City Guide: 10 NYC Cafés That We Love
Though New York City has worlds to offer, most of us only have a few days or weeks to experience this iconic city. We have compiled 10 NYC-based cafés for the weary traveler with noteworthy coffee & tea offerings and thoughtfully designed interiors, beloved by locals and visitors alike.
1. Gasoline Alley Coffee
Established in 2011, Gasoline Alley Coffee offers premium quality coffee for the urban dweller who lives a fast-paced lifestyle but also values slow craftsmanship. They have four locations in NoHo, SoHo, Flatiron and the West Village, and are perfect for a short pitstop after a long wander around Manhattan.
Details –
NoHo: 325 Lafayette Street
SoHo: 154 Grand Street
Flatiron: 24 East 23rd Street
West Village: 310 West 14th Street
2. Té Company
Established in 2015, Té Company is a cozy tearoom based in the West Village and our go-to destination for fine Taiwanese teas. Founder Elena Liao and Frederico Ribeiro have a deep passion for sharing lesser known tea varieties from this small island nation that produces most of its tea for domestic consumption.
Details –
163 West 10th Street
New York, NY 10014
3. Four & Twenty Blackbirds
Established in 2009 by sisters Melissa and Emily Elsen, Four & Twenty Blackbirds is an artisanal pie bakery and café located in Brooklyn. Melissa and Emily learned the art of pie-making from their grandmother Liz and also take cues from their family’s restaurant Calico Kitchen, based in their hometown of Hecla, South Dakota. Our favorites are the Chamomile Buttermilk Custard pie and Matcha Custard pie.
Details –
439 3rd Avenue
Brooklyn, 11215
4. Floating Mountain
Located in the Upper West Side, Floating Mountain is a sun-drenched tearoom offering over 100 types of specialty Chinese teas. Tucked away on the second floor of a nondescript walk-up building, Floating Mountain features tatami mats and floor cushions where visitors are encouraged to lounge with their shoes off.
Details –
239 W 72nd Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10023
5. Happy Bones
Founded by New Zealanders Jason Woodside and Kirsten & Craig Nevill-Manning, Happy Bones is a small café and art space known for its iconic signage and white brick walls. Their bright and airy space is a perfect place to rest with a cold brew after strolling through the Lower East Side.
Details –
394 Broome Street
New York, NY 10013
6. Usagi NY
Tucked away amidst the cobbled streets of DUMBO, Usagi is a Japanese gallery, bookstore and café that caters especially to artists and designers. You can easily spend an afternoon browsing their small gallery or lounging in their café space with a coffee and one of their art magazines in hand. Care for a snack? Try their Hojicha Pie.
Details –
163 Plymouth Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
7. Intelligentsia
Founded in 1995, Intelligentsia is a coffee brand that spans across six quintessential cities in the US. Visit their refined location in the High Line Hotel for a quiet place to enjoy a quality cup, or venture outside to their minibar coffee truck for a breath of fresh air.
Details –
180 10th Ave at 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
8. 29B Teahouse
After many years of curating Asian tea programs for museums and hotels, founder Stefen Ramirez opened 29B, a refined tearoom offering premium quality teas from Japan, Korea, India, China and Taiwan. Visitors can experience rare teas like decade-old aged Chinese puerhs and charcoal roasted Taiwanese oolongs in the tasting room and peruse their retail space afterwards, where most of their teas are available to take home.
Details –
29 Avenue B
New York, NY 10009
9. Davelle
Davelle is a small LES café founded by Yudai Kanayama, a native of Hokkaido, Japan, where uni – or sea urchin – is abundant and treated less as a luxury and more as a commonplace meal. He decided to create a small eatery that features uni dishes in a casual and inviting café setting. Here, you can enjoy specialty meals like the uni spaghetti but also sit down with a cup of hojicha latte to chat with a friend.
Details –
102 Suffolk Street
New York, NY 10002
10. Bellocq
Tucked away in an industrial neighborhood in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Bellocq is a tea ateliér offering over 50 varieties of meticulously blended fine teas with an adjacent tearoom adorned with coral cushions and hanging plants. Bellocq is a perfect respite from the sun after a slow afternoon at nearby Transmitter Park.
Details –
104 West Street
Brooklyn, NY 11222