Upper Manhattan—which for this guide we’re ambitiously categorizing as everything north of 14th Street—spans 10 miles of densely populated, apartment-filled and business-heavy blocks, and one very large park. Coffee is a necessity for nearly all who travel these concrete paths, but unique coffee experiences are more few and far between here than for the folks downtown. While we assure you there are plenty of places to get very good coffee uptown, for this guide we’re leaving out the outlets of the large and medium local chains (Joe, Variety, Gregory’s, Cafe Grumpy) to highlight some lesser-known spots worth schlepping that extra distance to. Read on!
There’s more great guides in this NYC series!Â
The Sprudge Guide to Coffee in Lower Manhattan
The Sprudge Guide to Coffee in North Brooklyn
The Sprudge Guide to Coffee in QueensÂ
The Sprudge Guide to Coffee in South Brooklyn
Culture Espresso
Midtown
What a gift it was when Culture Espresso first moved into the morass of chain stores and tourist traps in the Megabus-lined blocks around Penn Station lo those many years ago. Look to Culture for a break from the bustle with ornate wallpaper, warm lighting, and great coffee. Though their shops may have a Brooklyn feel, Culture is staunchly a midtown business for now, with three locations (two on 38th Street and this romantically appointed one on 36th) going strong. You can always pair your coffee with a fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie, served warm at all locations. This is the cafe you always felt you needed, even if you didn’t know.
Day Drinks/Pulley Collective
Chelsea/Meatpacking District
Don’t blink or you’ll miss Day Drinks, one of the city’s most unique coffee bars, a dimly lit storefront within the Chelsea Market‘s saturated foodscape tucked along West 15th Street. Operated in tandem with its sister business, Pulley Collective cafe (accessible separately inside the market hall proper), Day Drinks proffers a more limited menu of coffees but adds a sophisticated roster of spirits, alcoholic and nonalcoholic alike. Sample a chilled nitro espresso or espresso tonic, a matcha cocktail (the “Day Man”) with Pentire Seward botanical, or a fizzy dry-hopped tea on draft. For those seeking a more traditional coffee menu, the connected (but only to staff) Pulley Collective coffee bar on the inside fo the market features local coffees roasted at the Pulley Collective co-roasting space in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Find the usual suspects for coffee and tea drinks here, as well as a few fun additions like the cardamom latte or an iced butterfly pea tea.
Little Collins
Midtown East
Unpretentious, delicious, and friendly-service-focused Little Collins is the Midtown East cafe everyone can agree on. An Australian-founded coffee/food joint that’s moved around the neighborhood a little, its latest incarnation on Third Avenue has abundant seating and an even more robust kitchen than before. A longtime partner of Counter Culture Coffee for espresso-based staples, Little Collins these days features an admirable pourover menu, with guest coffees from roasters like Onyx Coffee Lab and Brooklyn’s Loveless. A U-shaped coffee bar anchors espresso (via Modbar), filter coffee, tea, and even booze service—though it seems like almost everyone in here is here to eat. Goggle at the brekkie menu, dotted with many sweet and eggy things as well as, of course, avo toast. (We’re partial to the broccoli breakfast burrito, and not just for the alliteration.) Lunch gets a bit heftier, but if you’re not in the mood for fried chicken just grab an Anzac biscuit and a piccolo latte and be off back into the bustle. Has restrooms, but no outdoor seating.
Plowshares
Manhattanville/West Harlem
Plowshares was once Morningside Heights’ best-kept coffee secret, and they opened a spacious second shop in West Harlem in 2019. The roaster’s Manhattanville shop expanded its focus to a space that’s able to welcome both coffee lovers and the greater community, making the most of their potential as a true “third space”. Step into the minimal concrete-and-wood space and peek into the broad window showcasing the roasting operations, or turn back towards Amsterdam Avenue where there’s space enough for both coffee enjoyment and the cafe’s now-regular live music performances. Whereas most fancy coffee shops in New York City find space at a premium, these guys have room for a piano in here! There’s a classic assortment of flaky pastries from Petit Chou to accompany the house roasted brews, tea from Bellocq, and a small craft beer and wine menu. Fully accessible space with restrooms, but no outdoor seating.
Rex
Hell’s Kitchen
If you’ve ever thought, “Where could I possibly get a nice coffee and something delicious to eat way over on 10th Avenue?” and then come across this friendly spot, you’ll know the joy Rex brings. A decidedly more second-wave-feeling cafe with a huge food menu and, let’s say “maximalist” decor (all mixed in with storage in a tiny little space) Rex has been serving quality coffees from Counter Culture since way back when, prepared on a sturdy La Marzocco Linea. Take in the truly varied pastry case (all goods baked in-house) while you queue for coffee, including but not at all limited to bomboloni, orange sponge cake, ube loaf, coconut bread, and heaps of GF options. There’s somehow a public restroom, and along with ten or so seats at communal tables inside, you’re welcome to post up on the bench out front.
St. Kilda
Hell’s Kitchen
Less is more at St. Kilda, an Aussie-founded chain of two wee cafes in Hell’s Kitchen, an area that deserves more hidden treasures like this. The newest St. Kilda on West 46th Street, opened in 2024, is barely bigger than a takeaway window, but still has seating for two or three indoors and, when weather permits, a couple of sidewalk tables. (Their first location, a subterranean nook on nearby 44th Street, is a little more cafe-sized if you need to linger longer.) The pink tables and green-tiled decor here is vibrant and fun, but not as vibrant and fun as the psychedelic packaging of their roasted beans, and of course the spectrums within the coffees themselves, which tend towards the fruity and vivid. Grab a quick coffee here and enjoy a cookie or pastry (from The Good Batch or Balthazar respectively) then be on your newly cheery way. No restroom.
Liz Clayton is the associate editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Liz Clayton on Sprudge.
