From Designer to Historic: 20 of the Best Coffee Shops in Manhattan 2023
In the 2021 documentary The Automat, Mel Brooks noted that finding a good cup of coffee in New York City was once a real challenge. Even the “fancy” coffee shops offered variations of mediocre coffee, just at a substantial markup. That finally changed when the Third Wave Coffee scene arrived. Finding a decent cup of coffee was no longer a chore. In fact, it wasn’t long before there were too many fine options–a New Yorker’s complaint if there ever was one. That population dwindled somewhat as a result of the pandemic. But there’s still an unbelievable bounty of good coffee to be found as this city perpetually reinvents itself. Regardless of your preferences or where you find yourself, you’ll never be far from a solid cup. The following guide will point you in the right direction for some of the best coffee New York City has to offer.
The Coffee Illuminati
La Colombe Draft Latte
Some of the biggest and most recognizable names in specialty coffee have staked a claim in New York City. Hailing from Portland, the early Third Wave pioneer, Stumptown, has a couple of locations in the city, most notably one in the Ace Hotel. Blue Bottle–once an Oakland, California coffee chain and now an international behemoth owned by Nestlé–has quite a large presence in Manhattan as well. And then there's the DC darling and inventor of the now ubiquitous cold-draft latte, La Colombe, which has multiple locations and continues to expand in Manhattan, even going so far as to open a roastery in the Lower East Side.
Irving Farm New York in the Upper West Side
Irving Farm New York in the Upper West Side
New York City has its fair share of hometown coffee behemoths too. One of our local pioneers was Irving Farm New York, established in 1996. The self-taught founders converted a carriage house in bucolic Dutchess County into a roastery, and their 20+ years of experience and expertise is evident in each of their nine Manhattan locations. Founded in 2003 in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, Joe Coffee Company was started by a burnt-out talent agent looking to try something new. Extensive research and hard work paid off, but his famous clientele (which included Sarah Jessica Parker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Sedaris) didn’t hurt either. Joe now has twenty-one locations in New York and a roastery in Long Island City.
Cafe Grumpy at The Market Line in the Lower East Side
As the coffee scene continued to develop, other names carved a niche for themselves. Birch Coffee is a local success story, earning a reputation for its customer-first philosophy and its delicious cold brew. You’ll find a great cup of coffee at any of their nine Manhattan locations. Partner’s Coffee started as a licensee of Australian coffee purveyor Toby's Estate, but later rebranded to emphasize their local ownership and Brooklyn roots. They now have a number of Manhattan locations serving excellent coffee. And though it has expanded far beyond New York City, Café Grumpy is a Certified Women-Owned Business Enterprise with deep roots in Greenpoint, Brooklyn where it originated. You’ll also find locations in some of Manhattan’s most iconic spots like Rockefeller Center and Grand Central Terminal.
Neighborhood Favorites
The Sensuous Bean in the Upper West Side
Neighborhood coffee houses aren’t just a place to get yourself a solid cup of coffee, they also double as a gathering place for the community. These are the spots locals don’t want outsiders to know about, where baristas know their regulars as well as their drinks. We try to feature as many as we can in our neighborhood guides (sorry, locals!), because they offer an entirely different coffee experience than the one you get from the larger, uber-efficient, impersonal chains. In our Upper West Side guide, we feature The Sensuous Bean, an old-school coffee spot with beloved flavored coffees as well as fantastic espresso drinks. In our Lower East Side guide, we give a shout out to Ludlow Coffee Supply, which serves up delicious coffee out of the space formerly occupied by the famed Pink Pony Cafe & Bar. In Harlem, Black-owned I Like It Black spotlights a different Black- or Latino-owned coffee roaster every quarter.
Café Reggio in the West Village
In the West Village, people come from far and wide to visit one of its most famous coffee shops. Caffé Reggio is rumored to have introduced the cappuccino to the United States, and is a historic landmark. Built in 1927, the café transports you to a different time and place. Its unique interior features provocative artwork, a bench that belonged to the Medici, and the 100-year-old espresso machine that started it all. It’s also been featured in a number of movies, including Godfather II and the Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis.
Cool and Stylish Cafés
Felix Roasting Company in NoHo
Iced Americano and Iced Latte at Felix Roasting Company
Though good coffee is always the main priority when we’re choosing where to grab a cup, New York City has several stylish cafes that turn caffeinating into an artful experience. Felix Roasting Company may be the pinnacle of this concept. Renowned interior designer Ken Fulk introduced the maximalist aesthetic that has become their signature, which extends all the way to their sugar packets. And yes, the coffee is superb. Bask in the ambiance at their SoHo, NoHo and NoMad locations.
Ralph’s Coffee in Flatiron
Another stylish option is Ralph’s Coffee, which boasts a fashion pedigree. Designer Ralph Lauren opened his first café in his boutique on Fifth Avenue, offering the brand’s own special blends of La Colombe coffee. Today, Ralph's Coffee has a flagship location on Madison Ave, a café in the Flatiron District, and a cute vintage coffee van at Rockefeller Center. All represent, as you might imagine, the brand's distinguishable aesthetic.
Kobrick Coffee in the Meatpacking District
Devoción Coffee in the Flatiron District
Located in the Meatpacking District, Kobrick Coffee manages to mix an Old New York feel with the uber-trendy vibe of its surroundings. Distressed wood accents and exposed brick merge perfectly with floral wallpaper and potted plants, creating the perfect locale for a coffee date. In a converted artist’s loft with warm tones and a stunning plant-covered chandelier, Devoción serves up delicious Colombian coffee in their Flatiron café.
Delicious Baked Goods
Latte and Chocolate Chip Cookie at Culture Espresso
Whether it's to satisfy those early morning hunger pangs, midday munchies or an aching sweet tooth, excellent baked goods always pair perfectly with a delicious cup of coffee. Don’t worry, we’ve tirelessly sampled pastries, breads and sweet treats all across the city to ensure we have you covered on this front! Along with a consistently good cup of coffee, Culture Espresso's two Midtown locations arguably offer the best chocolate chip cookie in the city. If you’re lucky enough to arrive when a fresh batch is coming out of the oven, it’s an experience you won’t soon forget.
Bibble & Sip is a family-owned business combining French techniques with Asian flavors. Although their luscious cream puffs and Instagram-friendly macarons usually score top reviews, we’ve long been fans of the Earl Grey banana bread. And while fancy lattes are popular here, they serve Parlor Coffee and can always pull a great espresso.
Iced Coffee and Sweet Bun at La Cabra
Abraço is an East Village neighborhood institution offering fantastic coffee and an array of delectable confections from their in-house bakery. Though we've never regretted any choice we've made here (and we've tried many treats over the years!), you really can't go wrong with their fantastic olive oil cake. La Cabra, an outpost of the renowned Danish coffee company, not only serves carefully curated, consistently excellent coffee, they also offer a fantastic selection of expertly baked pastries and breads. They were one of the welcome additions to the post-pandemic coffee scene, and their sidewalk seats on 2nd Avenue are some of the most highly coveted tables in the city on a weekend morning. The open kitchen is just as fun to watch as the coffee bar, where you can see the mouth-watering cardamom buns, canelés and croissants come together. Their fans are excited about a larger location coming to SoHo soon.
Conclusion
It should be pretty clear at this point that we are huge coffee fans. Whether revisiting our favorite neighborhoods, running random errands, or exploring less traveled parts of the city, we’re always on the hunt for new coffee shops to check out. New York City has an expansive, well-established, innovative coffee scene, and new players regularly enter the market, ready to make their mark. If you have a coffee obsession like we do, and find yourself in a particular part of the city, we hope this handy guide will serve your needs and land you exactly where you need to be for that perfect cup.
