New York
New York
I lived in New York for 6 years and I can tell you it’s a city that has many good coffee shops and cafés. In fact, you are likely to find a good cup on any block in the city. But I’m a coffee snob. So if I can find the highest quality coffee then I’m going to do it. Here are the places that get the “Drips of God” seal of approval.
Best Coffees in New York
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La Cabra (East Village)
When the Danish takes over the coffee scene in Manhattan -
Devoción (Williamsburg, Flatiron, Downtown Brooklyn)
A reference when it comes to excellent coffee with multiple locations
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Café Leon Dore (Nolita)
When the cool kid of streetwear, Aimé Leon Dore, turns out offering some good coffee cups as well -
Café Integral (Nolita)
When you look for quality and precision even in a to-go cup of coffee
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Café Lyria (Noho)
A strong and cool newcomer on the coffee scene where you will always feel welcomed
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Roasting Plant (Lower East Side)
Perfect spot to customize the coffee beans used in your drink
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Sey Coffee (Bushwick)
A bright café whose high-quality coffee has fans even in Europe
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Coffee Project NY (East Village, Chelsea, Fort Greene, Long Island City)
Perfect for the explorers who want to try creative seasonal latte or their famous “Deconstructed Latte”
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Black Fox Coffee (Financial District, Midtown East, Hudson Yards)
A revolving selection of coffee beans that will never disappoint you
La Cabra (East Village)
Pros: World renowned coffee roaster, always changing assortment of beans, amazing pastries
Cons: Victim of its own success with lines out the door
This is not a ranked list, but having said that, I felt like I needed to start with La Cabra. Spanish for The Goat, which feels appropriate since it just might be…
Straight out of Denmark, this shop just opened in late 2021 and is already one of the busiest shops in the city, with lines out the door regularly on weekends. For good reason. Not only does this place make an amazing cup of coffee, but might also have the best croissant. My wife is from Paris and she can be difficult to please in this realm, but she has deemed this one the best. They also have a cardamom bun that is quite popular and a great Danish import.
As far as the coffee goes, they source and roast all their own beans, which is usually a hallmark of a good café. They have a rotating assortment of beans, so your espresso (or cappuccino in my case) might taste slightly different on a given week, but always smooth and well made. I can vouch for the chai latte as well and they even offer some very premium pour overs, sometimes with geisha beans available.
Another plus is that they have their beans available in store for all the at-home baristas. These tend to sell pretty fast though, so if you see something you like, don’t hesitate.
The one downside is that the place is on the smaller side, or maybe it just seems small with all the customers in line seeking tables to sit at. This can make it a challenge to sit down sometimes, and I absolutely wouldn’t pick this spot as a place to work from. Weekends are even busier, but there’s a reason everyone is here. Rumors are that another location is opening in SoHo so keep your eyes out for that.
The staff is probably one of the best in the world I’ve seen. They are all expert in their craft and are happy to answer any questions. If I had to pick one coffee shop to go to in NYC it is probably this one, with their delicious pastries putting them over the top, but there is one other coffee shop that can match their quality of coffee…
La Cabra, 152 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
Devoción (Williamsburg, Flatiron, Dowtown Brooklyn)
Pros: Huge space in their Williamsburg flagship, great place to work from, beautiful interior
Cons: They have a house blend that they use for espresso, so no chance to try different beans in store
The aptly named café was started by a Colombian fellow who basically started the bean to cup movement in the city. Not surprisingly, all of the beans come from Colombia. Once they process the beans, they send them directly to the roaster in Williamsburg, which is also the location of the flagship café.
You can see the roastery as you walk through the door. All the beans are then roasted within 10 days of arrival so you know you are having the freshest coffee.
Devoción uses a house blend to make their in store coffee. The body of the coffee is on the medium to full side so if you like a stronger coffee, this is your spot.
They sell beans in store which is great. If you are interested in trying some limited edition beans, you have to go to their website, where they sell limited quantities of some very special beans. In fact, the best bag of beans I purchased so far came from them. It was a limited series where they actually fermented the beans in yeast to bring out even more of the notes. Side note; In many competitions, yeast fermented beans are quite popular and some are even calling this the potential 4th wave of coffee.
The downside of the shop is they don’t sell these limited editions in store. It would be great if they made some super premium cups with these beans. Alas.
Another side note, I saw Jeremy Strong here (from Succession) who is a noted coffee snob, so that’s two coffee snobs who approve.
They have 4 locations, with the Williamsburg location being the biggest. A very good spot to work from, with lots of seats and tables. If you can’t make it to any of their locations, there are many other places in the city that use their beans to make their coffee. Some I have encountered are Cafe Social 68, Amano, Lazy Llama. They are even used at some well known restaurants including Barano, Crown Shy (1 Michelin Star), Jungsik (2 Michelin Stars), and Eleven Madison Park (3 Michelin Stars and voted #1 restaurant in the world).
For the sake of giving credit to the roasters and sources of beans, I generally won’t focus too much on shops that use other people’s beans, however I do have to make an exception with this next entry…
Devoción, multiple locations. Our favorite: 69 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11249
Café Leon Dore (Nolita)
Pros: Awesome neighborhood to hang around
Cons: Seating is highly limited
What an interesting experience. Café Leon Dore is attached to the ultra-hip clothing shop Aimé Leon Dore on probably the trendiest block in NYC. There is sometimes a line to not only get into the clothing shop, even sometimes the café as well. As far as the SoHo/Nolita neighborhood goes, I think this might have some of the best coffee. And I actually just found out Devoción is the supplier of their beans!
One thing to note is they have a very popular iced coffee drink, where a layer of milk sits on the top and is just very photogenic. If you are looking to light up Instagram, take this drink. If you care about good coffee, just know this doesn’t taste nearly as good as it looks.
The café itself isn’t really a cafe, just a very small addition to the clothing shop. Sometimes, you can look around the store while they make your coffee, which is fine because there is nowhere to sit inside. They have a few tables for two people outside, but these are frequently taken. There are some makeshift spots to sit, and in the warmer months, expect to see all the cool kids of New York hanging around this space. It’s a fun spot to check out.
Café Leon Dore, 214 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012
Sticking in the Nolita neighborhood is one other shop that is definitely worth checking out. Cafe Integral is unique in that all of its beans hail from Nicaragua, from people the owner is friends with. There is certainly a distinctly different taste than what you are used to tasting, which is always fun if the coffee is good.
Seating inside and outside is ok, but as someone who lived in the neighborhood, let me give a pro tip. If it’s any season besides winter and it’s not raining, it’s always a very pleasurable experience to take your cup to go. Walk straight north a block and a half and enjoy your coffee at Elizabeth Street Garden, which I think might be the most adorable hidden gem in the city.
Now good coffee to me will always trump bad service. Some people might feel the opposite. But it must be said that it seems whenever I come here, I tend not to get greeted with a smile. The baristas are usually somewhat aloof. Not rude, but not very engaging. Reading google reviews, it seems like it can be hit and miss. It’s certainly not bad enough that I don’t keep returning!
Café Integral (Nolita)
Pros: Can buy different beans in shop
Cons: Service is hit and miss
While I just poked at the baristas a bit, they do know what they’re doing. This is probably the smallest cappuccino I have ordered before and it’s because they believe strongly in brew ratio! For those that aren’t familiar with the term, brew ratio is measuring the weight of the coffee grounds to the weight of the espresso (or drip coffee). By changing the weight of coffee or the weight of liquid espresso in a shot, you can manipulate the taste and mouthfeel of the espresso. There are many articles on this, but suffice it to say, they know what their ideal ratio is to bring out the notes and complexity of their coffee. They also have a nice selection of specialty drinks. The Horchata Latte seems to be popular.
One last plus to mention is they sell their beans in store and have usually been roasted in just the last 2-3 weeks. A nice revolving selection and some premium beans are usually available. One of my favorite Aussie brunch spots, Banter, uses their beans also if you prefer to have some food and homemade banana bread to enrich your experience. My mouth just watered thinking about it.
Café Integral, 149 Elizabeth St, New York, NY 10012
Stumbled onto this place through word of mouth. That’s how they like it. There’s not even a sign. You might just see some fashionable New Yorkers chilling in the shop. This is all by design of the owners, two brothers from Greece, Yannis and Theo, who I became close with. They welcome you into their shop with a smile and are the nicest guys. Of course, I wouldn’t keep coming back if the coffee wasn’t good, and it is.
Beans from Passenger currently with delectable iced coffee drinks. All this in a very cool space decorated with some of their personal photos and items from Greece. Great place to work also with wifi and seating available. You won’t see much on a website or instagram, so better to just go to this place and see for yourself and let the cool wash over you.
Side note: they just launched their vintage streetwear brand, Lyria Sporting Club.
Café Lyria, 166 Crosby St, New York, NY 10012
Café Lyria (Noho)
Pros: Amazing hospitality, hidden gem and cool merch
Cons: As it gains in popularity, seats can be at a premium
You can tell this café is different from any other shop you’ve been to as soon as you walk in. On the wall you will see transparent tubes of different coffee beans, some roasted, some still green and unroasted. The beauty of Roasting Plant is that all their beans are roasted in store, either the day before, or if you’re buying a bag to go, they roast them for you on the spot. One of my favorite things about this shop is that you can pick the bean you want to use for your drink. On top of that, they have coffee beans from all over the world. I personally love this and it gives you a chance to try different beans upon future visits.
The advantage of freshly roasted coffee is tasted upon consumption. Brighter aromas and bigger taste abound. You might wonder why this isn’t the norm at all coffee shops. For that, I don’t have a good answer. Hopefully, the competition will learn from Roasting Plant.
The interior is small with no seating, and there isn’t much in the way of pastries here, so consider this a grab and go spot for coffee exclusively. If you are looking for a pastry to pair with, and you’re here on a weekend, I would recommend the popular spot Supermoon Bakehouse just a short walk away.
Roasting Plant, 81 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002
Roasting Plant (Lower East Side)
Pros: Choose your bean for your cup
Cons: No seating
Sey Coffee is a serious contender for best coffee. They sell their beans in coffee shops all over the world. I’ve even seen them being served in a coffee shop in Copenhagen that only sells the best of the best (Darcy’s Kaffe). The cafe itself is bright and beautiful, with plants everywhere and a clean, welcoming space. If you don’t see this place on every best of coffee list of Brooklyn/NYC they are doing it wrong. Go here and you won’t be disappointed.
Sey Coffee, 18 Grattan St, Brooklyn, NY 11206
Sey Coffee (Bushwick)
Pros: Beautiful Space, World renowned coffee
Cons: Might be out of the way for some
Coffee Project NY (East Village, Chelsea, Fort Greene, Long Island City)
Pros: Deconstructed Latte, can take classes at their LIC location
Cons: very small inside so seating can be tight when it’s busy
A small shop in East Village is the one I frequented. These guys are serious about coffee with a nice house blend and a plethora of coffee bags to choose from for the home baristas. The seasonal drinks are creative and worth trying also. They have a latte art champion working for them and they also have a workshop in Long Island City. I actually took a latte art class here from the champion himself. It was a great experience and they offer a slew of other classes.
But the thing you’re going to see on instagram the most is the Deconstructed Latte. It’s served in parts and a cool experience if you like milk-based espresso drinks.
Coffee Project, multiple locations. Our go-to: 239 E 5th St, New York, NY 10003
I’ve only been to the shop in FiDi so I’ll be writing about that location. The shop is big, with lofted ceilings and a great amount of seating that makes working from here quite easy. Another place that sources and roasts all their coffee in New York and A revolving selection of beans that I’ve never been disappointed with. Ultra smooth coffees always. Black Fox beans are sold by the bag in stores and they even sell beans from other small batch roasters.
The baristas are very knowledgeable and even have some non-coffee drinks here that are very good. Their matcha is supplied from Matchaful, a very popular shop on its own, so if you are with someone that doesn’t like coffee, I would recommend trying this. They also have a good selection on their food menu until 2pm, and they are strict about this, so if you are looking for a little extra sustenance, this is a good option.
Black Fox Coffee, multiple locations. FiDi: 70 Pine St, New York, NY 10005
Pros: Rotating bean selection carefully picked, big interior and a good place to work from, nice food selection
Cons: Kind of giant, so lacks a bit of the cozy vibe
Black Fox Coffee (Financial District, Midtown East, Hudson Yards)
Honorable Mentions
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Now or Never (SoHo)
Pros: In house baked croissants are excellent
Cons: At certain times of the day, the sun comes into the shop and it can get very warm
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Interlude (TriBeCa)
Pros: Good snacks, George Howell Coffee
Cons: No seating since Covid
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Remi Flower & Coffee (Upper East Side)
Pros: Awesome secondary drinks, Very instagrammable latte art, Inside a cool flower shop
Cons: Coffee is good, but go here for the other stuff
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Ludlow Coffee Supply (Lower East Side)
Pros: Vietnamese Iced Coffee might be best in city, also Maple Latte
Cons: Coffee is good not great
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Villager (Crown Heights)
Pros: Nice space, great service, nice pastries
Cons: Secondary drinks on the sweet side
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Hutch & Waldo (Upper East Side)
Pros: Aussie vibes, good brunch menu
Cons: No wi-fi