15 Coffee Shops In NYC Where You Can Actually Find Seats

In the wise words of Jackie Chan who once said “Coffee is a language in itself,” most of us caffeine-addicts would agree, but that language can usually be expressed with frustration if there is no place to sit and relax with your cup of joe. With the limited space in a dense city, most New York coffee shops cannot accommodate extra space to lounge. But don’t give up or take that coffee to go. Here are 15 coffee shops in New York where you can actually find seats and enjoy your java in peace.

pushcart coffee

Courtesy of Jeffrey Zeldman/Flickr.com

1. Pushcart Coffee

This rustic cafe with a modern touch is a great place to get fresh coffee or baked goods. With two locations in Grammercy and Chelsea, caffeine aficionados in the area can easily flock to the cafe and take a short break over an iced latte.

stumptown coffee

Courtesy of Alper Cugun/Flickr.com

2. Stumptown Coffee at Ace Hotel

While there are two Stumptown coffee cafes in Manhattan, it is highly recommended to visit the Flatiron location to nab comfy seats. Conveniently located inside the trendy Ace Hotel, the shop itself has very little seating, but the hotel’s large lobby is available for Stumptown’s customers. You can relax on cushioned leather chairs while admiring the hotel’s unique collection of taxidermied creatures.

cafe grumpy

Courtesy of Stab at SleepITallahassee/Flickr.com

3. Cafe Grumpy

Despite its grumpy mascot of a grouchy face, this cafe is known as a relaxing haven for coffee heads. With its reputable friendly service, plenty of tables, chairs and an extra patio room on warm days. Cafe Grumpy will do everything they can to make your visit an enjoyable one. Even if it means they have to draw foam swans on your cappuccino.

brooklyn roasting company

Courtesy of Kristina D.C. Hoeppner/Flickr.com

4. Brooklyn Roasting Company

Located in DUMBO, this spacious coffee shop has a laid back atmosphere to try your hand at international java. So bring your laptop or a book and order the Sumatra roast or the chocolate covered Bali-Hoo.

la colombe

Courtesy of Alper Cugun/Flickr.com

5. La Colombe

With several locations scattered throughout Manhattan, La Colombe’s stores offer plenty of seating. This cafe offers multiple blends from nutty to chocolate to smoky to velvety sweet flavors that will cater to your mood. While you’re sipping on your drink, you can admire their beautiful Colombian mosaic mugs.

housing works

Courtesy of All-Nite Images/Flickr.com

6. Housing Works Bookstore Cafe

Hidden in an enclosed fashionable Soho street, this bookstore provides a small coffee cafe inside with tons of available seating. The cozy vibe with Jeffersonian bookshelves and exposed beams is perfect for any bookworm with a craving for coffee beans.

kaffe 1668

Courtesy of Kim Ahlstrom/Flickr.com

7. Kaffe 1668

The three locations with urban-rustic decor (two in Tribeca and one in Midtown) offer a wide array of decorated foam lattes. Oh, and of course — enough seats to accommodate most people.

8. Nespresso Boutique Bar

If an upscale environment is your thing and you have extra cash to spare, head over to the Nespresso Boutique Bar to luxuriate over fine Swiss coffee while the waitstaff tends to you. Set up like a five-star restaurant, you’ll never experience a more lavish coffee setting than enjoying your exquisite leigois while scanning the room for a possible celebrity sighting.

12 corners

Courtesy of Wikimedia.org

9. 12 Corners

Enjoy their iconic green tea latte when paying a visit to this charming spot in Chinatown. If the buzz in Chinatown is too much, just step into this oasis and sit by the window with your Cuban mojo and watch the world pass you by.

berkli parc

Courtesy of Benny Wong/Flickr.com

10. Berkli Parc Cafe

Situated in the heart of the Lower East Side, this corner-cafe is the perfect place to hole up on a cold winter night with a hot brewed coffee steaming onto your face. You’ll also enjoy the wide variety of pastry goods to go with your java. It doesn’t hurt to try out their organic sandwiches or gourmet breakfast oatmeals.

Ninth Street Espresso

Courtesy of Anders Carlsson/Flickr.com

11. Ninth Street Espresso

When you’re in the mood for a quiet lazy afternoon with an ice cold latte in a mason jar, you should trot down to Ninth Street Espresso. You’ll never want to leave this haven once you get comfortable.

12. Sweetleaf

Queens, too has its fair share of comfy and spacious coffee cafes, and Sweetleaf is the perfect example of that. Like a hidden hipster mecca (although you’d never expect it in Queens), this cafe offers plenty of tables and seats for customers to take advantage of the free WiFi and savor every sip of your coffee while admiring their 1920s-era speakeasy ambiance.

Bourbon Coffee

Courtesy of Project Latte/Flickr.com

13. Bourbon Coffee

New York is home to Bourbon Coffee, a somewhat corporate-looking layout coffee shop with enough seats to please everybody. So if you’re tired of Starbucks but wanted to try out a smaller franchise, Bourbon Coffee is your answer.

toby's estate coffee

Courtesy of John Gillespie/Flickr.com

14. Toby’s Estate Coffee

Nothing gives you a more bohemian-slash-hipster vibe than hanging out at Toby’s, wearing your second-hand clothing and vegan leather boots while sipping on a soy latte. You can also bask in the sunshine (a rarity in New York) through their garage-sized windows and reminisce about today’s ironies.

15. Birch Coffee

This cafe has several locations in Manhattan. And the shop feels like an old factory renovated into a cafe, made to accommodate your eclectic feng shui. Oh, and be sure to sample the cafe’s most popular drink — the cortados (which is to die for).

Want to discover the finer side of Africa? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.


Leave a Comment