There’s lots to love about this story: a multi-roaster cafe in East Williamsburg named for an adorable cat. What’s not to like? With some killer pro gear and dedication to serving cool coffee roasted near and far, this is one to watch for Brooklyn’s world-renowned indie cafe scene. Let’s visit Three Legged Cat!
The 2024 Build-Outs of Coffee is presented by Ceado and Dona. The 2024 Build-outs of Coffee is sponsored by Pacific Barista Series, La Marzocco, and Ghirardelli.
As told to Sprudge by Adelaide Cope.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
Three Legged Cat (stylized as three legged cat) is a new, small multi-roaster in industrial East Williamsburg, off of Grand St. L stop. Its two founders are Leeor Waisbrod and Adelaide Cope, best friends who met a few years ago while working in coffee on the Jersey Shore. The shop’s namesake is a real three-legged cat called Pirate, who Leeor adopted in 2018.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
According to the neighbors, our 900-square-foot space was once an upholstery shop. Since then it’s been used as a warehouse or vacant until we took over in February 2024. Our concept for the build is very barista-forward: our bar is the centerpiece of the shop. The espresso machine looks out over a living room style seating area that provides a comfy contrast to the overall industrial vibe. Passersby will look in our big front window and see the barista running bar and customers working or relaxing on the couch. In the back we’ll have a big communal table and smaller tables and benches will line the wall opposite the bar. We’ll seat 20+ in a combination of comfortable and work-friendly furniture. Three Legged Cat is designed to be a welcoming, accommodating community space with something for everyone.
What’s your approach to coffee?
We take an ever-learning approach to coffee. We love how much there is to discover about the world, geography, culture, chemistry, community, and more, through coffee. Brewing excellent coffee is our priority, and we get very excited about gear and technique. But we also try not to take ourselves too seriously! At the end of the day we’re a couple of friends who love to make coffee together, and we’re gonna have as much fun as we can while we’re at it. We aim to be a welcoming environment both the coffee nerd and the casual drinker. Whatever your relationship with coffee, we hope you’ll find some joy in our space.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
Our espresso machine is a La Marzocco Strada that’s been retrofitted with conical valves. We’re super excited to use its flow control capabilities. We also have a Decent espresso machine that we take with us to pop-up events. It will live on the bar too when not otherwise in use and might help us with sprovers and other fun experiments.
Our house roaster is Onyx, and their Geometry blend will always be available for espresso and drip. We’ll also have a rotation of other featured roasters. Our first lineup includes Loveless Coffees, DAK Coffee Roasters, and Obscure—a local nano-roaster. These coffees will be available for espresso and on our pour over bar, which is equipped with V60 and AeroPress.
How is your project considering sustainability?
Three Legged Cat’s mission is to contribute to a sustainable coffee industry. From farmers to baristas, we believe that centering worker livelihood is the key to sustainability environmentally, economically, and culturally. Three Legged Cat chooses roasters that are transparent about their relationships with farmers and the prices they pay for green coffee. We also plan to expand our staff through worker-ownership. Three Legged Cat team members will all earn a living wage and a piece of the business.
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
Early June! June 1st if everything goes exactly to plan. (And we all know how that goes ;))
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
So as not to embarrass him horribly, I’ll refrain from gushing about my cofounder Leeor too much, but he certainly deserves a nod in the creative category. He used his background in architecture to design and create beautiful 3D renderings of our space. He’s something of a jack-of-all-trades, pulling from his experience in multiple fields to cover all of our bases.
Thank you!
Thanks so much!
The 2024 Build-Outs of Coffee is presented by Ceado and Dona. The 2024 Build-outs of Coffee is sponsored by Pacific Barista Series, La Marzocco, and Ghirardelli.
