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Topos Bookstore Cafe
Photograph: Time Out/Ali Garber

The 21 very best coffee shops in NYC

NYC’s best coffee shops offer our favorite ways to wake up

Written by
Rachel Pelz
&
Bao Ong
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Can’t live without your morning joe or an afternoon pick-me-up? These coffee shops and cafés offer some of the very best iced coffee, lattes and cappuccinos in New York City. With cases of pastries that rival the city’s best bakeries and menus that include inventive cocktails after dark, our favorite coffee shops are anything but ordinary. Grab your buzz to-go or take a seat and order brunch—you’re gonna need to get properly caffeinated to make the most out of your day in NYC. 

RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best restaurants in NYC

Best coffee shops in NYC

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • East Village
  • price 1 of 4

We have been enjoying the supremely intense coffee at Abraço since it opened in its original location in 2007. The beans are sourced from South America and roasted in-house and the cow-only milk is organic, but the menu doesn’t brag about any of that. It lets the buzzy atmosphere, rich pour-over and famous homemade olive-oil cake speak for themselves. 

 

  • Bars
  • Café bars
  • East Williamsburg

The sleek, lightwood-laden Sey Coffee is a coffee connoisseur’s paradise. A respite from Bushwick’s hippest parties, latest gallery openings and trendy restaurants, it’s a peaceful place where you can watch the coffee being roasted in-house—in fact, the resulting lighter roast is so popular, it has popped up at Olmsted, Rucola and some of our other favorite restaurants. If you want to deep dive into the third-wave coffee movement, there are “cupping sessions” where you can sniff, swirl and sip any number of beans.

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Mudspot
  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • East Village
  • price 1 of 4

If Mud ever closed, we would cry. For so many New Yorkers, Mud has become more than a coffee shop; it’s a lifeline where the downtown set—and NYU freshman—can hang out and dish. 

  • Restaurants
  • Cafés
  • Williamsburg

Morning commutes are chaotic, no? That’s why we prefer the tranquility of Devoción, which gives us hope that a vacation is just around the corner. Its Williamsburg location has big windows that are full of light, an island of tropical plants and—up front—a fishtail palm tree. Sip your coffee from one of the signature yellow mugs and note the flavor profile of its Colombian beans, sourced by Medellín-born founder Steve Sutton.

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  • Restaurants
  • Cafés
  • Midtown East
  • price 3 of 4

There’s so much to poke fun at at this chichi coffee shop (like the Pepto-pink details that could double as a Wes Anderson set). But our cynical hearts are melted by its new-age java creations. A standout is the "Deconstructed Espresso Tonic," which comes in a Bordeaux wine glass filled with tonic water, non-alcoholic Campari reduction and lemon-basil leaves. 

The West Village has tons of solid coffee shops, but if you need to get out of your house to get work done, this is the place to…grind. Designed for you to sit and stay a while, El Condor’s focus on hospitality makes for a cozy spot to get caffeinated. Try the bombon, made with espresso and condensed milk, or the pale blue butterfly pea latte; they also serve beer and wine when you’re ready to celebrate closing your laptop. 

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Paolo Maliksi and Alejandro Ceballos, the minds behind Regalia Coffee, have opened a coffee shop named for Ceballos’ abuela. They’ll be serving up Regalia coffee, of course, along with croissants and cookies baked in-house. 

Winner’s flagship spot serves up a great latte alongside their house-made sourdough croissants and egg sandwiches. As they expand further into Brooklyn—an outpost inside Prospect Park is ideal for stopping by during off-leash hours with your dog—the original location still attracts a long line every morning. If you hate to queue, come by early, but we promise that the coffee’s worth the wait. 

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  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Brooklyn Heights

Drip Coffee isn’t just the name—it’s also what your coffee will do while you wait for your handcrafted pour-over. Nigel Price, who started Drip out of a mobile cart, believes that coffee is worth slowing down for. (And really, who couldn’t use a minute to take a few deep breaths on a Sunday morning?) If you’re in a rush and don’t have time to wait for your caffeine fix, they do have an espresso machine, but you might find yourself appreciating that extra moment of calm in your day.

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  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • West African
  • East Harlem
  • Recommended

At this café nestled inside the Africa Center, you’ll find West African-inspired fast-casual offerings worth trying. But Teranga is also a perfect spot for working or a coffee date: strong espresso drinks use single-origin beans directly sourced from Rwanda, Kenya and Ethiopia. Teranga also offers a moringa latte, its West African take on matcha. 

  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • East Village
  • price 1 of 4

Taking its name from a fashion term popular during the Japanese jazz age, this kissaten-style café specializes in East-meets-West fare. During the day, the East Village spot serves siphon brews made with varying blends. When the sun sets, sidle up to the wooden counter for Japanese whisky and shochu cocktails.

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  • Bars
  • Café bars
  • Ridgewood

If you’re in Ridgewood, Topos Bookstore Cafe is the requisite hangout. Filled with charming details (a Felix the Cat clock, psychedelic hanging planters), this laid-back, brightly lit store is worth checking out for its coffee and its savvy new and used book selection. Co-owner Anny Oberlink has a knack for procuring hard-to-find titles, such as a 1975 children’s crafting book that you can flip through while sipping that cup of joe.

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Flatiron
  • price 1 of 4

Portland, Oregon's artisan coffee company boasts two NYC locations, serving espresso-based drinks and seasonal matcha lattes. While you’re sipping your coffee, snack on a croissant from Pain D'Avignon or Austin-style breakfast tacos from King David Tacos. 

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  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • East Village
  • price 1 of 4

A favorite of coffee purists, this mini-chain of cafés has several locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan, plus its own roasting space. Baristas prepare artisanal espresso alongside a selection of French pastries.

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Midtown West
  • price 2 of 4

Be honest: Do you want a cup of coffee, or do you want to get a photo for the ‘gram? Grace Street makes a super-solid brew, but they also serve up gorgeous desserts (think milk tea boba toast, mountains of black sesame snow and matcha beignets). The drinks are made to be photographed, too, with a standout Dalgona coffee with boba and baby-pink rose petal milk tea.

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  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Financial District
  • price 1 of 4

Surfing and slang aren’t the only things Australians do better than New Yorkers; they also know how to make a killer cup o’ joe. Down Under’s renowned coffee culture has proliferated in recent years, and no shop eases you into that flat-white phenomenon quite like Bluestone Lane. The charming café chain—which offers brunch at certain locations—sources Brazilian and Colombian beans for its drip and cold brew.

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Chelsea
  • price 1 of 4

Founded in Chicago in 1995, Intelligentsia is one of the country’s oldest and most respected coffee chains. Serving seasonal Direct Trade coffees, you can order up an espresso tonic or an “Iced Angeleno” made with four shots of espresso, milk and vanilla syrup. Located inside the stylish lobby of the High Line Hotel, its to-go coffees are perfectly suited for a stroll along the nearby elevated park.

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  • Restaurants
  • Bakeries
  • Prospect Heights

Renato Poliafito, co-founder of the Red Hook bakery Baked, brings his beloved baking to this Italian-leaning spot. The pastry menu—pistachio croissants, Sicilian sandwiches and banana walnut bread—is best paired with coffee served in ceramics made down the street.

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  • Restaurants
  • Cafés
  • Little Italy
  • price 2 of 4

This pint-sized French café brings Southern France to Soho. The mini-chain’s locations are awash in country charm, with reclaimed farmer's tables and vintage colander chandeliers. The nutty chocolate chip cookies are so amazing, they made the list of Oprah's favorite things—and the coffee, although not celebrity-endorsed, is pretty good, too.

See the best coffee shops in America

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