Six New Coffee Shops: Brooklyn Heights, Downtown, Fort Greene, Park Slope, East Flatbush
Brooklyn is buzzing with new coffee shops! BKLYNER visited three new cafés today where you can get your caffeine fix, sit and relax, and meet some super friendly baristas.
About Coffee, 187 State Street (between Boerum Place & Court Street), Downtown Brooklyn
Hours: 7am to 7pm Monday-Friday, 8am to 5pm weekends
“It has always been about coffee!” is the slogan at About Coffee. This charming, diminutive spot opened in June, said owner Hany Mohamed, who opened his first location on Sullivan Street in Soho about two and a half years ago.
A Bay Ridge resident, Mohamed was previously a partner of Absolute Coffee at 327 Atlantic Avenue and a manager at Bourbon Coffee in Union Square before that. He said he selected the State Street location for his second shop because it’s in one of his favorite neighborhoods, where he notes the café is “chill” in comparison to his outpost in Soho.
About Coffee uses custom blend Gimme! Coffee beans from Brazil, Peru, and Indonesia—a medium roast with a full body and notes of blackberry, fig, and a spicy finish. If you need something sweet to go with your joe, they also serve pastries from Bien Cuit, Du’s Donuts, and One Girl Cookies, as well as gluten-free treats from Sans Gluten Artisan Bakery.
Along with cold brew, espresso, Americanos, Cortados, cappuccinos, and lattes, customers can enjoy a selection of teas (Red Berries, Green Tea Mango, and Prairie Passion iced options) as well as the Caffe Cardamo, a mocha latte with a Mediterranean twist (think Turkish coffee with a hint of chocolate), either hot or iced.
Coffee Project New York, 78 Rockwell Place (between Lafayette Avenue & Fulton Street), Fort Greene
Hours: 7am to 5pm Monday-Friday, 8:30am to 5pm weekends
Opened last week, this sleek coffee shop is tucked away on a quiet street down the road from The Plaza at 300 Ashland. Chi Sum Ngai and Kaleena Teoh opened their first location in the East Village in 2015.
The 1,000-square-foot Brooklyn space features “advanced coffee brewing technology” including Steampunk and Ground Control machines that use vacuum technology to brew the coffee (and tea), extracting “delicate” notes. The shop also features a Slow Bar, a laptop-free counter serving pour over coffee for an interactive experience.
The pair work with a local roaster to roast their own beans at Pulley Collective in Red Hook. The café also serves pastries from Roberta’s as well as local greenmarkets.
Teoh says she and Ngai want to make work fun for their baristas, so each quarter they hold a challenge where staffers create a unique, signature drink, such as the Deconstructed Latte or Nitro Flight. The recent winner currently being featured is the Ginger Elixir, made with a sparkling water base, two shots of espresso, and ginger syrup.
Like their smaller East Village shop, Teoh says they selected the new location for their Brooklyn outpost because of the creative community. She notes the landlord initially wanted them to set up shop on the Flatbush-facing side of the building, but the partners chose the quieter side street closer to BAM, BRIC, and other Brooklyn Cultural District institutions.
Crumbs & Coffee, 423 5th Avenue (at 8th Street), Park Slope
Hours: 7:30am to 6:30pm
This four-day-old coffee shop opened up at 423 5th Avenue in the spacious corner storefront that formerly housed a Subway.
Featuring coffee beans from Kobrick Coffee Co. and pastries from Bien Cuit and Blue Sky, the store’s manager, Thommy, says the family- and community-focused café plans to introduce milk and cookies soon for the after-school crowds.
Along with drip coffee, espresso drinks, and a selection of teas, the shop offers a Tumeric Latte, a housemade recipe made with special spices and steamed almond milk for a chai-like beverage with a perfect blend of sweet and spiciness that will be ideal for wintery days.
Kaigo Coffee Room, 139 Bridge Park Drive (Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6), Brooklyn Heights
Hours: 7:30am to 7pm
Another new spot opened by Brooklyn Bridge Park over the summer where customers can take a break and have some coffee with a view.
The shop offers drip and pour over coffee, cold brew, espresso drinks, and a variety of teas, according to ABC 7 New York, all of which can be enjoyed by the waterfront.
“Next Generation” Dunkin’ Donuts, 5012 Church Avenue (between Utica Avenue & East 51st Street), East Flatbush
Hours: 5am to 10pm
Another “Next Generation” Dunkin’ Donuts concept store debuted today at 5012 Church Avenue, featuring modern design and innovative technologies to make it easier for customers to pick up their donuts and coffee. A similar Dunkin’ Donuts was unveiled in Bensonhurst back in June. Read about it here.
Alice’s Tea Cup, 43 Hicks Street, Brooklyn Heights (Coming Soon)
And finally, while not a coffee shop, another caffeine purveyor is headed for Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Heights Blog wrote last week that an outpost of Alice’s Tea Cup will be opening later this year on the corner of Hicks and Middagh Streets. The tea room and restaurant’s Facebook page confirms the news with the above image.
The Alice in Wonderland inspired business or “New York’s most whimsical tea house,” according to their website, currently has two locations in Manhattan.