dina's ultimate guide to cafes in the city

i am on a mission to find the best coffee shops in nyc and this is my journey

charlotte café, 95th & broadway

i love love love this café. this is right off of the 96th stop on the 1, so getting there is very easy, even for someone as navigationally challenged as me. just get off at 95th and look to the right and it’s right there.

i actually came here once last year after reading a bwog post about it. there’s this outdoor seating area which the post mentioned as a good place to study, and it is definitely quieter, but i highly recommend getting a seat at one of the booths or study tables. i love people watching and listening in on conversations and this is a lovely place to do so. i have actually made a couple of friends because the seating is close enough to strike up a conversation without it being awkward, but if you want your own space, try to come early to grab your own circle table. the owners really love coldplay, 80s pop, and madison beer, which makes for a nice but intriguing soundtrack for doing homework.

now for the coffee itself (and service). my go to here is an iced double shot vanilla latte and i cannot rave enough about it. the espresso is so strong and smooth and the flavor shots are not too sweet. i’ve also tried a cappuccino from here and the latte art is adorable. the iced drinks come in a mason jar, which is my cup of choice, and it’s decently priced (around $6 with my extra shot and flavor, not bad). i do recommend getting it ‘for here’ though, because the to go cups have that embarrassing dome. also worth mentioning - the employees are so sweet, even when it gets busy. they call everyone ‘my dear’ and recognized me even on my second time coming in. i think they are all italian and i trust italians with my coffee.

this cafe also has a pretty nice assortment of pastries and baked goods, with my personal favorite being the ham and cheese croissant. i haven’t gotten the chance to try too many of the sweet ones, but the employees are very willing to give their recs, so don’t be scared to ask. the espresso is definitely the standout here though.

other things to keep in mind - free wifi (password ‘followme’), a nice bathroom, a fairly nice ambience that’s not too loud to concentrate. you’ll definitely find at least one columbia student here at any time of day, but there are enough locals that you can feel semi-removed from morningside.

overall: highly highly recommend if you are a coffee snob and want a place to get some light homework done.

pret, 115th and broadway

sigh. SIGH. i’m intimately familiar with this specific pret location because it’s such a prime spot for especially barnard first years. it was about 10 steps away from my dorm last year, so i was here quite a bit. it’s kind of a hike now though so i don’t find myself coming here so much.

the main selling point of pret is their subscription, which is $40 a month for up to 5 drinks a day. yes, you heard me right, 5 drinks a DAY. for that selling point alone, pret wins by far on price and utility. i’m spending at least $5 on a single drink anywhere else in manhattan. even better if you find someone else to split with, because it’s kind of impossible to actually go here that often every day.

i had a subscription most of last year, and honestly, convenience wise, this was a lifesaver. pret has a nice system set up because i think most of its patrons here are on the subscription as well. you can order ahead on the app automatically, with no payment on the spot, then walk in and pick up your drink on the counter. this really saved me during my 8ams. but if you get unlucky and the mobile orders are down, be prepared for a genuine war zone inside of this pret. the employees here are overworked and are absolutely at their limits. they will scream at you and the line will be out the door. i have witnessed truly evil customers here, so i’m not really blaming them, but don’t come here expecting to be friends with the baristas or anything.

but just to emphasize this point, the employees are genuinely very mean 99% of the time. i’ve come here at all hours of the day, sometimes when the store is still empty, and the employees do make me feel like i am burdening them by just being there. not saying i don’t understand because i also worked in retail, but like, it’s not my favorite feeling.

the coffee itself is.. nothing special. my go to here is an iced vanilla latte with almond milk and cinnamon powder, which has a nice warm flavor that kindaaa if i squint reminds me of an iced brown sugar shaken espresso from starbucks. but the coffee flavor itself is entirely masked by the syrups and the nondairy milk (the oat milk in particular has a very strong flavor). the sunshine teas (half tea, half lemonade) on the other hand, are the loves of my life. blueberry sunshine and pink guava are absolutely delicious and so refreshing when you get sick of the 5 coffees a day. they don’t have enough caffeine in them to give you any energy boost, but there’s certainly enough sugar for a rush.

i also need to give special attention to the pret food, which is actually very high quality, if a BIT expensive (the pricing is ridiculous - thank god for the 20% discount with the subscription because a croissant is like $9). highlights here - the cinammon ‘kouign amann’, chocolate croissant, and .. ham and cheese again. the savory/lunch items are not bad either and fairly healthy, but the pastries are the best here. just make sure you’re not paying full price.

as for the ambience.. i genuinely have no idea how people study here. it’s almost always packed, and the employees yell out the drink orders, so it’s very hard to focus. the seating is really not made for studying either - the wooden stools are small with no back support. honestly, just take your coffee to go and find a spot in milstein.

overall: recommend if you want a quick and cheap drink to go, and you drink a LOT of coffee. spend no more time here than necessary.