It’s hard to say what, if anything, separates Brooklyn’s specialty coffee identity from Manhattan’s. We might posit, though, that the lack of gigantic buildings leads to coffee shops focused more on neighborhood folks. Our favorite shops on this side of the East River all serve delicious, different types of coffee and are the gems of their communities, which include many members of Team Trade.
Baby Skips
1158 Myrtle Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11221
In Spring 2019, the New York coffee scene mourned this spring as Little Skips — a fantastic coffee shop that truly wore its commitment to community and inclusivity on its sleeve while also serving great coffee, baked goods, and vibes — closed down.
Luckily, the rest of the Little Skips family is still going strong with Little Skips East and Little Skips South, and our favorite, Baby Skips. With a wonderful vegetarian-friendly Filipino brunch menu, more standard coffee shop offerings, and consistently tasty espresso coffee drinks, Baby Skips makes it clear that greatness runs in the family.
The Mixtape Shop
1129 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11216
Brooklyn has no shortage of coffee shops that double as other businesses with several coffee shop/barbers and coffee shop/florists. Our favorite is probably this coffee shop/record store, which slings great coffee in front, and a well-curated selection of dance, soul, and jazz records from all around the world in the back.
Music is hugely important to any great coffee shop, but it’s especially the case here. While picking up your coffee drink at Mixtape, you’re pretty much guaranteed to hear something interesting enough that you’ll write it down for your future playlists and/or buy it on vinyl online.
Stumptown
212b Pacific Street
Brooklyn, New York 11201
You expect a Stumptown shop to be aesthetically pleasing, but their latest effort, which occupies a nineteenth century firehouse in Cobble Hill, is an easy contender for the most beautiful coffee shop in New York.
Several distinct but congruous spaces with plenty of gorgeous wood, brass, and tile make this easily the coolest space to open in Downtown Brooklyn in a very long time. And with dependably delicious Stumptown beans brewed by a particularly strong staff of baristas, the coffee keeps up with the aesthetic splendor.
Marlow & Sons
81 Broadway
Brooklyn, New York 11249
The food and wine offerings at Marlow & Sons are so perfect that one sometimes forgets it is also some of the best coffee in Brooklyn.
Serving multiple roasters, including our Boston favs George Howell, Marlow’s drip and espresso are always on point, and its baked goods and prepared food is definitely in the upper echelon of NY cafés (though if you’re into sandwiches, doubling up the coffee drink here with a sandwich at Marlow & Daughters down the street is also a great idea).
Trash Island
616 Halsey Street
Brooklyn, New York 11233
Bed-Stuy’s Trash Island has a bar with a cool white and blue countertop which very accurately gets across how much fun it is as a coffee shop. Featuring coffee beans from Miami’s beloved coffee roaster Panther Coffee, this fantastic coffee has the power to transport you to warmer climates at any point in the year. The snacks, from nearby Cuban bakery Pilar, don't hurt either.
From drinking black coffee to mixing coffee with milk, the coffee in New York is endless. To learn more about what brew best suits you, visit Trade for everything you need to know about coffee.