20 Best Coffee Shops In Brooklyn To Grab Your Java

Looking for a place to grab a cup on the westernmost edge of Long Island? Here are our recommendations for the best coffee shops in Brooklyn.

One thing’s for sure, there’s no shortage of cafés in NYC, but what are the best coffee shops in Brooklyn? A study found that New Yorkers drink 6.7 times more coffee than an average denizen of any other US city, as you can imagine, their standards are high. Many like to support independent businesses over chains like Starbucks, too, which is why there are so many independent coffee businesses in the Big Apple.

Since coffee differs from café to café, finding good coffee can be a challenge. I’ve rounded up the best coffee shops in Brooklyn for a cup of coffee to help you decide, while you’re here, check out our list of the top coffee shop chains. Now, let’s dive in.

1. Sey Coffee

When it comes to micro roasteries in Brooklyn, Sey Coffee is considered to be crème de la crème. Founded in 2014, the coffee shop quickly established a name for itself in this NYC borough.

Sey specializes in Nordic-style coffee, which is light, sweet, and delicate. For coffee connoisseurs who enjoy clean and crisp flavor in their pour-over coffee, Sey offers a nice variety of single-origin and coffee blends that are rotated frequently.

The Grattan Street coffee shop has a clean, bright interior with dormer windows letting in plenty of light. The roastery is at the back, with just a glass wall separating you from the place where magic happens. Once a month, there’s a cupping event you can sign up for, allowing you to try and discuss Sey’s current coffee offerings.

2. Devoción

Devoción has three cafés in Brooklyn; Williamsburg, Dumbo, and Downtown Brooklyn. There are five NYC coffee shops in total, all offering a unique touch in terms of interior design. What all the locations have in common are the industrial open-space character and miniature gardens featuring plants inspired by Colombia’s tropical rainforest.

Why Colombia? The café only offers coffee grown in Colombian micro-lots. It’s roasted right there in Brooklyn. Through interior design and coffee, Devoción’s allows guests to enjoy the sights and sounds of Colombia, even if for just a little bit.

Devoción offers a nice range of blends and single-origin coffee, all of which can be both enjoyed inside the café or bought for brewing at home.

3. Variety Coffee Roasters

Back in 2008, Variety opened its first coffee shop on Graham Avenue in Williamsburg, but it wasn’t long before the brand started expanding. Today, there are three more locations in Brooklyn, as well as the standalone roastery.

Variety offers both single-origin coffee and blends, mostly sourced from Colombia, Mexico, and Africa. While there are clear differences between the available options, Variety coffee is mostly known for its nutty and chocolaty roasts.

When it comes to coffee shops themselves, they all have a cozy and spacious interior with earthy colors and soothing music, which is perfect for catching up with friends.

4. Partners Coffee

Even though Partners Coffee has several coffee shops in New York City, the one in Williamsburg offers the most authentic experience.

Opened in 2012, this Brooklyn café sports a classic coffee house ambiance, with a neutral color palette, weathered wood, and lots of natural light. Overall, it provides a laidback feel, perfect for reading, working, and hanging out with friends.

Partners Coffee serves a nice selection of coffee drinks, from refreshing iced lattes, comforting cappuccinos, and flat whites, to more festive offerings like the peppermint mocha. Cold brew is one of the coffee shop’s secret weapons, as it’s delicious and creamy, without any milk or sugar.

While you’re there, you can choose the beans to go as well if you fancy practicing your home barista skills. Partners Coffee offers a variety of single-origin coffee, as well as espresso and filter coffee blends.

5. Blue Bottle Coffee

As one of the pioneers of third-wave coffee, Blue Bottle Coffee still honors the values that started the movement: quality, sustainability, and Fair Trade. The franchise operates dozens of cafés across the US, including Brooklyn. In fact, Blue Bottle opened its first NYC café in Williamsburg in 2010.

Today, aside from the Williamsburg location, you can grab a cup of Blue Bottle coffee in other parts of Brooklyn, including Bushwick, Dean Street, and Park Slope. All locations have a minimalistic and clean design with limited seating.

As a sustainable brand, Blue Bottle puts in the effort to reduce emissions. All specialty coffee served at the café is ethically sourced, specialty-grade, and roasted in small batches. As dairy is believed to be the primary source of café operation emissions, Blue Bottle offers oat milk as the default option in milk-based coffee drinks.

Of course, that’s not to say you can’t get dairy milk in your cup per request.

6. Principles GI Coffee House

Principles are what you get when you combine a Vietnam-War-era GI coffee house and a contemporary third-wave café. Whether you’re looking for a place to grab a quick and delicious cup or hold a social event, this coffee shop is an excellent spot for both.

This is a vegan business, so don’t expect to find dairy or honey in your order. But what you can expect is a nice selection of coffees, from drip coffee and espresso to java made with Kelita and Chemex. You’ll also find some plant-based pastries and even gluten-free options.

Principles has a unique pricing system. All drinks have a suggested price – but you can pay what you want or can afford. It’s also worth noting that tipping is not expected, as the workers are paid a fair wage to avoid their dependence on tips to make ends meet.

7. Loveless Coffees

With every coffee shop around the corner having the same earthy-toned homey interior, Loveless Coffees on Central Avenue is a true pleasure for the eyes. A pastel color palette, wooden furniture, and a tiled bar create a visually striking yet harmonious space to hang out.

Loveless offers New York-Nordic Java. This roast falls somewhere between light and medium, and it pronounces the sweetness, clarity, and complexness of the bean flavor. Learn more in our coffee bean roasting guide.

The company mainly roasts single-origin coffee. Aside from espresso-based drinks, you can also enjoy batch brew, cold brew, and pour-over. While you’re there, you can also grab a bag of beans to make coffee at home.

8. Villager

While Villager, on Classon Avenue near Crown Heights, might not have a shiny exterior, a quick glimpse through the full-glass front wall will surely make you come in. Wooden benches, apricot-colored coffee tables, high ceilings, and retro orb pendant lights emit that snug café atmosphere. Wall-mounted planters with ferns and vines add a pop of color to further improve the vibe.

Villager offers a nice selection of specialty coffee from roasters like Sey and Black & White Coffee Roasters. The beans of your choice can then be prepared into your preferred coffee drink, such as espresso or filter coffee.

You can also buy the beans to make your coffee at home. In that case, you also get a batch brew on the house, which is nice!

9. Olas Coffee Shop

Olas is a fairly new player in the world of Brooklyn coffee shops, as it opened in 2022. But in such a short amount of time, the brand has established a name for itself as a specialty coffee roaster.

The café, which can be found on Lorimer Street, has limited seating both indoors and outdoors, so many customers get their coffee to-go. Olas offers a small variety of single-origin beans from regions like Mexico, Kenya, and Ecuador. While suitable for practically any brewing method, these coffees shine the best using the pour-over method.

Another interesting thing on the menu is Virbuna. This drink is a fermented green-brewed coffee. In other words, it’s like kombucha.

10. Yafa Café

Yafa Café, on 4th Avenue, is the perfect spot for every Yemeni coffee lover. From ethically sourced coffee to Yemeni-inspired foods like samboosa and halloumi, the coffee shop offers an authentic fusion of two coffee cultures.

Today, the company has expanded its supply chain to include farms from Costa Rica to Sumatra. Still, the way coffee is made is very Yemeni – many drinks include cardamom and cinnamon. A must-try is qishr, which is a traditional Yemeni drink made of spiced coffee husks and spices.

The café is small and emits a cool but comforting ambiance with a combination of industrial and rustic aesthetics. A splash of greenery creates a nice contrast to the prominent colors of red bricks and wooden furniture.

11. Stumptown 

Stumptown Coffee Roasters is one of the leaders of the third-wave specialty coffee movement, focused on coffee quality. The company has several cafés around the country, with the Cobble Hill location being one of the most popular due to the scenic location and classy interior design.

Most espresso-based drinks are made with the brand’s most popular coffee blend, Hair Bender. You can also order drip coffee, cold brew, and tea. If you’re feeling peckish, the coffee shop also offers pastries and breakfast tacos.

12. Brooklyn Roasting Company

Brooklyn Roasting Company was founded in 2009, with the goal of providing the neighborhood with perfectly-roasted and sustainably-sourced coffee. The coffee is Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade certified, freshly roasted, and ground per order.

Today, the company has several coffee shops in Brooklyn, all with a modern, industrial design and loft-style space. They offer ample seating space and free Wi-Fi, so it’s suitable for both hanging out and working.

Aside from regular café beverages like lattes and americanos, the coffee shops also offer nitro brews and holiday drinks which are available for a limited time.

13. Cup of Joe Coffee Co. 

With a black café window and white tile interior, Cup of Joe Coffee Co. on 5th Avenue is as minimalistic as it gets. Although it might sound sterile, the ambient is far from it. The hissing sound of the espresso machine and constant chatting create a comfy atmosphere.

The coffee shop mainly uses La Colombe and Devoción coffee for their drinks. Speaking of drinks, the menu is huge. From espresso-based beverages to cold brew and café au lait, there’s something for everyone.

If you don’t fancy coffee, you can even get a refreshing iced matcha latte lemonade or iced black tea. If you’re visiting during the holidays, seasonal drinks are definitely worth a try, like the classic pumpkin spice latte.

14. Cocoa Grinder

Founded in 2013, Cocoa Grinder was conceived as a space where you can get both a healthy meal and a cup of specialty java. On a busy day, this coffee shop is an ideal location to spend your well-deserved break. Today, Cocoa Grinder has seven locations in Brooklyn, so you don’t need to walk far for your morning pick-me-up.

The café offers a variety of coffee drinks, from espresso and cold brew to cortado and bombon. Along with your java, you have a nice selection of brunch foods at your disposal, like salads, wraps, and even burgers.

15. Hungry Ghost Coffee

The first Hungry Ghost Coffee was founded in 2012 with the idea of creating a welcoming space that serves a perfectly-pulled espresso. Just over a decade later, the company has 11 coffee shops throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan, so we can safely assume that Hungry Ghost has succeeded in that endeavor.

Each coffee shop has its own aesthetic and personality, but the coffee is the same regardless of the location. Hungry Ghost uses Stumptown Coffee for all coffee drinks. The house blend is specially roasted in an exclusive partnership with Hungry Ghost, and it has tasting notes of milk chocolate and caramel.

The coffee shop offers brewed coffee and espresso, as well as a nice selection of iced drinks. If you’re hungry, you can grab croissants and bagels.

16. Oslo Coffee Roasters

When JD and Kathy Merget, the founders of Oslo Coffee first moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, they had a mission to serve the neighborhood with great coffee. Today, the company has three coffee shops, two in Brooklyn and one in Manhattan.

While small, the coffee shops offer plenty of seating, so it’s an ideal place to catch up on local gossip. The menu features all popular coffee drinks, from a classic latte to cortado. You can also buy whole beans to take home.

All the coffee beans Oslo Coffee roasts come from small-scale farms and are sustainably sourced. Through social and ecological practices, the brand helps in creating fair living conditions for the workers, while also ensuring coffee quality.

17. Pueblo Querido Coffee Roasters

If you’re looking for a fantastic cup of Colombian coffee, Pueblo Querido is a place to check out when you’re in Brooklyn. This family-owned coffee shop is on a mission to share the coffee culture and passion from its origins.

The company has four café locations around Brooklyn, including Greenpoint and Manhattan Avenue all with a unique touch to their interior design. The colors are vibrant, and the details represent the culture where the coffee comes from.

Pueblo Querido offers an excellent selection of single-origin coffee, with flavor profiles ranging from mild and sweet to bright and strong. The chain also has an extensive iced coffee menu which hits the spot on sunny days.

18. Poetica Coffee

Poetica Coffee has five coffee shops, scattered across New York. Decked out with floral arrangements in a variety of vibrant colors, the locations are pretty noticeable from across the street.

While most Poetica coffee shops offer limited in-house seating, several locations also have a back patio with outdoor seating, ideal for working or relaxing. Poetica serves its own coffee blends and you can get different types of drinks, from espresso to pour-over. There’s a nice selection of plant-based milk to choose from, as well as skim and whole milk.

19. D’Amico Coffee Roasters

D’Amico Coffee Roasters, is one of Brooklyn’s most legendary roasters, with two Brooklyn locations, one on Court Street and another on Bond Street. The company has been around for over six decades. Little has changed in terms of design – the java is still roasted on a vintage Diedrich roaster and brewed on a custom Slayer espresso machine.

D’Amico offers a nice variety of blends and single-origin coffees, ranging from Vienna to Kona. While you’re there, you can get some beans for brewing at home. If you don’t know what to choose, the baristas can give you suggestions based on your coffee-drinking preferences.

20. PEP Bakehouse & Coffee Shop

PEP Bakehouse & Coffee Shops, all six locations, sport an elegant interior design with pastel tones and golden details. Designed as a modern version of a French patisserie, PEP is the ideal place to grab a quick bite while getting your caffeine fix.

From espresso to cold brew, PEP makes coffee using a blend of Colombian, Guatemalan, Ethiopian, and Kenyan beans. As a result, the coffee is sweet and light, with the perfect balance of acidity and body.

While you’re there, you might as well try any of the freshly baked goods the coffee shop offers. Whether you love eclairs and macarons or pistachio and opera cake, there’s something for everyone.