NYC sit down coffee shops guide
Epistemic status: Mostly focused on Manhattan, LIC, and Williamsburg, where I'm most familiar. I have not been to every single coffee shop in NYC, or even in Manhattan. Please Let me know about any good places I've missed.
Chains (mostly in Manhattan)
Ground Central
There's a couple of locations in Midtown, which are probably the best places to go in the fifties. Generally have good seating space (including sofas!), Wifi, and outlets. Have some great cookies and above-average scones, coffee is okay. Normally closes at 7pm.
Downsides: Decor is kind of dark, the music can be a bit loud.
Fun fact: The apparently also have a shop in Cape Town.
Joe Coffee Company
There's a lot of these around Manhattan. They're mostly a pretty solid option - they'll have wifi and seating and will usually have outlets, their muffins and coffee are decent. Not super comfortable for long sit ins and tends to close a bit early, but a perfectly good option if nothing better is easily available.
Generally closes until around 6pm.
Joe and the Juice
A bunch of these scattered around Manhattan. As implied by the title, they have juices (which are pretty good if you like smoothies). Aside from this, pretty much identical to Joe Coffee (actually took me a while to realize these were two different chains).
Think Coffee
There's a bunch of these in the village and lower Manhattan, and they're generally great. Solid wifi/coffee/outlets, good coffee and muffins, very comfortable seating. Main downside is they tend to be crowded - I've sometimes had trouble finding somewhere to sit. Still, generally the best option when there's one around.
Starbucks
Avoid whenever possible, but acceptable in some circumstances (like if you're out on a winter night at below-freezing temperatures and just need somewhere to hide out for fifteen minutes and get warm for a bit). Bad coffee, bad cookies, deliberately uncomfortable sitting area. I'm generally a fan of big chain stores for some things, but Starbucks is just bad, and should be avoided.
That said, it does have all the basics (wifi/outlets/tables). It also has the advantage of usually staying open later than most places. So they are usable in an emergency, I guess.
Smaller places in LIC
51st Bakery & Cafe
Probably my favourite overall go-to place. It's right by Hunter's point, has all the wifi/outlet/seating basics with good coffee and baked goods. Nothing outstanding, but conveniently located with basically no downsides.
Black Star Bakery & Cafe
There's actually two of these (one with the "cafe" in its name and one without), located two blocks apart. If you're planning to meet someone there, make sure you specify which one you're going to.
I'll start with the downsides on this one: They don't want people working on laptops on weekends, and there's no wifi (even my 4g there is kinda spotty, so hotspots are inconsistent). This is a very popular place for families with small children, which may consider a plus or a minus (personally, I like it).
That said, the upsides are pretty great. They have some of the best toasts and the best baked goods of any place in the city, and they're located right by the park. They're nice enough that I'd still go there semi-frequently even with the downsides.
Partners Coffee
Downsides first: No outlets, no wifi. Although unlike Black Star I've never had issues setting up a phone hotspot connection here.
Upsides: Very comfortable, really nice backyard area if the weather's good. Probably the best place immediately around court square.
There's also one of these in Williamsburg.
Ghaya
Attached to a food hall. A bit of seating space, outlets but no wifi. Mostly noted here for pastries (pictured above), which are amazing.
Williamsburg
Copper Mug Coffee
Best Overall place in Williamsburg.Has all the basics and good coffee (and even a backyard area). Downside is that it can be a bit crowded.
Blue Bottle Coffee Williamsburg
Right around the corner from Copper Mug coffee. I'll go here if it's crowded over there or I'm sitting with people. Great seating space, got all the basics, slightly expensive coffee.
This is a chain with a lot of locations, but they're a bit inconsistent on whether they have good seating space, so I didn't list them in the chain section. This location is great though.
Manhattan
787 Coffee
Probably my favourite place overall in Fidi, on Pearl street. All the basics, solid coffee, Just generally nice and comfy.
Ost Cafe
A bit south of the Williamsburg Bridge, Surprisingly pleasant space for the neighborhood. Friendly people, limited baked goods. Downside: Short hours (closes around 3pm).
