2025’s New York City is a skyline of coffee abundance. Good coffee, sourced and prepared with care, is an expectation here, with residents of more and more neighborhoods spoiled for choice. Multi-roaster cafes are a thing again in full force—meaning coffee lovers can sample exceptional offerings roasted both around the boroughs and around the world, all without even leaving their borough of choice. The pastry game has been elevated as well—you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a cardamom bun in the city these days, which is great news for everyone, except the dead cat.
Our 2025 NYC Coffee Guides series has stopped thus far in Lower Manhattan and North Brooklyn, and today we’re visiting the largest borough of them all: Queens.
Honey Moon
Ridgewood
Snuck into an unpretentious former bodega space in sleepy-yet-booming Ridgewood, Honey Moon Coffee is the platonic ideal of a hip New York coffee shop—cooler than Brooklyn, because Ridgewood is just that. Part cafe, part record shop, and part bookstore, Honey Moon hits the sweet spot of boasting all the cool ingredients without feeling alienating or snobbish at all within its doors. You want a great drip coffee and to smoke quietly on a front patio chair? You got it. You want an espresso and a copy of the remastered Marquee Moon? No problem. Books here—a mix of new and used—are curated on a rotating basis by partners at Molasses Books, and the LPs are top tier, too (the cafe also hosts live music on select evenings). Honey Moon roasts its own coffee, with a focus on balanced blends in joyful packaging that suits the mood of this cheery, welcoming space. Need a treat? The pastries are curated thoughtfully, with a rotation of local bakeries changing seasonally to keep things interesting.
Kinship
Astoria
Queens is a borough of neighborhoods, and population-dense Astoria is a neighborhood blessed with its own local chain of cafes in Kinship. A true mom-and-pop, Kinship was founded in 2014 and is owned by longtime Astoria couple Stanley Rivera and Ashley Wood-Rivera, whose first location was actually in the same building they once rented an apartment. Kinship has been roasting its own coffee since 2020—also in Astoria—and that’s a huge part of what brings the cafe the positive community energy and quality that has earned them a following. We like the Steinway location for its welcoming round table, great people-watching from a reclaimed-wood bar at the window, and the organic feel of a funky cheese-wedge-shaped space. Seasonal menus offer novelty to your coffee experience—like a winter-themed espresso tonic with cranberry and orange, served iced. Classic pastries drop in from Balthazar Bakery along with cookies from The Good Batch. No outdoor seating.
Melting Cups
Sunnyside
The neighboring communities of Sunnyside and Woodside are home to Melting Cups, a wonderful new addition just steps from Queens Boulevard. This Black-owned coffee spot is a cozy oasis—grab a cup of Sey Coffee and a pastry and slip into the laptop-free, velvety back lounge for a chat with friends or some quality time with your book or crossword. (There are also a few places to post up with your computer up front if you need that.) Wine and beer are available in the evening hours, and there are a couple of small outdoor tables in front for those who prefer to take fresh air.
Sweetleaf
Long Island City The O.G. location of Long Island City based mini-chain Sweetleaf is still iconic and lovable, more than 15 years into its tenure in this wacky-angled space at the foot of the Pulaski Bridge. Find here a series of rooms with architectural-salvage-chic brewing potent coffees with a gritty city vibe—think AC/DC, not Sufjan Stevens. The company roasts its own these days, as well as does its own baking, which means an abundantly stocked pastry case with plenty of hearty-sized GF and vegan options.
The cafe itself? Choose your fighter—the tiny laptop-sanctioned zone off to the side of the entry provides a convenient place to work while fueling, while the main bar area has tables for the more social set. There’s a long bench along the storefront for outdoor coffee enjoyment, and in the wayback, find the record room, where you’re welcome to spin some sides while enjoying your coffee beverage. Grab a bottle of the popular house chicory cold brew concentrate, Rocket Fuel, on your way out the door.
Variety Coffee
Ridgewood
Variety Coffee‘s Ridgewood outpost is a retro revelation, eliciting an actual gasp from this coffee writer at her first glimpse. You’ll find no succulents and white subway tile here—instead, this always-stylish chain (based in Brooklyn) has recreated the brilliant, neon-rimmed decor of a classic diner, right down to the quilted stainless steel walls behind the bar. Variety’s reputation as a top-notch local roaster is held up high here, with quality espresso and batch-brew options. Pastries by Colson (don’t sleep on the teddy-bear-shaped financier, especially if you’re seven.) Cute outdoor tables along either side of the triangular-shaped cafe make for nice people-watching and fresh air.
Other notables:
In recent years, Queens (especially the Brooklyn-and-Manhattan-adjacent Long Island City neighborhood) has become a roasting destination for many local coffee companies, naming Ninth Street Espresso, Joe Coffee Company, Coffee Project New York, and Gregorys all among those who’ve moved their roasting operations here alongside public-facing cafes. You’ll find heaps of coffee in this part of the borough, each of which has made a unique space out of the mixed-industrial architecture here. Queens has long been the most exciting borough to carouse for diverse food options—nowadays, it’s a good place to get coffee, too.
Liz Clayton is the associate editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Liz Clayton on Sprudge.
Images by Liz Clayton
