For the past two decades, I’ve visited New York about twice per year and, over the past ten years, I’ve been exploring the city’s now-booming speciality coffee scene and writing about it on this blog and posting accompanying photos on Flickr. Although I’ve produced coffee guides for various New York neighbourhoods, my last overall NYC coffee guide was published in 2013, when I rounded up ten of my favourite coffee bars. I’ve been thinking about an update for a while, but as both the scene and my own tastes have evolved considerably, I knew that another top ten would no longer cut it.
Instead, I’ve created a speciality coffee map, which includes more than 60 coffee shops and cafés throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, from Abraço to Zibetto. I’ve visited them all, although I’ve also been to many more New York coffee shops over the years that aren’t included here — some have now closed and others, while good, are no longer all-time favourites. Many of my favourite coffee spots are now part of micro-chains and for the purposes of this guide, I haven’t listed every branch (or even every branch I’ve been to); instead, I’ve selected my favourite branches and/or those in locations where good-quality speciality coffee can be hard to come by (some parts of Midtown, for instance).
I’ve linked my reviews or mini-reviews below — alas, some of the coffee shops that have been on my list for the longest are also some of the most sparsely documented, a fact I am slowly putting right. I intend to update this map and guide over time, but those with an asterisk below (and purple in the map) are my current favourites. For more details, including addresses, my photos and details of other branches, please check out my Google Map or this printable version with a handy checklist.
Abraço 86 E. 7th Street nr First Ave. (East Village) Review
Birch Coffee 5 E. 27th Street nr Madison Ave. (Flatiron) Review
* Black Fox Coffee 70 Pine Street bet. Pearl & William St. (Financial District) Review
Blue Bottle Coffee 450 W. 15th Street nr Tenth Ave. (Chelsea) Review
1 Rockefeller Plaza, bet. 48th & 49th St. and bet. Fifth & Sixth Ave. (Midtown) Review
Bluestone Lane 90 Water Street nr Gouveneur Ln (Financial District) Review
30 Carmine Street nr Bleecker St. (West Village) Review
Box Kite Coffee 128 W. 72nd Street bet. Columbus & Amsterdam Ave. (Upper West Side) Review
* Búðin 114 Greenpoint Avenue bet Franklin & Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn (Greenpoint) Review
* Cafe Grumpy 224 W. 20th Street nr Seventh Ave. (Chelsea) Review
13 Essex Street nr Hester St. (Financial District) Review
135 Grand Street nr Crosby St. (Lower East Side) Review
* Cafe Integral 149 Elizabeth Street bet. Kenmare & Broome St. (Nolita) Review
135 Grand Street nr Crosby St. (SoHo)
Champion Coffee 1107 Manhattan Avenue nr Clay St., Brooklyn (Greenpoint) Review
City of Saints 79 E. 10th Street nr Fourth Ave. (East Village) Review
Coffee Project 239 E. 5th Street nr Second Ave. (East Village) Review
Culture Espresso 72 W. 38th Street nr Sixth Ave. (Midtown South)
Devoción 69 Grand Street nr Wyithe Ave., Brooklyn (Williamsburg) Review
El Rey 100 Stanton Street nr Ludlow St. (Lower East Side) Review
The Elk 128 Charles Street nr Greenwich St. (West Village) Review
Everyman Espresso 136 E. 13th Street nr Third Ave. (East Village) Review
* 301 W. Broadway nr Canal St. (SoHo) Review
Fair Folks and a Goat 96 W. Houston Street bet. Thompson & La Guardia (Greenwich Village)
Fika 66 Pearl Street nr Coenties Slip (Financial District) Review
41 W. 58th Street nr Sixth Ave. (Midtown)
Gasoline Alley Coffee 331 Lafayette Street bet. Bleecker & E. Houston St. (East Village) Review
Gimme! Coffee 228 Mott Street bet. Prince & Spring St. (Nolita)
Gotan 130 Franklin Street nr W. Broadway (Tribeca) Review
Gregorys Coffee 551 Madison Avenue nr E. 55th St. (Midtown) Review
874 Sixth Avenue nr W. 31st St. (Midtown South) Review
Ground Support 399 W. Broadway nr Spring St. (SoHo) Review
Happy Bones 394 Broome Street nr Mulberry St. (SoHo) Review
Hi-Collar 214 East 10th Street bet. First & Second Ave. (East Village) Review
Homecoming 107 Franklin Street nr Greenpoint Ave., Brooklyn (Greeenpoint) Review
* Irving Farm Coffee Roasters 88 Orchard Street nr Broome St. (Lower East Side) Review
Lower Dining Concourse, Grand Central Station, 89 E. 42nd Street (Midtown) Review
Jack’s Stir Brew 138 W. 10th Street bet. Greenwich Ave. & Waverly Pl. (West Village) Review
* Joe 141 Waverly Place nr Gay St. (West Village) Review
La Colombe 97 Wall Street nr Pearl St. (Financial District Review
* 270 Lafayette Street nr Prince St. (SoHo) Review
The Lazy Llama 72 E. 1st Street nr First Ave. (East Village) [mini-review of its predecessor, Bluebird]
* Little Collins 667 Lexington Avenue bet. E. 55th & 56th St. (Midtown) Review
Lucid Cafe 311 Lexington Avenue nr E. 38th St. (Midtown South) Review
Ludlow Coffee Supply 176 Ludlow Street bet. Stanton & E. Houston St. (Lower East Side) Review
Milk Bar 15 W. 56th Street bet. Fifth & Sixth Ave. (Midtown) Review
Ninth Street Espresso 341 E. 10th Street nr Ave. B (East Village)
* 109 E. 56th Street nr Park Ave. (Midtown) Review
Ost Cafe 441 E. 12th Street nr Ave. A (East Village)
Roasting Plant 81 Orchard Street bet. Broome & Grand St. (Lower East Side) Review
Saturdays Surf 31 Crosby Street bet. Grand & Broome St. (SoHo) Review
* Stumptown Coffee Roasters 30 W. 8th Street nr Macdougal St. (Greenwich Village) Review
* Supercrown Coffee Roasters 8 Wilson Avenue nr Noll St., Brooklyn (Bushwick) Review
* Sweatshop 232 Metropolitan Avenue nr Driggs Ave., Brooklyn (Williamsburg) Review
* Terremoto Coffee 328 W. 15th Street bet. Eighth & Ninth Ave. (Chelsea) Review
Think Coffee 248 Mercer Street nr 3rd St. (SoHo) Review
* Third Rail Coffee 240 Sullivan Street nr W. 3rd St. (Greenwich Village)
* Toby’s Estate 160 Fifth Avenue nr 21st St. (Flatiron) Review
125 North 6th Street nr Berry St., Brooklyn (Williamsburg) Review
Two Hands 251 Church Street nr Leonard St. (Tribeca) Review
* Underline Coffee 511 W. 20th Street nr Tenth Ave. (Chelsea) Review
Upright Coffee 860 Manhattan Avenue #2 nr Milton St., Brooklyn (Greenpoint) Review
* VWalter’s Coffee Roastery 65 Irving Avenue nr Starr St., Brooklyn (Bushwick) Review
Zibetto Espresso Bar 1385 Sixth Avenue nr W. 56th St. (Midtown) Review