I love coffee. College made me weirdly obsessed with coffee, something that I had given little thought to previously. My favorite place to park myself is a cozy little café with an iced coffee or foamy latte. This summer, I made it a goal to go to as many different coffee shops that I possibly could (that are not Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts). I have mainly went to coffee shops within a walkable distance of where we are living or a green 6 subway ride away, but it has been really fun to try out so many different coffee shops around the city. I decided to rate each coffee shop and get the same drink (for the most part), an iced coffee with milk, at every shop to compare the coffees. I have found so many cute places so far. The abundance of coffee shops is honestly one of my favorite things about NYC.

My Ranking System

I am ranking my Overall Experience at each coffee shop based on Coffee Quality and Taste, Price, Sitting Area and Environment, and Customer Service and Amenities. I will rank each 1-5 (with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best).

Note: These are my personal experiences and I am not sponsored by any of these coffee shops!

NYC Coffee Shops

Birch UUES

Birch Coffee has delicious coffee. This is a small little shop of Birch that has a beautiful wooden table and huge windows that open up with the weather is nice. I loved visiting this Birch. One thing that is different about Birch is that there is no internet at their cafes (to facilitate human interaction). It’s a nice place to work, but not if you need internet for your laptop. The environment, however is super welcoming and pleasant.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★

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Birch UWS

This Birch Coffee shop has the qualities of the previous shop, however is much larger and has much more room for seating. There are many seats around the area. Also the seats are quality wood and leather chairs that make sitting to study really comfortable. Additionally, the cold brew is on tap at the counter. Another thing about Birch that is different than some other coffee shops is that they put milk in your iced coffee for you (rather than being able to pour your own amount). There is also a free bathroom at this location. Regardless, I found this location to be a really nice place to study.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★

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Birch Harlem

Birch Harlem has similar qualities to the other Birch counterparts that I have visited. This location is smaller than the UWS Birch, but larger than the UUES Birch. It is a little bit out of the way, but it was not crowded at all (and therefore easy to get a seat).

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★

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DTUT

This coffee shop is one of my favorites in this part of town. It is a coffee shop during the day and in the evening turns into a restaurant and bar that has unique dishes (like smore’s platters). There is free wifi and free bathrooms. There are beautiful wooden tables to work at, comfy couches, and plenty of seating. During the day they play TV shows like The Office on the wall. It is a really fun and unique coffee shop to work at.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★

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Frenchy Coffee

Frenchy Coffee is a really cute coffee shop that I really enjoy going to. They have delicious coffee (serving Partners coffee-a NYC roastery), with the most reasonable prices of any coffee shop I’ve been to in the city. They also have delicious homemade pastries. They have free wifi, books to read, and free restrooms. There are several tables and couch, and is not usually too busy. The people that work here are so kind. I really enjoy studying and working here.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★

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Variety Coffee Roasters

This is a quality coffee shop. This is perhaps the most elegant coffee shop that I am reviewing here. Fancy cushioned seating, polished wooden tables, geometric tiling, marble throughout the room, and gold film on the windows. Even though there were fewer choices, the coffee was tasty and there was free ice waters as well. There is a free bathroom. One downside to this location is that even though there are many seats, it is very busy and it can be difficult to find a seat or a seat with much space to work.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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Joe Coffee UWS

I don’t have too much to say about this location of Joe coffee, because all I remember is spilling iced coffee all over me, soaking my pants haha. I do remember that it was a small little location with limited seating, but the employees were really kind.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★

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Perk Kafe

Luca and I went to this coffee shop together one weekend we both needed to study. It is a small coffee shop, but super cute. Geometric tiles line the floors and there are many house plants around the area making it feel very homey. In addition to the usual coffee, I had a chocolate croissant which was delicious. There were many open seats for studying. There was free bathroom and free wifi. It is a fantastic location to study.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★

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Little Bean Harlem

This coffee shop was a happy little surprise with beautiful blue tiling and local art everywhere. The coffee was good and there were two cold brew choices. It was cheap. There were many open seats as it’s not nearly as busy as downtown coffee shops. There was not a free restroom. Regardless though, it was a nice place to spend the afternoon working.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★

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Irving Farm UES

Irving Farm is a chain around the city. There was lots of seating. The coffee was good, with the cold brew being on tap. In addition they had a full menu with many food choices. The staff was nice. It was a little pricier, but worth it.  (As a bonus there’s a cute mural right around the corner).

2021 update: Irving Farm UES is now permanently closed, but there are several other Irving Farm shops around the city.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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Double Dutch Espresso

This is farthest up I have been in Harlem for a coffee shop. I was so happy to find this gem of a coffee shop when I was up in the area for reasons other than coffee-shop-hunting. Coffee-quality-wise, I think that it is the best coffee I have had all summer long. There is a good bit of sitting and nice wooden tables. There is a free bathroom. It is a nice working environment.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★

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The Grey Dog

This coffee shop is from a different area of town than most of the coffee shops that I am usually going to. It was very cozy with an explosion of decorations. I particularly loved the American flag covering the top of the ceiling with twinkle lights. This location has a full menu in addition to coffee. There were many seats and a free bathroom. The coffee had a “here” option being served in a real glass (rather than plastic cups) which was nice). You cannot pour your own milk in your coffee. However it was a nice place to work, but would be a great place to come with friends for brunch. Bonus: It’s in an adorable part of town with bookstores everywhere.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★

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Felix Roasting Company

This is by far the most luxurious coffee shop that I visited in my time in NYC. The walls are covered in floral wall paper above velvet benches and marble tables. Sitting is pretty limited though, especially since this is a popular place. The cold brew comes in a beautiful cup and there are FIVE different types of milk ON TAP. There was also free natural and sparkling water on tap. It was super fun to get coffee here.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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Maman Flatiron

I had been fantasizing of visiting this dreamy coffee shop all summer and finally in the last week I went after perusing through the flower district early in the morning. It is a very cute and artsy café, serving everything in cute blue-white china. It is decorated nicely and is a very cozy place to have coffee. There is a good bit of seating including a large communal table. There is also a brunch food menu in addition to the coffee offerings. I enjoyed having coffee in this quaint coffee shop.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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Brooklyn Roasting Company Dumbo

This location of Brooklyn Roasting Company is HUGE. There are plenty of places to sit and work. There is free wifi. The coffee was good and there were many choices of milk. The place has a nice aesthetic and many interesting coffee choices. On the weekends they even give coffee classes.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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Jack’s Stir Brew Seaport

We stepped into Jack’s Stir Brew to hide from a rain shower in the afternoon. This location was small and cozy, but the coffee was delicious. There is a not a huge amount of seating, but it is a cute place to drink some coffee near Pier 17.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★

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Partners Coffee Williamsburg

Partners Coffee is a Brooklyn-based coffee roaster that many coffee shops around NYC use their coffee, but they also have some storefronts as well. This is their primary location in Williamsburg and it is beautiful. It has a very open layout with many places to sit. It has a very hipster vibe. One entire wall is windows, filling the room with natural light. There is free wifi and a free restroom here. There is a choice of different cold brews here. Their coffee alone is delicious, with different types of roasts and blends based on different areas of NYC.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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Blue Bottle Williamsburg

We went here on our last full day in the city and I was happily surprised. The space was large and filled with light, with very minimalistic furniture and decoration. The coffee was really good. There were multiple types of cold brew coffee to try, which I like all of the choices. Luca tried a cold brew infiltrated with tonic water and he really liked it as well. There were free restrooms and a good bit of seating. I enjoyed this coffee shop as it had a much more “modern coffee shop” vibe.

Overall Experience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Final Thoughts

I loved visiting so many different coffee shops. I am pretty sure it would be impossible to go to all of the amazing coffee shops the city has to offer, but I am happy to have found so many in just one summer. Special thanks to Luca for going to coffee shops with me on the weekends and to our friend from Italy for letting me drag him to too many coffee shops on his NYC vacation.

Know any more coffee shops in NYC you think I should try? Let me know in the comments below!