
Happy Bones
This is a cute little spot in Nolita. There's not a lot of room to sit inside, but they have a bench outside in the summer. There's a large skylight inside, exposed brick walls, etc etc.

west~bourne
west~bourne was my latest NYC discovery and perhaps my favorite one. So much so that I went here almost every day of the week, to the point of making excuses to go there and read over a cup of coffee. This is a California-inspired cafe with a healthy (yet delicious) menu and great coffee. Everything from their interiors to their cutlery, napkins, and plates are handpicked and present reasons to stay as long as possible.

Bakeri
This is an adorable bakery and coffeeshop that has two locations; one in Williamsburg, another in Greenpoint. All of their pastries are gluten-free and everything is made in-house, which means that you walk into a gushing wind of butter, chocolate, flour and sugar smell. Their tiny cookies are all I had as I tried to control myself, and they were magnificent. They serve all their beverages in china cups (though I must say that their coffee was not the best). There isn't a lot of room to sit, but it's definitely worth the visit.

Little Canal
Little Canal is a little coffee shop on Canal Street, with a very succinct, fitting name. There's enough seating perhaps for 15 people, but it's a perfect spot to spend a Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning if you're lucky enough to find a seat.
Even though the space is quite small and there's a little kitchen in the back, they've somehow nailed their ventilation system, which I really appreciate. In most other, similar spots, you end up leaving smelling like the food you just had, but that's absolutely not the case with Little Canal.
This is a recent discovery of mine (thanks to one of my friends who lives and works in the neighborhood), and it's already one of my favorites.

Two Hands
This coffee shop is run by Aussies who truly "made it" in New York. Unfortunately, the Internet (or more specifically, Instagram) made them so cool that they are packed all the time and have trouble getting orders out in a timely manner.
The ambiance: imagine white brick walls, lots of natural light, magazines racks and photos on the walls.
Note: No decaf option, only lactose-free dairy option is Almond Milk.
Chalait
Chalait is one of those places that Instagram made famous. I've been seeing a lot of photos posted from this place on social media so I decided to give it a try, and I'm very glad that I did because both of the items I've tried were yummy. One thing to keep in mind is that they don't have a lot of seating available so either expect to wait a while (especially on weekends) or get your matcha to go.
Side note: very friendly staff :)

Greecologies
This place looks like a minimalistic apparel boutique from the outside with white walls and white wooden floors and a minimalistic seating area by the front windows. It's actually a Greek yogurt / coffee shop. The staff is super friendly and there's a lot of seating available. I actually ended up sitting here for about an hour. The next time I'm there, I'm going to try their butter coffee (that's right, BUTTER coffee).

Laughing Man Coffee
This is a tiny, but very cute Australian coffee shop owned by Hugh Jackman. The staff is extremely friendly and a pleasure to talk to. I had an almond milk latte and it was one of the best I've had in New York. There's also a great outdoor sitting area right outside the shop, which is great in the spring for reading and people watching.

The City Bakery
This is a pretty big, but always bustling bakery near Flatiron. Especially on the weekends, there are long lines of tourists waiting to get a taste of their famous hot chocolate with a marshmallow in it that starts to melt after a few minutes. If you ask me, it's definitely worth trying, but almost impossible to drink more than a small shot-glass of it. They have different flavors each day if you want to try something different.

Devocion
This is a Colombian coffee shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It's in a huge space and everything looks extremely "Pinterestable" (imagine exposed brick walls, a huge kitchen, transparent coffee making room). and yet manageable to get some work done and/or meet up with friends over coffee. I'd also suggest coming here during the day as the ceiling is made out of glass for the most part, which provides some pretty good natural lighting.

Whynot Bistro
This place is great for meeting a friend over coffee or tea. Plus it's a wine bar. They dim the lights in the evening, which creates a great ambiance. You can't use your laptop on the entrance floor, but there's a section in the basement where you can access their WiFi and get some work done. That said, the basement is a little claustrophobic.

Spreadhouse Coffee
Spreadshop looks like a quiet nightclub meets a retail boutique with purple and blue neon lights near the entrance and white walls. When you walk in, however, you're pleasantly surprised. There are swinging chairs hanging from the ceiling, a large farm table where people work on their computers, a huge bar that serves coffee as well as alcohol (the place is open until midnight). Overall, it's a huge, spacious place. Bonus points for playing great 80s funk music.

The Vale Collective
This is a great spot that's part coffeeshop, part retail store for a women's collection. It's beautifully decorated, has a huge wooden community table with high (but comfortable) bar seats, free Wi-Fi, delicious candles burning, along with some great music and friendly staff. It's pretty under the radar, so doesn't have the buzz that most coffeeshops in the neighborhood have received. Plus, coffee is pretty good and they made me a flat white even though it wasn't on the menu.

Sweatshop
A Williamsburg classic with cute and hot Aussies who play their Aussiness to the extreme as a marketing technique that works like a charm. This little spot in Williamsburg has amazing coffee, friendly staff, outlets (on the ceiling!), Wi-Fi, good music (most of the time), some yummy breakfast snacks, and is especially breezy in the summer as all the windows are opened up.

Maman
This spot gained a huge amount of popularity in Nolita and now has a store located in TriBeca. It's owned and run by a handsome French guy, who is at the Nolita venue most of the time himself. Staff are very friendly and there's a small, yet very cute space to sit down and relax at the back with string lights and exposed white brick walls.
Also make sure to check out the bathroom when you're there:)

Black Star Bakery
This is a clean, laid-back coffeeshop with a tiny porch in the back that's big enough to hold just one table. There's good music, they have hemp milk (my favorite), high ceilings, lots of sunlight, and just an overall clean vibe.

Irving Farm Coffee
This is an adorable coffee shop that's below ground level, located a few blocks south of Gramercy Park. The coffee's great, and they have a lot of gluten-free snack options (the pumpkin and sunflower seed granola bar is highly recommended!).

Jax
Very quiet, homy coffee shop. Good for getting some work done, but can be a little too quiet as its in a residential neighborhood.

Cafe Lalo
This is a very adorable cafe on the Upper West Side. The tables are all very close to each other, but the staff is very friendly and their desserts are AMAZING. It's especially enjoyable in the winter when they put Christmas lights up:)
Note: This is the cafe where Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks were supposed to meet in the movie You've Got Mail.
Note II: Lalo is also good for brunch.

Marie Belle
This is a great place to rest if you want to relax after a long day of walking around or shopping in SoHo. The decoration inside is beautiful, and their chocolatey products are more than enough to get you energised.
This is also a great place if you want to buy someone a gift (chocolate, tea, coffee) that comes in a fancy tin box.

The Elk
The Elk is a quaint little coffee shop in the West Village, with five tables that are almost always occupied. It's a great place to station for a long while and their food/snack options are quite rich and somewhat extraordinary for a coffee shop; their tomato soup is one of the best I've had in the city.
The space is clearly created with design principles in mind and it feels like you're working from an architectural design firm's waiting lounge instead of a coffee shop.

Saturdays Surf
Saturdays is a part surf, part clothing, part coffee shop. There are two locations in New York; this specific review is for their SoHo store, which also has a small, but welcoming backyard, which is illuminated by string lights that hang above you.
Their coffee's pretty good, but I will say that some of their staff members are stereotypically coffee-snob Aussies, which can (from time to time) limit the pleasantness of your experience.

Boba Guys
Boba Guys is a tiny little bubble tea spot in the Lower East Side, with a bold claim to be "serving the highest quality bubble milk tea in the world". Their first store was in the Mission District of San Francisco, and currently have four in total, with this one in New York being their only on the East Coast. The Horchata is an obvious go-to option, but I tried the Lychee Green Tea with almond milk and zero sweetness (and no boba!), and it was absolutely delicious, not to mention a great pick-me-up on a hot and humid New York summer day.

Stumptown Coffee
This Stumptown is located inside the Ace Hotel in Flatiron. It's a beautifully decorated coffee shop, but there's nowhere to sit so you either have to try and find a spot in the famous Ace Hotel lobby or take it to go. If you're here during the day on a weekday, you probably won't have any trouble doing so, but if you're here after 5pm or on the weekends, doing so might be a bit of a trouble.

El Rey Luncheonette
This is an adorable little spot on the Lower East Side that serves coffee, tea, and a few light bites. Seating is not the most comfortable as you have to sit on bar stools at high tables next to and behind other people, but it's a great spot for a quick pick-me-up if you don't spend a lot of time here.

La Colombe
There are a few La Colombes in the city. The one in NoHo is much larger, more spacious, but still quite challenging to find a spot to sit and get some work done or catch up with someone over a cup of coffee. The one in SoHo is much smaller and usually busy with long lines on the weekends. Their coffee's great, but neither of the locations are great for hanging out.

Third Rail Coffee
Third Rail is a tiny little coffee shop in Greenwich Village / Washington Square Park. I stumbled upon it after leaving the IFC Center and looking for a little pick-me-up. I personally think it's too small and somewhat uncomfortable-looking to work out of, but their espresso was delicious.

Intelligentsia Coffee
Located inside the Highline Hotel in Chelsea, Intelligentsia is a little hidden haven amidst the touristic chaos of 10th Avenue. The Highline Hotel itself looks like a building out of Hogwarts, and there is a quite spacious back "yard" that's only accessible from inside the hotel, where you can enjoy your coffee outside on days when the weather allows for it. They also are currently the exclusive servers of oatmilk, which, I might have to admit is the best non-dairy milk I've ever had.

Ludlow Coffee Supply
Ludlow Coffee Supply is more a hangout space than a get-in, get-out coffee shop. Separated (or joined, depending on how you look at it) from a barber shop in the back, this small, vibrant, and bright little venue is a great spot to catch up with a friend or sit down and work on some writing or drawing. It's not the ideal place to meet with a large group (especially on the weekends when there's hardly enough room to stand), but perfect if you're alone or with one or two others. The beautifully designed barber shop in the back also provides additional seating if you'd like to spend more time there. Their coffee's pretty good, but their baked good/snack game is not the strongest.

The Good Sort
The Good Sort is located just a couple of doors down Nom Wah Tea Parlor on Doyers Street, and unless you were actively looking for it, you would easily walk by it and never know it was there.
This is a tiny vegan coffee/tea shop that opened very recently in the heart of Chinatown, with maneki-nekos, flowers, powder pink countertops, and colorful teapots and mugs. They have some of the most intriguing items on their drinks menu (beet, turmeric, and charcoal lattes, among other things) and while I only tried their cortado, it's safe to say that I'll be returning here on a day when I feel more adventurous.

Once Upon A Tart
Once Upon a Tart is an unassuming little coffeeshop adjacent to a French/Italian restaurant, tucked away on Sullivan Street in SoHo. I've never had a meal here, hence why it's listed under "Coffee". That said, it's one of my favorite places to squat and read a book or meet up with a friend if I'm in the neighborhood and trying to find a quiet spot, away from tourists on the weekend. Even though it's located in SoHo, it has managed to maintain its identity as a neighborhood spot (perhaps due to its location away from Broadway), which makes it so much more special.
They have free Wi-Fi, but it's not the type of place that should be used as office space for freelancers. Next time you're in the hood, drop by and sit on one of the benches outside as you watch people walk by with their dogs.





























