Best Coffee Shops on the Upper West Side

In the city that never sleeps, your daily fix is always within easy reach. Day or night, you can grab a cup of joe at your local deli, an independent coffee shop, a favorite diner, or one of the big chain coffee stores. And there is an abundance of choices. Coffee shops are just about everywhere in New York.

But as you can imagine, there are as many opinions in NYC as coffee shops! What makes for a good coffee experience anyway? What’s the one thing you’re looking for that routinely gets your day off on the right foot? The perfectly crafted brew? How about the food – who has time in the morning rush to make two stops anyway? The chitchat with your favorite barista? That generally serene environment where you can do a little work or take a break from sightseeing? Or the comfy seating that invites a social media catch-up or reconnoitering with a friend?

Some of the best Upper West Side coffee shops offer several reasons to put a spring in your step. There’s the heavenly aroma that greets you at the door. It could be the delicious pastries, alternative milk options, the stylish interior, or the friendly baristas. Some cafes offer excellent Wi-Fi, while others, believe it or not, make a point of avoiding it to restore the lost art of conversation!

Here are some of what might be the very best coffee shops on the Upper West Side. Try them out to see what works for you. Most of them have longevity on their side. Serious people, as Logan Roy would say, they have been perfecting the craft of sourcing, roasting, brewing, and serving coffee for decades.

Joe Coffee

Joe Coffee is well-established in the city. Its original footprint was in Greenwich Village back in the early 2000’s. Today, two of its twenty New York City locations are on the Upper West Side. The first is near Lincoln Center, at 187 Columbus Avenue and 68th Street. The second is farther north, at 514 Columbus Avenue and 85th Street. Both offer some indoor and outdoor seating, as well as reliably good hot and cold coffee drinks. Excellent baked goods and freshly roasted beans are reasons to make a pit stop at Joe’s. Stop by between 7 am and 8 pm to see if this café works well for you.

Orens Daily Roast

If you prefer caffeine intake earlier in the day, try Orens Daily Roast near Columbia University. Open from 7:30 am to 4 pm, Orens is located at 2882 Broadway, between 112th and 113th Streets. A specialty roaster since 1986, with only two locations in New York City, Orens guarantees that all the coffee they sell has been roasted within the past 24 hours. They also offer seasonal breads, cookies, and muffins.

Birch Coffee

Birch Coffee is one of thirteen NYC Birch stores at 750 Columbus Avenue, between 96th and 97th Streets. Open from 7:30 am – 4 pm, Birch has operated in the NYC coffee space for the past fifteen years. Birch is proudly Wi-Fi free. They offer a serene and friendly environment, a variety of elegant coffee drinks, fresh pastries, vegan and gluten-sensitive food options, and attentive service.

Irving Farm

The original Irving Farm opened downtown in Gramercy Place in 1996. The uptown Irving Farm is located at 224 West 79th Street, off Broadway. During its twenty-five-plus years in the industry, Irving Farm has garnered a faithful following across the city. The Upper West Side location offers indoor seating and a broad range of drink offerings. Delicious baked goods, including some from the well-known Balthazar Bakery, provide another compelling reason to stop by.

Of course, as any longtime resident will tell you, there are several staples in the neighborhood where you can’t go wrong! If you need a quick pick-me-up in the neighborhood of The Mille Feuille Patisserie (Napoleon, in English), located at 2175 Broadway and 75th Street, do stop by. Try their freshly brewed La Colombe coffee alongside great French pastries. The menu at Zabars Café, at the corner of Broadway and 80th Street, includes cappuccino, latte, mochas, Matcha Latte, Vietnamese Coffee, panini, rugelach, and hamantaschen. Not to be forgotten heading uptown is The Hungarian Pastry Shop at 111th Street and Amsterdam, across from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Coffee, pastries, and atmosphere- it has it all! And still farther uptown, at 2730 Broadway between 104th and 105th Street, Plowshares Coffee offers reliably good coffee, tea, and delicious pastries (including some gluten-free options) in an intimate space.
Now you know some of the best Upper West Side coffee shops that have been going strong and pleasing New Yorkers for many years! Hopefully, one of these will work well for you!