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Coffee at Interlude.
Interlude

13 Essential NYC Coffee Shops

Where to find expertly brewed cups of coffee in New York City right now

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Coffee at Interlude.
| Interlude

In NYC, there’s no shortage of cozy neighborhood coffee shops, welcoming in customers with frothy cappuccinos and friendly conversation. But while every New Yorker has their favorite corner spot, a standout selection of cafes and roasters in the city are worth seeking out for expertly brewed cups of coffee paired with award-winning pastries and warm service. Below, Eater has rounded up a list of exceptional coffee shops across the city that are open for business right now.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

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Variety Coffee Roasters

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Variety Coffee Roasters is all grown up: One of the pioneers of NYC’s coffee scene, Variety’s new-ish shop on the Upper East Side is all wood paneling and tasteful lighting. The Chelsea and Park Slope locations are just as urbane, while the original shops in Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Bushwick are appropriately funky. Variety first started roasting coffee in 2014, and is known for its nutty, chocolatey roasts.

Looking through a window of a coffee shop with hanging plants and customers drinking coffee.
Variety Coffee Roasters recently opened on the Upper East Side.
Variety Coffee Roasters

Little Collins

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This busy, buzzy Midtown shop is an oasis of Australian-style coffee in a neighborhood otherwise glutted with Starbucks and other chain shops. The coffee is excellent: The flat whites, cold brews, and pour-overs are mini masterpieces. But the draw is the food, from the extensive breakfast menu (chorizo-baked eggs and a shishito pepper omelet with aioli) to sandwiches, salads, and pastries. Note the second location at Urbanspace, located at 570 Lexington Avenue, is closed on weekends.

Culture Espresso

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A solid cortado and drip coffee anchor the menu of this stylish coffee bar near Bryant Park. It’s a much stronger choice for coffee than the several chain stores closer to the park, and as a bonus, it serves a superb warm chocolate chip cookie. Culture Espresso is open daily and has two additional locations nearby .

Sweetleaf Coffee Roasters

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The original location for Sweetleaf is comfortably crowded. Besides the standard lineup of high-quality espresso drinks, there are two specialty iced coffee drinks worth ordering, both a far cry from the saccharine concoctions served at bigger coffee chains: the Rocket Fuel, cold brew spiked with chicory, maple syrup, and milk, and the Voodoo Child, a Vietnamese-style iced coffee made with sweetened condensed milk. Every location has a different vibe: The mothership is a roastery-cafe in Greenpoint (159 Freeman Street), the Queens Plaza coffee bar is built for speed (2810 Jackson Avenue), and the Long Island City cafe also has beer and cocktails (4615 Center Boulevard).

La Cabra

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Is this the best coffee shop in New York City? It’s certainly one of the busiest, where the line snakes out the door during rush hour. Truth is, it’s worth it. This Danish import has excellent coffee, exquisite pastries, table service, and an appealing Scandi style. If only every day could start with a perfect cappuccino in an earthenware cup and a cardamom bun.

A cardamom bun sits on a grey plate on a white table, just in front of a clear coffee flask and an earthenware cup
A cardamom bun and coffee pairing is the ideal order at La Cabra.
Ryan Sutton/Eater NY

Abraço

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There’s nothing in coffee quite like Abraço, an East Village shop with so much personality it’s hard to take it in all at once. There’s the coffee, with wild-haired co-owner Jamie McCormick often working the bar. There are the pastries, such as co-owner Liz Quijada’s justifiably famous orange-scented olive oil cake. And there’s the scene, the chatty locals who, in the words of Frank Zappa, make this “the top freako watering hole and social HQ.” Closed Mondays.

Felix Roasting Co.

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The Flatiron District’s chic coffee shop and cafe Felix Roasting Co. opened a second location in 2020, bringing some life and a little luxe to Greene Street in Soho. For those who haven’t been, it’s important to know that Felix is over-the-top, and that it’s trying to be. It also serves one of the city’s best cups of espresso, even if it comes served in a wine glass with tonic water.

A latte is adorned with a layer of light brown crackling, while a hand off-screen uses tweezers to place a flower on top
The honeycomb latte at Felix Roasting Co.
Felix Roasting Co.

Devoción

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This sprawling Williamsburg roastery and cafe is an outpost of a coffee roaster in Bogota, Colombia. All its raw beans arrive by FedEx straight from Colombia just 10 days after it’s harvested, which makes for some of the freshest coffee around. The space has plenty of seating, but even on the busiest days, there are probably going to be more plants than people. Devoción also has locations in Downtown Brooklyn, Dumbo, and Flatiron.

Suited in the Financial District works with some of the biggest names in New York roasting right now, including Sey and Little Wolf, along with a handful of international roasters whose beans are available from the shop. Expect to find a handful obligatory drinks on the menu — hot chocolate, matcha and turmeric lattes — but stick to a cup of espresso or drip to fully appreciate the thoughtful sourcing that’s happening here.

A person passes in front of a Financial District coffee shop called Suited.
Suited in the Financial District.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Black Fox Coffee

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Black Fox on Pine Street has the best coffee selection day-to-day of any shop in the city, showcasing coffees from a variety of esteemed roasters around the world. The iced matcha latte is a standout on the drink menu and should be ordered with the coffee shop’s housemade nut milk. Black Fox has another Fidi coffee bar, a cafe in Midtown, and a coffee shop in the Pendry Hotel behind the new Penn Station build-out at Moynihan Hall.

Sey Coffee

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A bright and airy sky-lit warehouse decorated with potted plants, Sey Coffee feels more West Coast than middle Bushwick. But it’s more than just a pretty space. Sey is regarded as one of the better micro roasters in NYC. Founders Tobin Polk and Lance Schnorenberg favor a light, clean Nordic-style flavor profile so highly regarded by the coffee cognoscenti.

An interior shot of Sey looking out at the garage-door opening to the coffee shop
The light-filled interior at Sey.
Liz Clayton/Eater

% Arabica

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For the freshest of fresh-roasted coffee beans, it’s hard to beat % Arabica. The Kyoto-based import opened its first U.S. location in Brooklyn last year with a souped-up espresso machine, baked goods from Balthazar, and a “green bean corner” where customers can buy beans to be roasted on the spot in seven minutes.

A light wood-accented espresso machine sitting on a white counter with paper coffee cups stacked on top of the machine
A wood-accented espresso machine at % Arabica.
% Arabica

Yafa Cafe

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Cousins Ali Suliman and Hakim Sulaimani launched Yafa Cafe in 2019 to spotlight Yemeni coffee culture in Sunset Park. Nearly three years later, it’s still going strong as a neighborhood cornerstone where the Yemeni-rooted food is just as good as the assortment of coffees. The cousins also started to roast an in-house line of coffee during the pandemic, offering blends and Yemeni single-origin roasts for sale at the shop and online.

Variety Coffee Roasters

Variety Coffee Roasters is all grown up: One of the pioneers of NYC’s coffee scene, Variety’s new-ish shop on the Upper East Side is all wood paneling and tasteful lighting. The Chelsea and Park Slope locations are just as urbane, while the original shops in Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Bushwick are appropriately funky. Variety first started roasting coffee in 2014, and is known for its nutty, chocolatey roasts.

Looking through a window of a coffee shop with hanging plants and customers drinking coffee.
Variety Coffee Roasters recently opened on the Upper East Side.
Variety Coffee Roasters

Little Collins

This busy, buzzy Midtown shop is an oasis of Australian-style coffee in a neighborhood otherwise glutted with Starbucks and other chain shops. The coffee is excellent: The flat whites, cold brews, and pour-overs are mini masterpieces. But the draw is the food, from the extensive breakfast menu (chorizo-baked eggs and a shishito pepper omelet with aioli) to sandwiches, salads, and pastries. Note the second location at Urbanspace, located at 570 Lexington Avenue, is closed on weekends.

Culture Espresso

A solid cortado and drip coffee anchor the menu of this stylish coffee bar near Bryant Park. It’s a much stronger choice for coffee than the several chain stores closer to the park, and as a bonus, it serves a superb warm chocolate chip cookie. Culture Espresso is open daily and has two additional locations nearby .

Sweetleaf Coffee Roasters

The original location for Sweetleaf is comfortably crowded. Besides the standard lineup of high-quality espresso drinks, there are two specialty iced coffee drinks worth ordering, both a far cry from the saccharine concoctions served at bigger coffee chains: the Rocket Fuel, cold brew spiked with chicory, maple syrup, and milk, and the Voodoo Child, a Vietnamese-style iced coffee made with sweetened condensed milk. Every location has a different vibe: The mothership is a roastery-cafe in Greenpoint (159 Freeman Street), the Queens Plaza coffee bar is built for speed (2810 Jackson Avenue), and the Long Island City cafe also has beer and cocktails (4615 Center Boulevard).

La Cabra

Is this the best coffee shop in New York City? It’s certainly one of the busiest, where the line snakes out the door during rush hour. Truth is, it’s worth it. This Danish import has excellent coffee, exquisite pastries, table service, and an appealing Scandi style. If only every day could start with a perfect cappuccino in an earthenware cup and a cardamom bun.

A cardamom bun sits on a grey plate on a white table, just in front of a clear coffee flask and an earthenware cup
A cardamom bun and coffee pairing is the ideal order at La Cabra.
Ryan Sutton/Eater NY

Abraço

There’s nothing in coffee quite like Abraço, an East Village shop with so much personality it’s hard to take it in all at once. There’s the coffee, with wild-haired co-owner Jamie McCormick often working the bar. There are the pastries, such as co-owner Liz Quijada’s justifiably famous orange-scented olive oil cake. And there’s the scene, the chatty locals who, in the words of Frank Zappa, make this “the top freako watering hole and social HQ.” Closed Mondays.

Felix Roasting Co.

The Flatiron District’s chic coffee shop and cafe Felix Roasting Co. opened a second location in 2020, bringing some life and a little luxe to Greene Street in Soho. For those who haven’t been, it’s important to know that Felix is over-the-top, and that it’s trying to be. It also serves one of the city’s best cups of espresso, even if it comes served in a wine glass with tonic water.

A latte is adorned with a layer of light brown crackling, while a hand off-screen uses tweezers to place a flower on top
The honeycomb latte at Felix Roasting Co.
Felix Roasting Co.

Devoción

This sprawling Williamsburg roastery and cafe is an outpost of a coffee roaster in Bogota, Colombia. All its raw beans arrive by FedEx straight from Colombia just 10 days after it’s harvested, which makes for some of the freshest coffee around. The space has plenty of seating, but even on the busiest days, there are probably going to be more plants than people. Devoción also has locations in Downtown Brooklyn, Dumbo, and Flatiron.

Suited

Suited in the Financial District works with some of the biggest names in New York roasting right now, including Sey and Little Wolf, along with a handful of international roasters whose beans are available from the shop. Expect to find a handful obligatory drinks on the menu — hot chocolate, matcha and turmeric lattes — but stick to a cup of espresso or drip to fully appreciate the thoughtful sourcing that’s happening here.

A person passes in front of a Financial District coffee shop called Suited.
Suited in the Financial District.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Black Fox Coffee

Black Fox on Pine Street has the best coffee selection day-to-day of any shop in the city, showcasing coffees from a variety of esteemed roasters around the world. The iced matcha latte is a standout on the drink menu and should be ordered with the coffee shop’s housemade nut milk. Black Fox has another Fidi coffee bar, a cafe in Midtown, and a coffee shop in the Pendry Hotel behind the new Penn Station build-out at Moynihan Hall.

Sey Coffee

A bright and airy sky-lit warehouse decorated with potted plants, Sey Coffee feels more West Coast than middle Bushwick. But it’s more than just a pretty space. Sey is regarded as one of the better micro roasters in NYC. Founders Tobin Polk and Lance Schnorenberg favor a light, clean Nordic-style flavor profile so highly regarded by the coffee cognoscenti.

An interior shot of Sey looking out at the garage-door opening to the coffee shop
The light-filled interior at Sey.
Liz Clayton/Eater

% Arabica

For the freshest of fresh-roasted coffee beans, it’s hard to beat % Arabica. The Kyoto-based import opened its first U.S. location in Brooklyn last year with a souped-up espresso machine, baked goods from Balthazar, and a “green bean corner” where customers can buy beans to be roasted on the spot in seven minutes.

A light wood-accented espresso machine sitting on a white counter with paper coffee cups stacked on top of the machine
A wood-accented espresso machine at % Arabica.
% Arabica

Yafa Cafe

Cousins Ali Suliman and Hakim Sulaimani launched Yafa Cafe in 2019 to spotlight Yemeni coffee culture in Sunset Park. Nearly three years later, it’s still going strong as a neighborhood cornerstone where the Yemeni-rooted food is just as good as the assortment of coffees. The cousins also started to roast an in-house line of coffee during the pandemic, offering blends and Yemeni single-origin roasts for sale at the shop and online.

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