Best, Worst, Underrated, Overrated… Coffee in NYC

As my friends know, I define myself as a social coffee drinker. For me, coffee typically doesn’t serve a need but rather a want. My choice of the “best” coffee has been heavily influenced by my experience while drinking it. In the past few months, I’ve tried to determine where my favorite coffee is in the city; to organize my thoughts, I thought I’d make this post. Many of you have probably played the game “best/worst/underrated/overrated” with other categories (my family likes to use this system to rate snacks) but I added a few more categories to describe my other feelings towards coffee shops.

These ratings considered two parts: the taste of the coffee, and the atmosphere at each coffee shop. I’m welcome to your feedback, leave your comments on the post!

Best: Sey Coffee

Drinking coffee at Sey Coffee makes me feel like a coffee cognoscenti - perhaps it’s the presentation of the coffee or the way the space is designed, but something about being in Sey is special. Sey is one of the few coffee shops in the world where I’ll even think about ordering black coffee instead of an espresso drink. They are a micro-roaster in Bushwick and it’s clear that their attention to detail extends to more than the design of their light and modern space: the coffee is full-bodied, complex, and just so delicious. The best part about Sey is that they haven’t overcomplicated their menu: they know what they’re good at and they’ve perfected it. One of my favorite parts of this cafe is that seating is prioritized for non-laptop-using guests to promote conversation.

Worst: Irving Farm

I try not to review places I haven’t enjoyed, but for this exercise, I had to include the worst option. Irving Farm is by no means a bad option for coffee, but in the vein of overrated, it feels like amongst NYC locals it gets too much praise. The shop itself is dark, moody, and unwelcoming, and the coffee was forgettable - as I recall, pretty watery. Save your $6 and go to a local bodega instead, for that price you can also get a BEC. 

Underrated: Kobrick Coffee Co.

Kobrick Coffee seems to have gone under the radar in NYC coffee talk and I’d like to bring some attention to this gem of a shop. By day the baristas are whipping up coffee orders of steamed milk and espresso and by night they put on their mixologist hats to make coffee cocktail concoctions. Kobrick Coffee was founded 104 years ago and the coffee is still being roasted with Samuel Kobrick’s vision. The coffee is scrumptious in both hot and iced form. Plus one of my favorite NYC itinerarys is to send people to walk the High Line and then stop at Kobrick for a coffee afterwards. What could be more delightful than a nice walk ending in a good beverage? 

Overrated: Butler  

Butler used to be one of my favorites and with locations all across the city, it’s a pretty easy choice if you’re looking for a cute place to sit. However, I’ve found it to be an unreliable stop and that’s why it’s nested in this category. The coffee sometimes feels like a secondary thought to the food items on the menu. Since it meets other needs besides coffee, you might just look for another place to go if you’re looking for a good cup of joe. 

Aptly Rated: Variety 

With eight locations across the city, you can’t go wrong by getting a cup of coffee from Variety. It’s the perfect commuter coffee: you don’t need to make it the highlight of your morning by sitting down but it can make your day a bit brighter while you trudge through the NYC subway during rush hour. The marketing team at Variety has the NYC-retro thing down pat with their branding coming straight out of the 80’s. The coffee itself has a nutty-bodied twist that’s creamy and thick. It’s not exactly the most exciting of coffee shops but sometimes all you need is for the prices to be good, the staff to be nice, and to know exactly what you’re gonna get. 

Overly Priced: Dayglow

Hailing from L.A., Dayglow is the ultimate foodie destination as far as coffee shops go. Beyond their regular espresso bar menu, customers go to Dayglow for their specialty coffee cocktails. The last time I went I got the “Morning Show”: distilled coffee, orange, condensed coconut, and passionfruit. It came out looking like a mixed drink and it tasted like an orange creamsicle bar. Delicious, I’m not sure it would be a spot I’d go to regularly as my coffee was $10 without tax and tip. The coffee seems to take the backseat here, but it’s worth trying at least once. 

Honorable Mentions: 

Abraço

Abraço is located in the East Village and is a delightfully cute Portuguese-style cafe. The vibes are immaculate: on vinyl records, they are constantly rotating between jazz and soul music, the lighting is inviting, and people are not allowed to use laptops.  The espresso is excellent and they only serve whole milk and whipped cream (sorry to my dairy alternative friends!) The pastry case is probably my favorite part of the cafe which is why Abraço receives an honorable mention for best coffee. 

Honey Moon Coffee Shop

Located in Ridgewood, Honey Moon is the perfect neighborhood cafe. In fact, it’s this shop that made me want to become a regular at a NYC institution instead of just vying to try all the spots on my list. The coffee is tasty and they tout a honey latte which is just perfect for an early morning stroll. It’s a big hard to get to if you don’t live in the neighborhood, but if you happen to be in Ridgewood I highly recommend you stop by. 

Cafe Amrita

Cafe Amrita holds a special place in my heart: at 7 am during the 2023 Women’s World Cup, they were the only cafe that was able to put on matches while I sipped my morning coffee and had a breakfast sandwich. The coffee is excellent here. Reminiscent of an Italian cafe/bar, Cafe Amrita starts its day with morning service and transitions to happy hour promptly at 4 pm. Located on the top-left corner of Central Park, it is a perfect destination to start your walk to the park or to end your day after work. Below you can see the 7am action live!