Whenever I travel, I’m constantly on a quest for great coffee. New York City has always been a challenge. How could the capitol of the world not have a wide variety of really good coffee places? These days there’s a Starbucks every 1/2 block. In fact when I was there last week, I even stumbled upon a Starbucks protest by Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping. Since my last previous visit a few years back, there has also been a mini invasion by Dunkin’ Donuts.
Well there is hope on the horizon. Thanks to a tip from my friend Niall Kennedy, I made a trip over to Chelsea to Cafe Grumpy, located next to NYPD’s 10th Precinct (they also have another location over in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood). They make great espresso drinks, complete with latte art and they even have two of the legendary Clover machines. I shot a few photos while I was there.
Years ago I found Caffe Reggio in Greenwich Village, the place that originally introduced cappuccino to America (thanks for the reminder Jenny). So what other great, independent coffee places do you guys know of in New York?
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Glad you got to visit the Grumpies. They are a great bunch of people doing coffee the right way in the city.
you’ve hit upon one of the top shops in the city. another great shop is Ninth Street Espresso (www.ninthstreetespresso.com). they have two locations…one in Alphabet City and the other in Union Square.
in new york city the only coffee place truly worth caring about it 9th street espresso. it’s on 9th st between avenues C and D. it is small, clean, and cozy. the espresso is thick and high octane. the chai is soothing with a little bite. the guys behind the counter taught the people at victrola in seattle what they know.
it is the perfect coffee place. now for god sake don’t tell anyone about it ;)
Another vote for Ninth Street Espresso — went to the one in Alphabet City and it was great. Also try Jack’s Stir Brew in the the village (http://www.jacksstirbrew.com/). Didn’t get to check out the MudTrucks, but their coffee is also supposed to be good: http://www.themudtruck.com
I will second the recommendation for 9th Street Espresso. Alphabet City also has a fun punk rock tiki bar called Otto’s Shrunken Head.
In the West Village, Jack’s Stir Brew Coffee is really great. For libations in the West Village, don’t miss Chumley’s.
Cheers,
Joe
Last time I was in NY a friend took Ted & I to Mud. We ended up sitting in there for hours. Mud is in the West Village on 7th Ave. They also have a truck on Astor Place, which they parked in between the dozen or so Starbucks on the block and in a giant fuck-you started slinging coffee. The truck’s success led to the cafe in the Village. The coffee was great and the place smells like bacon.
Nice pictures! Thanks for visiting us.
Thanks for the photos and the tip on 9th street espresso people. I’m going to have to try it. Over in brooklyn I like Gorilla on 5th Ave (Park Slope) and The Flying Saucer on Atlantic Ave (Boerum Hill). Also, The Fall Cafe in Carroll Gardens on Smith Street has good heart too. A little further out is Vox Pop on Cortelyou Road in Ditmas Park. All really good places.
“La Bergamote,” also in Chelsea, at the corner of 9th Ave. and 20th St. has excellent coffee and so does “Le petit cafe” in Brooklyn, Park Slope, Court St. 502. They have WIFI as well and great food. One of my favourite places.
Wow, Scott – thanks for the tip. I’m out of the city for six months and we get a third espresso-obsessed shop? Wonderful!
The Starbucks takeovers in NYC are beyond egregious but if you know where to go, there are smatterings of good to excellent coffee places scattered around the city.
I also like Gimme Coffee and Oslo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and an Italian-style espresso bar in midtown called Zibetto. I’ve also heard pretty good things about Sicaffé on the UES, but haven’t been able to check it out.
Yay coffee!
“the guys behind the counter taught the people at victrola in seattle what they know.”
uh, this is patently false. I worked for Victrola as a barista and a roaster from 2001 through 2004. There was no connection whatsoever to Ken Nye at 9th Street. I think where you get confused is the fact that Bob, barista extraordinaire at 9th St, once worked for Victrola. In fact, if anything, your axiom is just the inverse.
There are many great shops outside of just 9th Street and they all deserve patronage. Thank god coffee has finally arrived in NY.
Gimme Coffee, 9th Street Espresso & Cafe Grumpy are the best in the city as far as I can tell. (My favorite is Gimme – there’s just something about their latte that’s like crack).
Joe the Art of Coffee does a decent job, but maybe a little too busy to get it right every time. Everything else I’ve tried (including Gorilla, Fall Cafe) is just a cup of coffee.
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