The Best Places to Eat in Brooklyn, by the Record

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The original location of this festively orange Greenpoint coffee shop has a second room given over to quiet laptoppers and a shelf of free books, which sets the tone nicely. Cafe Grumpy roasts its own beans and has been around forever; the vibe is airy and unhurried, the kind of place that handles both first dates and long Sunday afternoons without breaking a sweat. Pastries, gluten-free options, and grab-and-go cold brew round things out.

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1. Vogue The 25 Best Restaurants in Brooklyn, According to Vogue Staff

1. Vogue The 25 Best Restaurants in Brooklyn, According to Vogue Staff

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1. Eater The Best Croissants in NYC

The individual library-style carrels built into the "solid oak retail structure" tell you everything: this Danish roastery and coffee shop in Bushwick is more serious than cozy. The cafe wraps across several storefronts of an upcycled industrial block, with roasting operations visible in back and a pastry counter up front where the warm staff, dressed in lab coats, quietly undercut the austere Scandinavian design. The pastries routinely upstage the excellent coffee.

1. Sprudge The Sprudge Guide to Coffee in North Brooklyn

1. Vogue The 25 Best Restaurants in Brooklyn, According to Vogue Staff

1. Sprudge The Sprudge Guide to Coffee in North Brooklyn

1. The Infatuation The Best Croissants In NYC

1. Vogue The 25 Best Restaurants in Brooklyn, According to Vogue Staff

The pink-tiled bar and arched mirrors make the Nordic-leaning coffee shop look like a pastel fever dream from 1987, and the baristas lean into the contrast by taking everything very seriously. Pour-overs and espresso drinks are made with their own roasts, and a bowl of oatmeal is on the table if you need it. Sustainability runs deep here, from compostable materials to a Loring roaster chosen specifically for its fuel efficiency.

1. Sprudge The Sprudge Guide to Coffee in North Brooklyn

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1. Vogue The 25 Best Restaurants in Brooklyn, According to Vogue Staff
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1. The Infatuation The Best Coffee Shops In NYC

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1. The New York Times The 25 Best Pizza Places in New York Right Now

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1. Vogue The 25 Best Restaurants in Brooklyn, According to Vogue Staff

1. Vogue The 25 Best Restaurants in Brooklyn, According to Vogue Staff

A coffee shop in East Williamsburg that skips the iPad-flip tip prompt entirely, which alone earns goodwill before the espresso arrives. The team runs it as a multi-roaster cafe, rotating names like Onyx and Obscure Coffee, with excellent pastries from Native Bread alongside. Bar takeovers and barista events keep things lively without tipping into self-important. The vibe is coffee-serious without being coffee-cold, which in this neighborhood is a genuine achievement.

1. Sprudge The Sprudge Guide to Coffee in North Brooklyn

1. Vogue The 25 Best Restaurants in Brooklyn, According to Vogue Staff

The curved ceiling and wood fixtures make this narrow coffee shop look a little like a vintage railway car, which is more than most cafes can say. The original location of what's now a multiborough roaster and chain, it pulls shots from seasonally rotating single origins and house blends alongside pastries from Colson. Warmer and more lived-in than the sterile white-box aesthetic that swept the neighborhood, with sidewalk seats for anyone who enjoys watching Williamsburg go by.

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A gallery of cow portraits on the wall sets the tone at this no-frills Park Slope coffee shop, which does not take itself too seriously but does take espresso seriously. Black & White roasts come out of a small, sunny space with tile backsplash, a handful of stools, and Colson pastries for the indecisive. The staff know what they're doing, which in this neighborhood is less common than it should be.

1. Sprudge The Sprudge Guide to Coffee In South Brooklyn

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1. Roadbook The best restaurants in Greenpoint, New York

1. Sprudge The Sprudge Guide to Coffee In South Brooklyn

1. Roadbook The best restaurants in Greenpoint, New York

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1. Roadbook The best restaurants in Greenpoint, New York

The pourover menu specifies black only, no exceptions, which tells you everything about this coffee shop before you've ordered. A queer-owned community hub straddling Park Slope and Gowanus, Principles runs on small rotating roasters, plant-based milks across the board, and a gratuity-included model. Cyclists and coffee obsessives fill the place, drawn as much by the ethos as the espresso. The garage door opens when weather permits, and there's a bike repair area out back.

1. Sprudge The Sprudge Guide to Coffee In South Brooklyn

Window-service only since 2020, this minimalist coffee shop in South Slope turned its interior into a commissary, which turns out to be a fine trade. Counter Culture beans anchor the drinks, but the daily-rotating pastries, cheddar jalapeño corn muffins, and hugely bready sandwiches are what bring out the line of families and dogs. Greenwood Cemetery is an easy walk, if you need somewhere to eat.

1. Sprudge The Sprudge Guide to Coffee In South Brooklyn

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1. Sprudge The Sprudge Guide to Coffee In South Brooklyn

1. James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bakery

1. James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: New York State · Paolo Garcia Mendoza

1. James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant

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