The next time you’re looking for tongue-burning caffeine, head to one of these spots. From a place in Harlem serving po'boys and biscuits to a cafe in Flatbush where you can catch a show or check out some art while you drink a cappuccino, these are our favorite Black-owned coffee shops in NYC.
THE SPOTS
A community space for Striver's Row, this Harlem cafe has a vintage feel, and it's a place where you can grab a quick breakfast or hang out and do some work while you eat a grilled cheese or a shrimp po' boy. Melba Wilson (of Melba's) is a fan.
I Like It Black
A coffee shop from the family behind Make My Cake, I Like It Black serves lattes, matcha, and nitro cold brew on 125th Street in Harlem. Stop by for some quick caffeine, grab a pastry, and pick up a bag of beans from Black & White Coffee Roasters.
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Coffee Uplifts People
Co-founded by radio personality and entrepreneur Angela Yee, Coffee Uplifts People serves breakfast, lunch, and coffee brewed from ethically sourced beans in an attractive space designed by Leyden Lewis. This Bed-Stuy spot emphasizes diversity, community, and sustainability, and it's perfect when you want to hang out with a juice or a latte on a nice green banquette.
A favorite of Shelley Worrell, this pastel-pink shop in Prospect Lefferts Gardens sells big bottles of their signature sorrel mocktail as well plenty of coffee drinks and a selection of smoothies with ingredients like cucumber, kale, and blue spirulina. It's a great place to grab a beverage on the way to your walk in Prospect Park (which is only about a block away).
This coffee shop in Prospect Lefferts Gardens is like the second, bagel-filled home for everybody who lives in the neighborhood. In addition to some indoor seating, it has an outdoor dining area where you can drink a frothy oat milk latte and scarf down an everything bagel sandwich. Follow the lead of senators Chuck Schumer and Zellnor Myrie, and take a meeting here on a weekday morning.
Drip Coffee Makers
Drip in Bushwick is ideal for coffee nerds. This minimalist cafe specializes in pour-over coffee and carries a wide range of roasts from all around the world. They're open at 6am every day (morning people should appreciate this), and there are additional locations in Brooklyn Heights, Soho, and Williamsburg.
Aunt et Uncles is a casual vegan cafe in Flatbush that serves things like matcha lattes, espresso, mac and cheese, and breakfast sandwiches. When you enter this Brooklyn spot, you’ll feel like you just walked into a fancy boutique. There’s a bookshelf full of art books, the pink velvet sofa, gold-wrapped cafe tables, and pastel-colored chairs look like set pieces from the first Austin Powers movie.
S,T Coffee
In addition to selling things like beaded coin purses and zebra bucket hats, Sincerely Tommy has coffee and pastries like almond croissants and cheddar chive biscuits, plus a few gluten-free options, available at its cafe counter. The shop’s owner, Kai Avent-deLeon, also founded Building Black Bedstuy, an organization that provides financial relief for Black-owned businesses in the neighborhood.
Cafe Con Libros
One of the few Black-owned bookstores in Brooklyn, Cafe Con Libros in Crown Heights is a place where you can stop in for coffee or tea, attend a book club meeting, and browse a wide-ranging collection of feminist literature. Check out their website for upcoming events.
Bittersweet
If you spend a lot of time near Fort Greene Park, you’ve probably seen this small coffee shop just a few doors down on Dekalb Avenue. The entire building is painted aquamarine, and there’s usually a line of folks grabbing cold brew. You can also stop by for pastries and sandwiches until 5pm on weekdays and 7pm on weekends.
Lips Cafe is a coffee shop in Flatbush that does many things well, like excellent jerk chicken wraps, but it’s also an art space, pop-up venue, and Caribbean restaurant. So whether you’re looking for a gallery to discover a local artist or want to grab a latte to warm up your Sunday morning, Lips Cafe has you covered.
Coffee Spot
We’re not sure if it’s the bundt cakes, the Rihanna IG posts, or the abundance of King David breakfast tacos we like most about this Crown Heights spot. All we know is that this cafe should be in your weekly rotation. Grab a coffee in the little all-white space, and drink it on the patio out front.
Brooklyn Blend
Brooklyn Blend is a cafe and juice bar on Tompkins Avenue right in the middle of Bed-Stuy. And while it’s important that you know they have an excellent golden chai latte, plus several kinds of Jamaican patties and sandwiches to help you survive the colder months, you should also keep Brooklyn Blend on your radar for incredible smoothies to help you thrive during spring and summer.
Bushwick Grind
If the farm-to-table concept is something you’re into, you’ll be happy that this Bushwick spot sources all of its yogurt, cheese, milk, and eggs from a farm in upstate New York. Stop by this community cafe for everything from a sea moss smoothie to a breakfast burrito with a side of home fries. Bushwick Grind also has an outdoor community fridge where anyone can leave extra food or pick up free kitchen staples.
Brown Butter Craft Bar & Kitchen
With its Haitian coffee beans, chicken and waffles, and strawberry shortcake, Brown Butter in Bed-Stuy is an overachiever in the best way possible. This place is open from 9am to 2:30pm Tuesday through Sunday, and it's a great option for a casual weekend brunch (especially when you're in the mood for biscuits).
Milk & Pull has locations in Ridgewood, Bushwick, and Bed-Stuy. Stop by any one of them for a quality cup of coffee made from house blends, or come for breakfast or lunch and get an egg salad sandwich or some gluten-free granola.
Cafe Moca
For coffee or vegetarian and vegan breakfast dishes like BECs and BLTs with plant-based bacon, stop by Cafe Moca, named for the city of Moca in the Dominican Republic. The original location is in Ridgewood, but they also have one in Bushwick on Central Ave.
Communitea
This tea and coffee shop has been open in Long Island City for over 15 years, and they're known for hosting local art shows. Follow them on IG to stay up to date on what's going on, and check out their online shop for gift cards and pantry items.
El Barista Cafe
El Barista Cafe in East Harlem serves everything from vegan banana walnut muffins to prosciutto sandwiches and matcha frappes. This place is open at 7am most days, and it's open until 10pm on weekends. In addition to coffee, they also serve beer, wine, and cocktails, with a Happy Hour on weekdays.
Buunni Coffee
Buunni is a coffee shop that specializes in small-batch coffee beans from Ethiopia (where the owners are from). They have locations in Washington Heights, Inwood, and the GWB bus terminal, and if you’re looking for some great coffee beans to send to someone that isn’t in NYC, Buunni ships nationwide.
This Haitian coffee shop in Weeksville serves a wide range of food like a salmon burger with pikliz, a Haitian breakfast platter, and a caesar salad with roasted curry chickpeas. They have a few good vegan options, like jerk jackfruit and soup joumou. The hot pink storefront is hard to miss, and they often host events like workshops and mixers in the bright plant-filled space.
