My Favourite NYC Specialty Coffee Shops (Updated 2024)

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 specialty 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 specialty coffee map, which now includes almost 100 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 specialty coffee can be hard to come by (some parts of Midtown, for instance).

I created this guide in 2017 but I update it regularly with my latest coffee shop discoveries! Last updated: November 2024.

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. Venues 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

Baodega 7 W. 20th Street nr Fifth Ave (Flatiron) Review

Birch Coffee 884 Ninth Avenue bet. W. 57th & 58th St. (Hell's Kitchen) Review

* Black Fox Coffee 70 Pine Street bet. Pearl & William St. (Financial District) Review

45 E. 45th Street bet. Madison & Vanderbilt (Midtown) Review

Blank Slate Coffee + Kitchen 121 Madison Avenue nr E. 30th St. (Flatiron) Review

Blue Bottle Coffee 1 Rockefeller Plaza, bet. 48th & 49th St. and bet. Fifth & Sixth Ave. (Midtown) Review
10 E. 53rd Street bet. 5th & Madison Ave. (Midtown) Review

396 Broadway nr Walker (TriBeCa) Review

Bluestone Lane 30 Carmine Street nr Bleecker St. (West Village) Review
11 Times Square nr 8th Ave. (Midtown) Review

Butler 177 Lafayette Street nr Grand St. (SoHo) Review

* Cafe Grumpy 20 Stone Street nr Broad St. (Financial District) Review
13 Essex Street nr Hester St. (Lower East Side) Review

89 E. 42nd Street, Lexington Passage, Grand Central (Midtown) Review

* Cafe Integral 149 Elizabeth Street bet. Kenmare & Broome St. (Nolita) Review

Citizens of SoHo 201 Lafayette Street nr Kenmare St. (SoHo) Review

Coffee Project 239 E. 5th Street nr Second Ave. (East Village) Review

Culture Espresso 72 W. 38th Street nr Sixth Ave. (Midtown South)

* Dayglow 8 Wilson Avenue bet. Noll & Flushing (Bushwick) Review

Devoción 69 Grand Street nr Wyithe Ave., Brooklyn (Williamsburg) Review

25 E 20th Street bet. 5th & Park Aves (Flatiron) Review

* Do Not Feed Alligators 37 Bleecker Street nr Christopher St. (West Village) Review

* Drip Coffee Makers 75 Varick Street nr Canal St (SoHo) Review

* 100 Henry Street (inside Clark Street station) nr Clark (Brooklyn Heights) Review

The Elk 128 Charles Street nr Greenwich St. (West Village) Review

228 Mott Street bet. Prince & Spring St. (Nolita) Review

Everyman Espresso 136 E. 13th Street nr Third Ave. (East Village) Review

Felix Roasting Co. 450 Park Avenue South nr E. 31st St. (NoMad) Review

For Five Coffee 117 W. 46th Street bet. Sixth & Seventh Ave (Midtown) Review 

Frisson Espresso 326 W. 47th Street bet. Eighth & Ninth Ave (Hell's Kitchen) Review

Gasoline Alley Coffee 331 Lafayette Street bet. Bleecker & E. Houston St. (East Village) Review

* Golda 504 Franklin Avenue nr Fulton St. (Bed-Stuy) Review

* Good Thanks Cafe 131 Orchard Street nr Rivington (Lower East Side) Review

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. (NoMad) Review
80 Broad Street nr S. William (Financial District) Review

Ground Support 399 W. Broadway nr Spring St. (SoHo) Review

Gumption Coffee 106 W. 45th Street nr Sixth Ave (Midtown) Review

Hi-Collar 214 East 10th Street bet. First & Second Ave. (East Village) Review

Hole in the Wall 15 Cliff Street bet. John & Fulton (Financial District) Review

Homecoming 107 Franklin Street nr Greenpoint Ave., Brooklyn (Greenpoint) Review

Hungry Ghost Coffee 315 Bleecker Street nr Grove St. (West Village) Review

Intelligentsia High Line Hotel, 180 10th Avenue bet. W. 20th & 21st St. (Chelsea) Review

* Irving Farm Coffee Roasters 71 Irving Pl. nr E. 18th St (East Village)

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

105 E. 42nd Street, Grand Central (Midtown) Review

Kaigo Coffee Room 120C Lafayette Street nr Canal St. (SoHo) Review

The Jolly Goat 515 W 47th Street bet. 10th & 11th Ave. (Hell's Kitchen) Review

* La Cabra 284 Lafayette Street nr Jersey St. (SoHo) 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) Review [mini-review of its predecessor, Bluebird]

Librae Bakery 35 Cooper Square nr E. 6th St. (NoHo) Review

* Little Collins 667 Lexington Avenue bet. E. 55th & 56th St. (Midtown) Review

708 Third Avenue nr E. 44th St (Midtown) Review

* The Lost Draft 398 Broome Street nr Cleveland Pl. (SoHo) Review

* Loveless Coffees 86 Central Avenue nr Jefferson (Bushwick) 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

Merriweather 428 Hudson Street nr Leroy St. (West Village) Review

Ninth Street Espresso 341 E. 10th Street nr Ave. B (East Village)

* 700 E. 9th Street nr Ave. C (Alphabet City) Review

Oslo Coffee Roasters 133 Roebling Street nr N. 4th St. (Williamsburg) Review

* Paper Coffee (Flatiron) 44 W. 29th Street bet 6th Ave. & Broadway Review

Partners Coffee 125 North 6th Street nr Berry St., Brooklyn (Williamsburg) Review
44 Charles Street nr 7 Ave S. (West Village) Review

81 E. 45th Street nr Park Ave (Midtown) Review

* Patent Coffee 49 W. 27th Street nr 6th Ave. (Flatiron) Review

Prodigy Coffee 33 Carmine Street bet. Bleecker & Bedford (West Village) Review

Pulley Coffee Bar 75 9th Avenue, Chelsea Market (Chelsea) Review

REX 864 10th Avenue nr W. 57th St. (Hell's Kitchen) Review

Roasting Plant 81 Orchard Street bet. Broome & Grand St. (Lower East Side) Review

Saltwater Coffee 345 E. 12th Street bet 2nd & 1st Ave. (East Village) Review

Saturdays NYC 31 Crosby Street bet. Grand & Broome St. (SoHo) Review

Sawada Coffee 33 Cortlandt Alley nr. Walker St. (TriBeCa) Review

* Sey Coffee 18 Grattan Street, nr Bogart St. (Bushwick) Review

St Kilda Coffee 328 W 44th Street bet. 8th and 9th Ave (Midtown) Review

* Stumptown Coffee Roasters 30 W. 8th Street nr Macdougal St. (Greenwich Village) Review
* 212b Pacific Street nr Court St. (Cobble Hill) Review

* Suited 45 John Street nr Dutch (FiDi) Review

Ten Thousand Coffee 750 3rd Avenue bet. E. 46th & E. 47th St. (Midtown) 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)

Two Hands 251 Church Street nr Leonard St. (Tribeca) Review

Upright Coffee 860 Manhattan Avenue #2 nr Milton St., Brooklyn (Greenpoint) Review

* Voyager Espresso 110 William Street nr John St. (Financial District) Review

* Yafa Cafe 4415 4th Avenue nr 45th St (Sunset Park) Review 

Zibetto Espresso Bar 1385 Sixth Avenue nr W. 56th St. (Midtown) Review

Formerly on the list but now closed:
* Birch Coffee 5 E. 27th Street nr Madison Ave. (Flatiron) Review

* Blue Bottle Coffee 450 W. 15th Street nr Tenth Ave. (Chelsea) Review

* Bluestone Lane 90 Water Street nr Gouveneur Ln (Financial District) Review

* Boundless Plains Espresso 19 Rector Street nr Washington (Financial District) Review

* Box Kite Coffee 128 W. 72nd Street bet. Columbus & Amsterdam Ave. (Upper West Side) Review

* Brooklyn Roasting Company 45 Washington Street nr Water St. (DUMBO) Review

* Búðin 114 Greenpoint Avenue bet Franklin & Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn (Greenpoint) Review [Closed for the foreseeable future]

* Cafe Grumpy 224 W. 20th Street nr Seventh Ave. (Chelsea) Review

* Cafe Integral, 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

* Daughter 1090 St Johns Place, nr Kingston Ave. (Crown Heights) Review  

* Drip Coffee Makers 12 Belvidere Street, nr Broadway (Bushwick) Review

* East One Coffee Roasters 128 Baxter Street nr Hester (Chinatown) Review

* El Rey 100 Stanton Street nr Ludlow St. (Lower East Side) Review

* Everyman Espresso 301 W. Broadway nr Canal St. (SoHo) Review

* Fair Folks and a Goat 96 W. Houston Street bet. Thompson & La Guardia (Greenwich Village)

* Felix Roasting Co. 104 Greene Street bet. Prince & Spring (SoHo) Review

* Fika 66 Pearl Street nr Coenties Slip (Financial District) Review
* Fika 41 W. 58th Street nr Sixth Ave. (Midtown)

* Gimme! Coffee 228 Mott Street bet. Prince & Spring St. (Nolita) Review

* Happy Bones 394 Broome Street nr Mulberry St. (SoHo) Review

* Irving Farm Coffee Roasters 88 Orchard Street nr Broome St. (Lower East Side) Review and Lower Dining Concourse, Grand Central Station, 89 E. 42nd Street (Midtown) Review

* Milk Bar 15 W. 56th Street bet. Fifth & Sixth Ave. (Midtown) Review

* Nickel & Diner (Little Italy) Review

* Ninth Street Espresso 109 E. 56th Street nr Park Ave. (Midtown) Review

* Nobletree DeKalb Market Hall, 445 Albee Square West (Brooklyn) Review

* Ost Cafe 441 E. 12th Street nr Ave. A (East Village)

* Partners Coffee (formerly known as Toby's Estate) 160 Fifth Avenue nr 21st St. (Flatiron) Review

* PROOF Coffee Roasters 65 Nassau Street nr John St. (Financial District) Review

* Supercrown Coffee Roasters 8 Wilson Avenue nr Noll St., Brooklyn (Bushwick) Review

* Shop 232 Metropolitan Avenue nr Driggs Ave., Brooklyn (Williamsburg) Review

* Underline Coffee 511 W. 20th Street nr Tenth Ave. (Chelsea) Review

 * Walter's Coffee Roastery 65 Irving Avenue nr Starr St., Brooklyn (Bushwick) Review

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