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Canyon Coffee, a cult favorite in L.A., officially opened its first New York cafe at 601 Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights on March 19. Doors open at 7am daily and, yes, the hype is already very real.
Founded in 2016 by co-founders Ally Walsh and Casey Wojtalewicz, Canyon built its name through a national wholesale and e-commerce business before opening its Echo Park cafe in 2022. Since then, that single location has since become a magnet for creatives, neighborhood regulars and, occasionally, celebrities like Harry Styles and Zoë Kravitz. But more than the famous faces, it’s the atmosphere people can’t stop talking about.
“We heard from the neighborhood about how much more they felt connected to their literal neighbors,” Wojtalewicz told Grub Street. “We heard people who said, ‘I never knew my next-door neighbor until you opened here, and now I have dinner with them regularly.’”
Now, Brooklyn gets its own version.
The roughly 900-square-foot Prospect Heights space, designed by Klein Agency, leans into the same aesthetic as the West Coast original: warm Doug fir walls and benches, a maple bar topped with Portuguese limestone and a palette inspired by Northern California cabins and Sea Ranch. There’s also vinyl-only music played through a Calico HiFi system.
The menu sticks closely to what made the original a hit. Canyon’s organic coffee is served alongside simple toasts and teas from Masha Tea and Kettl. There are a few local twists, though: fresh apple cider replaces Echo Park’s orange juice and pastries come from a lineup of Brooklyn favorites, including Elbow Bread, Amanda’s Good Morning Cafe at Strange Delight and She Wolf Bakery, with gluten-free options from Knead Love Bakery. The toast program is overseen by Chef James Wayman.
For Walsh, who has family roots in Brooklyn and grew up on Long Island, the opening is something of a homecoming. And with New York already serving as Canyon’s second-largest market, the expansion feels less like a leap and more like an inevitability.
Still, what New Yorkers are really curious about is whether the “effortless, easygoing coolness” of Echo Park can survive the pace of Vanderbilt Avenue. Early signs suggest yes, especially if you’re willing to slow down long enough to find out.