The 17 Best Brooklyn Coffee Shops

There are so many amazing things about Brooklyn: the parks, the shopping, the awesome events, the food and your favorite Park Slope orthodontist, to name a few. Another thing we really excel at in our borough is the coffee! Our coffee shops are second to none. It makes sense. After all, in the 19th and early 20th century, the Arbuckle Brothers operated the largest coffee company in the United States out of Brooklyn and even roasted and sold the country’s first popular coffee brand, Ariosa. Our borough’s obsession with coffee continues to this day. Whether you just want to grab a quick cup to go or you are looking for a place to connect with others, get work done or people watch, there is something for you.

Here is the Fresh Orthodontics guide to the 17 best Brooklyn coffee shops:

1. Postmark Café – 326 6th Street, Brooklyn – This Park Slope coffee shop is on the same block as Fresh Orthodontics and it’s my go-to place for a cup of coffee. It’s a relaxed, cozy neighborhood spot with a nice selection of coffee, espresso drinks, baked goods and light fare. It’s quiet enough to work in and they offer free WiFi. Everyone is extremely friendly and instead of a tip jar, they have a charity jar. So all “tips” go to rotating charities! Postmark also has live stand-up comedy on certain evenings, making it a community hub.
2. Brooklyn Roasting Company – Multiple Locations, Including 25 Jay Street, 200 Flushing Avenue, 67 West Street, 45 Washington Street, Brooklyn Navy Yard Building 92 and 10 City Point, Brooklyn – Brooklyn Roasting Company roasts organic, fair trade beans from Peru, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Columbia and other locales. The company is committed to serving third-party certified coffees so they can ensure a living wage for farmers. The staff is super knowledgeable about coffee and Brooklyn’s roasting heritage, so if you’re interested, just ask and you can get a coffee education with your beverage. All of the outposts have their own charm. However, I would have to say that the 25 Jay Street location is among the best coffee shops to work at in Brooklyn or have a small meeting. It has large work tables, comfy couches and armchairs and the company’s espresso lab if you need to refuel. If you’re into cold brew, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to their nitro cold brew.
3. Dweebs – 1434 Dekalb Avenue, Brooklyn – Dweebs is one of the best coffee shops in Brooklyn because of the ambiance, the coffee, of course, and the food. It is laidback, bright, airy and a great place to go for a cup of coffee and breakfast with friends or to just mingle with others. It features regular and communal tables and games like Connect Four. The walls are decorated with local art you can buy and at any given time, they have movies playing on their projector. They serve delicious Spectrum Coffees, a New York City roaster that gets beans from Costa Rica, Honduras and Kenya, and they make outstanding lattes. The food is just as tasty as the coffee and there are vegan options. It’s a really good place to work too because by Brooklyn standards, there is a decent amount of space. They also have plenty of outlets and solid WiFi.
4. Manhattanville Coffee – 167 Rogers Avenue, Brooklyn – Manhattanville Coffee has both a Harlem and a Crown Heights location but since we’re talking about the best Brooklyn coffee shops, we’ll be covering the Crowns Height shop. Their tag line is “Big city coffee. Small town service.” That really sums up the experience. Manhattanville has a cozy atmosphere and you will feel right at home as you enjoy fresh pastries, artisan sandwiches, bagels and coffee from Intelligentsia Coffee, who happens to be one of the top-rated independent roasters in the country. The baristas are even trained at the Intelligentsia Coffee Lab, so you can rest assured you’ll get an awesome cup! With free high-speed WiFi, a communal table, window counters with power outlets, and leather sofas, this is another of the best coffee shops to work in Brooklyn or to kick back and soak up the city from the large windows.
5. Devoción Café – 69 Grand Street and 276 Livingston Street, Brooklyn –Devoción is a farm-to-table coffee shop with two locations in Brooklyn. They source their coffee beans from farms in the most inaccessible areas of Colombia. The beans are then dry milled in Bogota and shipped immediately to the United States via FedEx so they can be roasted. The result? You get just-roasted, super fresh coffee. I also love that Devoción is committed to paying fair-trade prices and above all establishing social and environmental programs to help Colombian farmers well into the future. At the Williamsburg location, you can even watch the roasters at work. Both spots have an industrial vibe with high ceilings, lots of space and greenery to brighten things up even more.
6. Sweatshop Coffee – 232 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn – Sweatshop is an Aussie coffee and espresso bar with a hip, cool atmosphere (think geometric shelves, succulents and minimalist furniture). Enjoy a flat white, high-quality drip coffee or a really delicious chai latte with avocado toast or a breakfast bowl. The food menu, though small, is just as good as the coffee and you’ll find gluten-free and vegan choices.
7. Café Regular – 318 A 11th Street and 158A Berkeley Place, Brooklyn – Café Regular is dedicated to “good coffee, good conversation and good literature” and it is one of the best Park Slope coffee shops in my book. The intimate café is reminiscent of the ones you’ll find dotting the streets of Paris. It’s cute, cozy and ideal for people watching or reading the paper. The staff is friendly, the coffee is delicious and you also won’t want to pass up on one of their buttery croissants. It is small but there are a few seats outside too to give you more options.
8. Daily Press Coffee – 505 Franklin Avenue and 38 Somers Street, Brooklyn – Daily Press has locations in Bed-Stuy and Ocean Hill. It’s a classic neighborhood coffee shop that is great for getting some work done (they have WiFi) or meeting up with a friend. The Bed-Stuy shop has a patio with large picnic tables where you can sit with a group or break out your laptop. The Ocean Hill spot is open until midnight and also has a full bar. Both locations have friendly baristas, serve up fantastic coffee, and offer pastries, bagels and small bites.
9. Toby’s Estate Coffee – Multiple Locations, Including the Brooklyn Café and Roastery at 125 North 6th Street and the Bushwick Location at 8 Wilson Avenue, Brooklyn – Toby’s Estate Coffee is a Brooklyn-based, small-batch roaster that travels the globe sourcing the most incredible coffee. There are six locations across the city, however, the Williamsburg flagship and the new Bushwick café call our borough home. The Bushwick location has a pour-over bar created by Saint Anthony Industries and espresso drinks made with their Bedford blend. The in-house kitchen serves a daily brunch menu. You’ll also find pastries and some grab-and-go items from other local spots like Supermoon Bakehouse and Du’s Donuts. The Brooklyn Café and Roastery is spacious and bright thanks to the wall of windows. The warehouse space has tons of seating and a kitchen that offers breakfast and lunch favorites, as well as locally baked goods. It’s also home to weekly public cuppings and the roaster’s brew school.
10. Café Martin – 355 5th Avenue, Brooklyn – Café Martin is another of my favorite Park Slope coffee shops. The owner left Café Regular to start his own spot, which is similarly small, charming and has a European feel. They serve coffee from a small, organic roaster using the pour-over technique. Pair the French roast with one of their pastries and a good book and you have the perfect Saturday morning.
11. Café Grumpy – Multiple Locations, Including 193 Meserole Avenue and 383 7th Avenue, Brooklyn – Café Grumpy is independently owned and has locations across the city, including some in Brooklyn. They source their coffee from countries such as Colombia, El Salvador, Burundi, Guatemala, Honduras, Ethiopia, Kenya, Peru and Zambia. I love the Park Slope location for getting a cup of coffee on the go. Since there is limited seating and no WiFi, it’s ideal for stopping on your way to work or while you’re out and about. Café Grumpy Greenpoint, on the other hand, is one of the best coffee shops to work in Brooklyn – or study. It is roomy, has ample seating and they offer free WiFi. It also happens to be next door to the company’s roasting facility.
12. Absolute Coffee – 327 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn – This cute, little Brooklyn coffee shop is a neighborhood gem. The service is friendly and attentive and the coffee and espresso are excellent. The lattes are where Absolute really shines and the pastries are also not to be missed. While the shop isn’t huge, there is usually space to work on your laptop or relax with a cup of coffee with friends.  
13. Hungry Ghost Coffee – Multiple Locations, Including 253 Flatbush Avenue, 721 Metropolitan Avenue, 590 Fulton Street, 80 Dekalb Avenue, 781 Fulton Street and 183 Sterling Place, Brooklyn – Hungry Ghost has perfected the art of pulling the perfect shot of espresso and the baristas are skilled coffee connoisseurs. Whether you choose a traditional drip or go for an expertly crafted latte, you’ll love the Stumptown coffee (roasted in Red Hook) Hungry Ghost serves up. Of course, each location is unique but I really love the Prospect Heights shop because it’s big, full of light and there is a lot of seating. You can sit down and drink your coffee and enjoy a snack without feeling rushed.
14. Blue Bottle Coffee – Multiple Locations, Including 85 Dean Street, 203 7th Avenue and 76 N. 4th Street Store A, Brooklyn – This popular Bay Area coffee roaster has shops all over the country. They take their coffee extremely seriously, sourcing delicious, sustainable coffees, roasting the beans on vintage machinery and serving it within 48 hours of roasting. The beans are then ground and filtered when you place your order. In recent years, they’ve developed a strong presence in New York City. My favorite has to be the location in Boerum Hill. In the winter, you can enjoy the bustle of Brooklyn through the wall of windows and in more mild weather, when the windows are open, it feels like you’re sitting on the street all while enjoying truly fantastic coffee.
15. Variety Coffee Roasters – Multiple Locations, Including 368 Graham Avenue, 146 Wyckoff Avenue and 145 Driggs Avenue, Brooklyn – Variety has three Brooklyn coffee shops with locations in Bushwick, Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Each store has its own flavor. Head to Graham Avenue for some outstanding people watching on the famed bench, enjoy a quiet cup on Driggs Avenue or swing by the large Bushwick location, which is where they roast their coffee, if you are with a group or you’re looking for a place to set up your laptop for a few hours of work. Variety has a skilled, friendly, knowledgeable staff, excellent coffee, free WiFi, a good selection of milks (oat milk, anyone?) and tasty baked goods. If you get hooked, don’t worry, you can take advantage of their subscription service and have coffee delivered to your door.
16. Roots Café – 639 5th Avenue, Brooklyn – Roots Café is a cash-only, beautiful, little coffee shop in South Slope. They serve coffee from Forty Weight Coffee Roasters, a small company based in Ithaca, NY that sources and roasts ethical, fair-trade coffee that is also delicious. The thing that’s really cool about Roots is their dedication to the community. The baristas know customers by name and they showcase local artists, poets and musicians through events like poetry nights. Breakfast and lunch are served all day long and in addition to coffee, you’ll find an impressive tea list as well. The space is narrow but there are always patrons working or reading a book. The tiny patio is pretty and a great spot to soak up the sunshine on warm days.
17. Kos Kaffe – 251 5th Avenue, Brooklyn – This Park Slope coffee shop is a local favorite. It’s a bright, beautiful space and they serve up coffee that’s roasted on-site daily, as well as a full breakfast and lunch menu and homemade baked goods using seasonal, local food. While Kos Kaffe is a good place to work or study, you’ll want to note that during certain peak hours, laptop use is restricted to specified sections of the café but that doesn’t detract from its charm.

Now that you know the best spots to get coffee, once you’re well caffeinated and ready to take on the day, schedule a free consultation at Fresh Orthodontics to learn more about our Brooklyn braces or Invisalign treatment!