The West Village is the coffee central in Manhattan. You can’t walk a block without going past a sidewalk cafe or a coffee spot with a handsome wood-bedecked interior that beckons you to sit down and stay awhile.
In fact, this leafy brownstone-laden neighborhood seems to have an insatiable thirst for coffee shops. A new one opens up and its tables are instantly and perpetually occupied. It’s almost hard to believe, but there may not be enough coffee shops in the West Village, given the demand.
All that said, if you’re going to go on a West Village cafe crawl, you want to hit up the best of the best. And so here are our 10 favorite cafes and coffee shops in the West Village.
Rosecrans
Rosecrans is a nice concept: it’s a florist/plant shop and a coffee shop. This hybrid of plants and perky drinks is a very congruent marriage, as the potted plants create a lovely atmosphere to get caffeinated in. There are also outdoor tables for excellent people watching.
Jack’s Stir Brew
Jack’s is a pioneer, as this West 10th Street shop opened in 2003 and was one of the first-third wave coffee shops in the city and the first place to serve organic fair-trade coffee in New York.
The jewelry box-sized spot only has four tables, but it’s ambient enough, with a tall, exposed brick wall crammed with photos of regulars, past and present. The coffee here has a deep, rich body and flavor thanks to owner Jack Mazzola, who invented the stir brewer that grinds the beans as it brews them.
Hungry Ghost
Hungry Ghost began life in Brooklyn in 2012 and has expanded around New York City. It now has about a dozen locations. The West Village outpost is a charmer with big windows on Bleecker Street for prime people watching. The place also serves up King David breakfast tacos in the morning.
Insider’s Tip: Need a full meal after all that coffee? Check out the top places for lunch in the West Village.
Maman
An outpost of the legendary Upper West Side cafe that has become world famous for its thick plus-sized cookies, the King Street location of Maman is perhaps the most stunning of the handful of other Maman cafes. The spacious high-ceilinged interior is strewn with plants and flowers. In addition to those famed cookies, Maman also has a menu of savory delights like big breakfast sandwiches and salads.
Insider’s Tip: Maman is one of 12 delicious spots on our list of the best cookies in NYC.
St. Jardim
Despite opening during the pandemic, St. Jardim has been a sleeper hit of the neighborhood. In this spot-on West 4th and West 10th Streets that used to house Bar Sardine, Jardim has floor-to-ceiling windows and a nice wrap-around bar.
The expert baristas pull a great espresso here. They have a no-laptops policy so leave the computer or tablet at home.
Insider’s Tip: Looking for a coffee shop where you can bring your computer? Check out at our article on the best coffee shops to work in NYC.
Merriweather
Located on Hudson Street in the southern swath of the West Village, Meriwether is an Australian-accented cafe and a favorite among locals who come here for the friendly service, the high-quality coffee, the relaxed vibe, and snacks like avocado toast.
El Condor
This diminutive spot on Greenwich Avenue first fired up its espresso machine in late 2021. El Condor had one main mission in mind: to serve high-quality coffee that is largely devoid of the overly acidic taste profile that has become so ubiquitous in American third-wave coffee culture these days. It worked. The brew at this West Village coffee shop is smooth and delicious.
Partners
Anchored on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Charles Street in a former bodega, Partners is a fine place to while away a morning or afternoon, staring out at the West Village through the big windows. They take their coffee seriously here and it shows. It’s some of the best brew in the neighborhood.
ad hoc collective
When you step down into ad hoc collective on Christopher Street and open the door, it feels like you’ve just stumbled into someone’s living room. Slightly worn, mismatched chairs are strewn about. The walls and tables are crammed with knick-knacks (that you can buy) and everyone there is talking to each other like they’re family or old friends. At this West Village coffee shop, they serve wood-roasted coffee from Speckled Ax in Portland, Oregon.
Bar Pisellino
You might see some snickering Italian tourists taking selfies in front of this handsome coffee bar, making sure they get the name of the place in the photo. That’s because the name in Italian means “Little Penis.” No one knows why it’s called that. But everyone knows Bar Pisellino is a fabulous place to get coffee in the morning.
The interior—with marble, tiles, a lot of wood on the walls—looks like some deity picked up a gorgeous historic bar in Rome or Naples and dropped it right into the West Village.
If you couldn’t tell, we’re pretty serious about our coffee here in New York. If you want to get in on the action, come along on our Greenwich Village food tour, where we visit one of our favorite espresso spots in the whole city!
David Farley is a West Village-based food and travel writer whose work appears regularly in the New York Times, National Geographic, BBC, and Food & Wine, among other publications. He’s the author of three books, including “An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church’s Strangest Relic in Italy’s Oddest Town,” which was made into a documentary by the National Geographic Channel. You can find Farley’s online homes here and here.