 866 Third Ave. between 52nd and 53rd St., 212-644-1300.
*Downtown Alliance
* provides free wifi access in the following locations:
*60 Wall St. Atrium -– 60 Wall St. near Exchange Place
Bowling Green Park -– State Street and Battery Place.
City Hall Park – Between Broadway and Centre St., from Barclay St. to Chambers St. South Street Seaport -– South St. and Fulton St. Staten Island Ferry Terminal -– Whitehall Terminal, South St. near Broad St. Stone Street -– From Broadway to Broad St. Wall Street Park -– Wall St. from South St. to Front St. Winter Garden – World Financial Center atrium Vietnam Veteran’s Plaza — 55 Water St.
DT UT Café-–1626
2nd Ave. between 84th and 85th St., 212-327-1327.
Dunkin’ Donuts -– 166 2nd Ave. between 10th and 11th St., 212-533-4100.
EarthMatters -– 177 Ludlow St. between E. Houston and Stanton, 212-475-4180.
Esperanto Café — 114 MacDougal St. between Bleecker and Minetta Lane, 212-475-5400.
*
*Grounded -– 28 Jane St. between West 4th and Greenwich Ave., 212-647-0943.
Herald Square Hotel — 19 West 31st St. between Broadway and Fifth Ave., 212-279-4017.
Hip Cup Café -– 225 Park Row between Pearl St. and Worth St., 212-227-8870.
Hotel Chelsea
–
222 West 23rd St. between 7th and 8th Ave., 212-243-3700.
INI ANI Espresso and Wine Lounge — 105 Stanton St. near Ludlow, 212-254-9066.
International Food House — 4073 Broadway @ 172nd Street, 212-740-1616.
James Duane Restaurant — 185 Duane St. near Greenwich St., 212-925-5558.
La Quinta Hotel —- 17 W. 32nd St. near Broadway, 212-736-1600.
Lincoln Center Park — Near Avery Fisher Hall at 10 Lincoln Center Plaza.
Millenium Hilton -– Free wifi in lobby bar and Church & Dey restaurant. 55 Church St., 212-693-2001.
*
*New York Public
Library–
Locations in The Bronx and Manahattan offer “filtered” (you can request that the filter be turned off) access.
Omni Berkshire Place — 21 East 52nd St. at Madison Ave., 212-753-5800.
Parish & Co Restaurant — 202 9th Ave. at 23rd St., 212-414-4988.
Portland Square Hotel — 132 West 47th St. between 6th and 7th Ave., 212-382-0600.
Ramada Inn Eastside -– 161 Lexington Ave. at 30th St., 212-545-1800.
Red Roof Inn Manhattan -– 6 West 32nd St. at 5th Ave., 212-43-7100.
Saurin Park Cafe–
301 West 110th Street at Central Park West, 212-222-0683.
Soy Luck Club -– 115 Greenwich Ave. between Horatio and Jane, 212-229-9191.
St. Dymphna’s — 118 St. Mark’s Place between 1st Ave. and Ave. A, 212-254-6636.
Starwich Salads & Sandwiches -–
525 West 42nd St., 212-736-9170.
Sunburst Espresso Bar — 206 3rd Ave. between 18th and 19th St., 212-674-1702.
Sympathy for the
Kettle–
109 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave. and Ave. A, 212-979-1650.
Super 8 Hotel Times Square -– 59 W. 46th St. at 5th Ave., 212-719-2300.
Tea Spot -– 127 MacDougal St. at W. 3rd St., 212-505-0969.
Tekserve–
119 W. 23rd St. between 6th & 7th Ave., 212-929-3645.
Union Square Park–
>From 4th Ave to Broadway, between 14th & 17th Sts.
Veniero’s Pasticceria &
Caffe–
342 East 11th St. between 1st and 2nd Ave., 212-674-7070.
Zeytuna — 59 Maiden Lane at William St., 212-483-0117.
Ziggies Café & Coffeehouse — 1817 2nd Ave. at 94th St., 212-289-0824.
*
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:00 pm
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