It has never been a better time to be a coffee lover in Lower Manhattan. There are dozens of places to get a latte or cold brew, so much so that you don’t have to walk more than a few blocks in any direction without being able to get another cup. Our coffee shops suit all sorts of moods, from buzzy to chill to downright futuristic. They can serve as meeting spots, double as flower shops, take you from day-to-night and fill stately old bank buildings. And, crucially, they’ll always keep you caffeinated. We’ll help you navigate some of the options in this vibes-based guide to our local spots — plus, we put together a handy map at the bottom of this post to aid you in your coffee-seeking journey
Note that this is just a slice of what you’ll find downtown. For a more comprehensive collection of caffeine joints, check out our Shop Dine Guide.
For when you’re fresh in from sea…
T. Cafe, 96 South St., at the Tin Building
The Tin Building’s in-house coffee shop is the perfect stop when coming in from the sea (or just looking at the boats. It’s known for creative pastries, like the delectable French onion croissant, as well as its big, bright windows that keep the space beautifully lit.
For futuristic coffee on the go…
Voyager Espresso, 110 William St. (enter via the John Street subway entrance)
This coffee shop in a subway tunnel might feel more at home as a science lab on a space station. But many flock here for its Australian-style espresso and single-origin cold brew served in a beaker glass. Need more proof of Voyager’s science-geek bonafides? The cafe’s name is inspired by famed astronomer Carl Sagan.
For a vintage working spot…
Variety Coffee, 140 Nassau St.
Variety Coffee started in Williamsburg and now has locations all over the city, including this Nassau Street outpost. The cafe’s wood panelling gives it an old-fashioned coffee counter vibe, and it’s old-fashioned in another way, too: the shop has plenty of room and seats for laptop-wielders to plop down and knock out a few hours of work. (Just be sure to order once an hour and tip your barista!)
For a sit-down meal with a coffee…
Suited, 45 John St.
Some coffee shops work fine with a grab-and-go snack stand, but sometimes you need to put some real food in your body to absorb all the caffeine. Suited has a number of comfortable tables to sit at and delicious meals to try, like the ricotta pancakes or fried chicken sandwich, making it an ideal spot if you’re looking to pair your java with a full lunch.
For a sit-down dessert with a coffee…
Laughing Man Coffee Company, 184 Duane St.
Why settle for a single cookie with your coffee when you can have a whole cookie skillet? Located just outside our district, Laughing Man’s food menu is diverse and deep, offering everything from breakfast pizzas to flank steak sandwiches. But the dessert menu might have you lingering even longer, with a coffee-friendly M&M cookie skillet and an order of smores dip on the docket.
For a latte and a bouquet…
Remi Flower & Coffee, 130 William St.
The perfect spot for fans of good drinks and even better blooms, this William Street spot is part-coffee shop and part-florist, with gorgeous flowers and plants available alongside delectable lattes and espressos. You can get a coffee-and-bouquet special to-go or just sit and sip your drink amid the greenery inside.
For drinks that please the eyes and the appetite …
No Plates Coffee, 12 John St.
Plates are indeed not necessary at this grab-and-go cafe, but all the action is in the drinks, anyway. The cafe’s unique can-shaped drink cups showcase the colorful layering of its lattes, making the experience a real feast for the eyes and palate — and you can’t go wrong with adding a rich tiramisu to your order.
For a full breakfast before work…
Regular, 19 Rector St.
Some days you simply don’t want to make breakfast but you must get out of the house anyway. Days like that call for a full breakfast at Regular, which is open at 7:30 a.m. to serve hearty dishes to start the day, like the breakfast reuben and cinnamon French toast.
For Martha Stewart-approved treats…
Petite Maman, 210 Murray St.
This petite Rockefeller Park cafe is blessed by Martha Stewart. The craft-and-kitchen queen herself partnered with the Maman brand for a line of pastries, including rum butter bundt cake, a caramel cream sugar bun and a harvest tart featuring squash, carrots and herbs.
For coffee in handmade ceramics…
MCM Coffee, 88 Fulton St.
When you’re looking for something more fun to drink out of than the classic Mr. Autumn Man to-go coffee cup, MCM is the place to go. The cozy shop doubles as a ceramics showroom, which means you can get your drink in a handmade mug or buy one to take home. A trip to MCM is also a great chance to grab a few alfajores, which are traditional Uruguayan/Argentinian pastries.
For creative latte flavors…
Matto Espresso, 37 John St.
This local chain with outposts all over Manhattan has earned some serious fans because of its inventive and fun latte flavor combinations, such as iced banana date latte, pumpkin spice shaken espresso and strawberry matcha lattes. Pair your drink with a bureka or two to really power up your coffee break.
For coffee with free chocolates on the side…
Manon Coffee, 120 Broadway
All you need to know about this tasty little spot is that all coffees and hot beverages are served with a complimentary Leonidas Belgian chocolate. Manonis attached to a Leonidas chocolate shop, hence the access to tons of indulgent chocolate treats. Stop by for a caffeine AND sugar fix, and maybe pick up some extra treats from Leonidas, too.
For a quick meeting…
La Colombe Coffee Workshop, 67 Wall St.
La Colombe is known for its tasty coffee beans, and its Wall Street location makes for a great spot for a quick meeting. The coffee counter churns out drinks, with a few tables that make for a great place to have a quick confab in a business or personal meeting.
For a hygge hug…
Kaffe Landskap, 401 Greenwich St.
The Danish culture of hygge encourages leaning into extreme coziness and comfort during the cold season — something we could all learn to embrace as the days get shorter and the weather chillier. The hygge vibe is on display at Kaffe Landskap, where the wood-lined walls filled with fuzzy stuffed decorations allow you to ease into a menu of pour-over coffees, toasts and Swedish pancakes.
For a coffee and a slice…
Inattesso Cafe, 38 West St.
Inattesso is known mostly for its neighboring namesake pizza shop, but this small cafe has been serving the neighborhood since 2008. It provides quick breakfast sandwiches, lunch panini and, of course, specialty pizza by the slice along with La Colombe coffee.
For a bite of Queens…
For Five Cafe, Brookfield Place
For Five brings a taste of the World’s Borough to Lower Manhattan. Founded in 2010 by two best friends from Queens, the company runs a micro-roasting facility in Maspeth, so you know it’s a true child of the borough. The cafe’s menu is stocked with espresso drinks and pastries, making it a perfect pit stop when passing through Brookfield Place.
For vintage Wall Street elegance…
Conwell Coffee Hall, 6 Hanover St.
Quite possibly the prettiest cafe in the whole city, Conwell Coffee Hall is a coffee shop, eatery and cocktail bar located in a historic banking hall. In addition to great coffees, dishes and drinks, Conwell boasts a glorious old-world glamor, with the bar at the teller windows, elegant lighting and antique floors. Plus, there are a number of roomy tables to sit down and get work done, like a banker of yore.
For a taste of Brazil…
Cafe Patoro, 223 Front St.
Brazil makes its way to downtown New York at Patoro, where you can caff up with a selection of pão de queijo — Brazilian gluten-free cheese breads that come in an array of flavors. There are also plenty of unique sandwiches, crepes, cakes, truffles, coffee and even more delicious foods to enjoy here, including rich and gooey Brazilian brigadeiro.
For cosplaying like the characters on “Girls”…
Cafe Grumpy, 20 Stone St.
Cafe Grumpy started as a single coffee shop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, earning a boost of fame after being featured on HBO’s very 2010s show “Girls.” Now, the decade is having a renaissance, and so can you. Though Grumpy has grown into a fairly large company, the Lower Manhattan outpost maintains some of the original Greenpoint vibe, with tables and cozy nooks available for you to post up and work on your screenplay.
For tongue-tingling Persian delights…
Cafe Rumi, 30 New St.
The small cafe is the place to go to find Persian-inspired flavors, like saffron lattes and masala chai. Its snack menu features a few culturally inspired options as well, including a particularly delicious black pepper twist pastry.
For pour-over patience…
Bean & Bean Coffee, 71 Broadway
This sleek cafe run by a mother-daughter team, specializes in eco-friendly pour-overs. Though Bean & Bean has added multiple retail locations since the Broadway flagship debuted in 2008, the downtown spot is still extra special, and with a significant selection of single-origin pour-over beans to choose from, you’ll want to take your time savoring each sip of coffee here.
For a breakfast date…
Ateaz Cafe, 71 Greenwich St.
When dry bagels and pre-made sandwiches don’t cut it, head to Ateaz for much more elaborate options for your morning breakfast. The menu includes s’more waffles, Nutella French toast, grilled cheese and much more.
For sitting and reading something other than your phone…
Kinship Coffee, 106 South St.
Kinship is the kind of coffee shop that invites you to actually read a book, not just stare at the little screen in your pocket. The downtown outpost of this local mini-chain opened in September, encouraging literary types of all stripes to post up with their latest purchases from nearby McNally Jackson at tables surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows.
For a comfy seat…
787 Coffee, 66 Pearl St.
It seems like a recent trend in coffee shops is to outfit the space with a sleek counter for to-go espresso — with barely anywhere to sit. The folks at 787 buck that trend, offering plenty of seating room for you to enjoy a roast from Puerto Rico. Be sure to try their signature coquito latte, which you can upgrade with an added shot of rum.
For Malcolm Gladwell fans…
10000 Coffee, 14 Wall St.
This Australian brand name is a riff on the famous hours principle proposed by professional thinker Malcolm Gladwell — he claimed the key to mastering any skill is to work at it for 10,000 hours. See for yourself if this shop mastered the coffee skill, and celebrate its hard work with a castella pastry.
For Ukrainian-born coffee…
Simpl Coffee, 59 Nassau St.
Two Ukraine natives opened this shop in 2023 (read more of their story here) to bring simple coffee and pastries to the busy Nassau Street corridor. The casual cafe is a great place to fuel up before shopping the area’s many businesses and restaurants.
For well-educated roasters…
Coffee Project, 135 John St.
The Coffee Project not only serves pour-over and classic coffee brews, it also trains coffee enthusiasts on making their own. The company hosts regular classes on basic barista skills, coffee bean expertise and even lessons on how to start your own coffee business.
For the Chinese Starbucks…
Luckin Coffee, 100 Maiden Ln.; 102 Fulton St.
Luckin is a massive chain in China, with more locations over there than Starbucks has in the United States. Like the Seattle-born chain, it carries signature lattes, fruity Americanos and other fun drinks, and with two outposts in Lower Manhattan, it’s on its way to being a massive hit in the States. Plus, as an added bonus, Luckin makes buying a coffee extra fun by running most of its orders through an addictive, game-like app.
For a hearty lunch to go…
Blue Spoon Coffee, 90 William St.
Blue Spoon first started selling Intelligentsia Coffee at the corner of Platt Street in 2005, and has since become a downtown institution. The cafe’s menu has a vast selection, with paninis, soups, salads, scones, bagels, egg sandwiches and more — and the chocolate chip cookies are to die for.
For bright lights and big coffee…
Black Fox, 70 Pine St.
The Lower Manhattan outpost of Black Fox is bright and spacious, with lots of room for working or having a coffee meeting. Drinks go beyond typical coffee fare, dipping into the realm of espresso spritzes and sesame chai.
For coffee by day and cocktails by night…
Split Eights, 40 Exchange Pl.
The split in Split Eights comes in two ways: the space itself is split-level, and the vibe splits between coffee during work hours and cocktails when evening hits.
For your viennoiserie needs…
Cafe Jalu, 1 Wall St.
Cafe Jalu is located inside Printemps New York, and it feels like an escape from the city (or country) altogether. It’s an all-day cafe and a viennoiserie, the word for a place that makes bready pastries, like croissants and brioche. Fuel up with a latte or Haitian iced chocolate and a pastry, or enjoy a fresh-pressed juice for extra nutrients — we’re big fans of the Sunset juice, made with pineapple, ginger, carrot and orange.
Check out all the neighborhood’s coffee shops on our map below:
main image: Bean & Bean Coffee
