Reader Recommendation: Our Favorite Coffee Shops

Coffee shops are the cornerstones of a metropolitan life, but not all coffee shops are the same. 

For me, I have coffee shops that require a perfectly distanced walk to wake me up alongside a cappuccino. I have a spot for decadent pastries like burnt cheesecake and drippy cinnamon buns, perfect to dig into once you’re home, and I have a spot for an incredible apple turnover that can be, if needed, devoured on the move with only flakes left to clean. One shop offers picnic basket deals for lunches outside, and one place is perfect for an all-day laptop grind.  

In a city where living quarters can be…let’s say, contained, a coffee shop is an extension of our lives. It’s our living room, our old-fashioned parlor, and our study.  

In winter, we crave getting out of our apartments and rosying our cheeks in the cold air—if there’s a warm destination in mind. Pair this with the buzz of catching up with a friend over the joyful combination of a smooth coffee and buttery pastry and you’ll forget that you miss life before daylight savings. These are the best cafes where you can ask “No, seriously, how are you?” without getting a stink eye from a headphone-wearing stranger. 

Brew Memories 

295 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215 (7th Ave & 7th St)

brewmemoriesbrooklyn@gmail.com | (347) 987-3954

Mon-Fri: 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sat & Sun: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

I debated sharing this recommendation, but ‘tis the season for generosity. Sometimes when I meet up with a friend, I’m caught in that place of being a little too hungry or a little too wired from my morning caffeine to want the typical cappuccino or croissant. Brew Memories brings a versatility to the coffee shop scene that is much needed. With Vietnamese coffee, bubble tea, or hot brown sugar matcha lattes, this place steps above your typical barista spread for a variety of moods and cravings. Sure, you can get a croissant, but why not double down and get a tofu banhmi, a chicken katsu bento box, or a fried chicken sandwich? On top of that, the inside space is extremely calming. With bare bulb light fixtures and brick walls covered in art, you and your friend will chat catch-up until you remember this is not, in fact, either of your living rooms. 

Kos Kaffe 

251 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215 (5th Ave & Garfield St) 

koskaffe@gmail.com | 718-768-6868

Mon-Sun: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Listen, I’m not coming down on anyone who brings their laptop to a coffee shop. The perfect coffee shops for sitting and working like there’s no world around you is for a different article. Kos Kaffe appreciates that their customers will be both the duo talking about their life over a nice meal and the avid laptop workers. And they make it work. Styled like a quaint general store and a European café, they implement laptop rules from noon to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday or 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekends. During these restricted hours, smaller tables perfect for a chatty duo can nest, and laptops move to a communal table. Everyone wins! On top of that, Kos Kaffe sources their food from local farms, orchards, and bakeries, so you can dig in sans guilt to the green frittata, green BLT, or the kale salad. The non-green food options are equally as guilt-free. 

Maya and Camila Café 

463 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215 (4th Ave & 11th St) 

(862) 465-9389

Mon-Sun: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Danny Salamanca, the owner of the café who named it after his daughters, planned this café for five years. Shortly after its opening, it experienced a fire in May and another electrical wiring setback in September, which put it back out of business. A local GoFundMe raising over $17,000 helped reopen this café, and their doors reopened in November. With the tagline “Columbia meets Brooklyn,” this spot feels incredibly warm and comfortable. Whether sitting barside or in a booth, this spot allows you to feel like you’re escaping in plain sight in the rare way that the best neighborhood haunts do. Whether you have a dog or a small child, a craving for empanadas or bacon-egg-and-cheese breakfast sandwiches, or can’t decide between espresso and espresso martini, this place will check all your boxes.  

Milk Bar 

204 6th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217 (6th Ave & Union St)

milkbarbrooklyn@gmail.com | (929) 276-3396

Mon-Fri: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sat & Sun: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m

The windows at the front of the store let in a great amount of light that lets you pretend you’re outside while hiding indoors. I’m not the only person who likes this space, so go earlier or later in the day to avoid a rush. It’s worth the schedule configuring to scoop one of those indoor tables. With no laptops allowed during the weekend, the Milk Bar on 6th Avenue encourages people to use the space to connect. Embrace the welcome, private hum of other conversations surrounding your rant about your roommates, life partner, or kids (depending on your lifestyle). Even better? Get the soup combo with the soup of the day and half a grilled cheese or French onion toast. What could be more delightful decadent than that level of escape in plain sight of the street.

Velvette Brew 

279 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215 (5th Ave & 1st St) 

(718) 971-9131

Mon-Sun: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Something all these cafes have in common for the right spot to catch up with a bud? Open spaces with lots and lots of seating. You don’t want to be that group that meets up at a spot, realizes after they bought the coffee that there’s nowhere to sit, then you’re wandering looking for something park-ish or bench-y to continue your chat in the cold. Velvette on 5th Avenue does it best. With plenty of tables along the wall (near outlets) and in the middle of the shop, people can find a space to hang out and chat any day. With another cozier shop opened at 814 Union Street, Velvette offers great coffee and small caprese or chorizo sandwiches. In the summer, they will have ice cream from Cry Babys Creamery to create a DIY affogato, if you so choose, but for now, embrace the indoor warmth and hefty sweater season of winter. Only the cold can make you remember how delicious a hot coffee can be.