I’ve lived in New York City my entire life, and sometimes what they say about New Yorkers are true: we do love a great cup of coffee. This bustling, fast-paced city is full of quiet and peaceful escapes in the form of unique coffee shops. Good lighting, the smell of roasting coffee brewing in the air, marble or wooden tabletops, voices of people as white noise in the background… Coffee shops are definitely my favorite places to get buried in a good book.
I spend a decent amount of time in these cafes, searching the menus for different types of coffee to satisfy my caffeine needs, but even more importantly: I look for great places to get stationed for a few hours with a good book. Sometimes getting a seat at a local coffee shop requires a little bit of a mad dash, but a fortunate aspect of living in such a big city: there are tons of coffee shops within walking distance of each other! Whether you’re a coffee or tea drinker, these coffee shops have the best of the best coffee in New York, and if you’re not a coffee/ tea person, these stores are still great to get together with friends, do some people-watching or grab a yummy pastry. After all, it does seem like coffee shops are the best ways to catch New Yorkers escape the daily grind of work.
Here are some of my absolute favorite coffee shops to frequent: