It won’t be surprising to hear that New York City is one of the most complex and diverse metropolises in the world. Food, fashion, architecture, history, culture…NYC is a hub for all of them. So too for coffee, especially in the last few years, as a host of gourmand caffeine purveyors has cropped up in the city, from Manhattan to Brooklyn and back again.
Here are five New York coffee shops to add to your itinerary:
1. Black Brick
Photo courtesy of Black Brick
New York City’s geographical heart may be Manhattan, but Brooklyn is becoming more and more of a New York cultural hub every day. Just off Williamsburg’s shopping thoroughfare Bedford Avenue, Black Brick is one of the best coffee spots in the borough. A den-like ambiance, communal tables and exquisite lattes make Black Brick the perfect stop for a caffeine hit and a Brooklyn moment. 300 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn
2. Oro
Photo courtesy of Oro
Easily miss-able on the calm end of Broome Street, Oro is a quiet highlight on the New York coffee scene. The coffee is strong and creamy, the juices are fresh and flavorful, the granola is house-made fruit-and-nut heaven. Do yourself a favor and hit Oro up for breakfast one chilly New York morn. 375 Broome Street, Manhattan.
3. Café Gitane
Photo courtesy of Café Gitane
With its curved silver bar, mirrored walls and little circular tables, Café Gitane’s name (meaning “Gypsy”) is far from the only French thing about it. Nestled in the midst of super cool Nolita, Café Gitane is like a little French oasis in the middle of NYC. Make like a Parisian and people watch over a simple espresso and mini tablette of bittersweet dark chocolate. 242 Mott Street, Manhattan
4. Konditori
Photo courtesy of Konditori
I like French coffee, I really like American coffee and I love Australian coffee, but there’s just nothing like Swedish coffee. So hot, so strong, so dark, so not made for sugar or milk. I’ll never forget the insomnia I experienced after my Swedish friend brewed me a mug of black coffee so strong my heart was jumping about for hours. Much milder than that fateful mug, but still in the Swedish style, Scandinavian café Konditori is one of my favorites in NYC. There’s a little one near the Bedford Ave subway stop in Williamsburg, but I love the Manhattan Avenue one in Green Point. 687 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn
5. Ruby’s
Photo courtesy of Ruby’s
The pretty, buzzing Nolita streets around Prince, Mott, Elizabeth and Mulberry, with their many boutiques and eateries, are coming to be known to some as Little Australia. Indeed, my fellow expat Aussies have truly made their mark on this tiny corner of Manhattan, not least in the Aussie coffee institution, Ruby’s. A true favorite for locals and expats alike, Ruby’s is like a slice of Melbourne in New York. 219 Mulberry Street, Manhattan
What’s your favorite coffee haunt in NYC? Please share in the comments below.
– By Gemma King
Top Photo courtesy of George Dogikh via Shutterstock
Jessica Festa is the editor of the travel sites Jessie on a Journey (http://jessieonajourney.com) and Epicure & Culture (http://epicureandculture.com). Along with blogging at We Blog The World, her byline has appeared in publications like Huffington Post, Gadling, Fodor’s, Travel + Escape, Matador, Viator, The Culture-Ist and many others. After getting her BA/MA in Communication from the State University of New York at Albany, she realized she wasn’t really to stop backpacking and made travel her full time job. Some of her most memorable experiences include studying abroad in Sydney, teaching English in Thailand, doing orphanage work in Ghana, hiking her way through South America and traveling solo through Europe. She has a passion for backpacking, adventure, hiking, wine and getting off the beaten path.
