Cholita has so many good unique coffees. their matcha also HITS. they’e been having pastry pop ups more often and Bakerie is 2 blocks away if you really needed a snack to go along with your coffee. Support Queens natives and real local owned businesses!
not all of them are great!
honeymoon and variety are the best in both freshness of beans and barista skill. both are kind of "gentrification coffee" but are also super responsible about their sourcing/roasting. variety however is becoming more corporate by the year
cholita is cool because it's run by some v hip ecuadorians in a neighborhood with a huge ecuadorian population, but i feel like the coffee falls a little bit flat. also they don't have any snacks.
onderdonk wins for the absolute sweetest owner. eka is the best. and it's the only place you can get her indonesian pandan cold coffee drink. they are also sweet at sky coffee but their coffee is always burnt.
kings kolache and normas have good coffee, but you really go for the food which is super bomb at both
both locations of topos use variety beans and are solid places to hit, especially if cold brew is what you're after
also la cantine tends to have rotating special coffee drinks that are expensive but fun
EDIT: remembered caffe vita and sey coffee which are both exceptional but not technically ridgewood
Surprised to hear this comment about Cholita because I had their cold brew yesterday and thought to myself “this is the best cold brew in the neighborhood hands down.”
cool, i'm always open-minded! my two experiences have been an espresso tonic that was made with normal mineral water and a drip coffee that had almost no flavor
That’s interesting. Forest is where I got dishwater, I assumed we were only talking about that location since r/ridgewood. It was bodega iced coffee quality bad
Yeah it’s happened to me before. I also think they leave the cold brew out so it’s room temp and they go light on ice so as soon as it’s poured it’s immediately watered down. I ask for a little extra ice and it helps. But again, they’re hit & miss - both locations.
The most consistent cup of cold brew, imo, comes from Vita down Johnson but that’s like Ridgewood/Bushwick/East WillyB all in one. Worth the trip tho!
Let’s not forget C.LO. Their coffee is always solid and their food is awesome! The staff is always friendly as well. I get my coffee/food from them and my beans from Variety.
Y’all are totally sleeping on Nomad. Good food, solid coffee (I like their cold brew), and good vibes. Jacquie and Cam who run the place are awesome and the rest of the staff goes above and beyond to make everyone feel welcome. Definitely recommend.
Cholita is my favorite - the owner is the sweetest guy, they’re fast, and their specialty drinks are phenomenal.
Variety has great coffee and usually stocks a decent selection of pastries, but is a smidge more corporate.
I still haven’t been to Honeymoon, but have heard great things about the coffee.
Norma’s and Bakeri have excellent food and pastries, but the coffee for both can be hit or miss. My go to move is getting coffee from Cholita, then looping back and getting breakfast focaccia from Bakeri or a biscuit sandwich from Norma’s.
Topos is great if you’re looking for somewhere to work or read while you have coffee. Milk & Pull is also good for this.
CUTE CAT CAFÉ!! on Fresh Pond road. They are cute and their drinks are good and you can feed the stray cats in the backyard. There’s a Starbucks opening soon on the same block as them, so they definitely need support
Cholita is hands down my favorite coffee in the neighborhood. But gotta say nothing hits like a large iced coffee from Norma’s. I mostly go there for the food but there are many times I’m specifically craving their iced coffee and go there just for that.
Is coffee like the mating call for all the "Ridgewoodians"... wild how a post about coffee gets the hipsters going. RE agents knew what they were doing when they set up 48.6 coffee shops in the last year and 3 months...
Cholita has awesome signature drinks, Katan serves Loveless which is a great roaster. Not in Ridgewood but if you ever find yourself near María Hernández, come say hi at West Lab + Gallery where we have a coffee bar with locally roasted coffee as well!
Not seeing anyone say Bakeri. Coffee is a little expensive, but the food is so worth it.
Milk & Pull is too expensive now. I’ve stopped going unless I need a coffee and I’m right there.
Everyone I've interacted with at milk & pull has been rude as fuck too. I've been in the neighborhood over a decade and it's slowly gotten worse and worse. I havent been back there ever since cholita opened.
hence the '?' most ridgewood ppl might find themselves at the jefferson/dekalb L train line and this coffee shop is close to that. so, i decided that this was 'ridgewood' enough.
Depending how strong you like your coffee. There are some adding to the other list Nomad cafe,
Cypress Cafe and bar,
Onderdonk Cafe,
C.lo,
Milk and pull, Gunther's, Peet Coffee inside Billly Market Place supermarket
If cold brew is what you're after I'd say all the spots listed so far are solid but I've experienced variation of quality, strength, and taste on any given day - even the fancier spots aren't immune to some QC issues. They're all winners, but just in case you don't like one on first go give it another try another day!
Nomad is possibly my favorite cafe in Ridgewood, but I confess I haven't tried their cold brew. I also like Vex El--doesn't seem to get mentioned much.
So many incorrect takes in this thread
Weird OP too -- there are not that many coffee shops in the neighborhood and a cold brew is 4-5$. Just try them and see what you like most
I've been to almost every major city in the lower 48, and Topo's (1) is my favorite coffee shop in the US.
I am biased, because it's very much a neighborhood hang, and I end up buying a book almost every time I walk through the door. . .
. . . but it's a magical place, and should be protected at all costs.
Cholita has so many good unique coffees. their matcha also HITS. they’e been having pastry pop ups more often and Bakerie is 2 blocks away if you really needed a snack to go along with your coffee. Support Queens natives and real local owned businesses!
Cholita x Bakeri combo is BEST
not all of them are great! honeymoon and variety are the best in both freshness of beans and barista skill. both are kind of "gentrification coffee" but are also super responsible about their sourcing/roasting. variety however is becoming more corporate by the year cholita is cool because it's run by some v hip ecuadorians in a neighborhood with a huge ecuadorian population, but i feel like the coffee falls a little bit flat. also they don't have any snacks. onderdonk wins for the absolute sweetest owner. eka is the best. and it's the only place you can get her indonesian pandan cold coffee drink. they are also sweet at sky coffee but their coffee is always burnt. kings kolache and normas have good coffee, but you really go for the food which is super bomb at both both locations of topos use variety beans and are solid places to hit, especially if cold brew is what you're after also la cantine tends to have rotating special coffee drinks that are expensive but fun EDIT: remembered caffe vita and sey coffee which are both exceptional but not technically ridgewood
This is all facts. Trust this person.
🫡
Milk&Pull but I mostly really like their pastries I can’t speak on the coffee
i like their cold brew!
Fact check me but I believe they do stumptown if I'm not mistaken (if that matters to anyone)
They used to, they have been roasting in house for 2 or 3 years now tho (and it's pretty good!)
Ah good to know, thanks!
Surprised to hear this comment about Cholita because I had their cold brew yesterday and thought to myself “this is the best cold brew in the neighborhood hands down.”
cool, i'm always open-minded! my two experiences have been an espresso tonic that was made with normal mineral water and a drip coffee that had almost no flavor
I agree here! For me Cholita is the best coffee in the neighborhood.
owners of honegmoon suck. they are anti neighborhood gentrifying jerks
For cold brew, honeymoon is just fine! But I prefer to support Cholita :)
Cholita is my favorite! Unique drinks, nice people, locally owned.
Whatever Variety are serving when I asked for “cold brew” was iced coffee that tasted like weak dishwater. Be warned
Variety I’ve always thought as being overrated. Beans always have that over roasted taste that just makes all of their drinks taste burnt.
Yeah I remember the burnt taste from Graham Ave. I’d take burnt over dishwater haha
Variety is so hit and miss with their cold brew. I’ve had way better luck at the Forest Ave location than Wycoff.
That’s interesting. Forest is where I got dishwater, I assumed we were only talking about that location since r/ridgewood. It was bodega iced coffee quality bad
Yeah it’s happened to me before. I also think they leave the cold brew out so it’s room temp and they go light on ice so as soon as it’s poured it’s immediately watered down. I ask for a little extra ice and it helps. But again, they’re hit & miss - both locations. The most consistent cup of cold brew, imo, comes from Vita down Johnson but that’s like Ridgewood/Bushwick/East WillyB all in one. Worth the trip tho!
I had an iced late there once. It too tasted like dishwater. Never went back
It’s a real shame, lots of outdoor seating, great location, but the penalty is dreadful coffee
Agreed. Their cold brew has really gone downhill over the years. From chocolate to gym socks.
I got a hot coffee from them once on my way to work and it tasted like soap. Fucking disgusting
Let’s not forget C.LO. Their coffee is always solid and their food is awesome! The staff is always friendly as well. I get my coffee/food from them and my beans from Variety.
Second C Lo! Sweetest ladies at the counter too!
Y’all are totally sleeping on Nomad. Good food, solid coffee (I like their cold brew), and good vibes. Jacquie and Cam who run the place are awesome and the rest of the staff goes above and beyond to make everyone feel welcome. Definitely recommend.
I second Nomad. My favorite spot!
Third Nomad!
Cholita just got an iced raíces today because of your post actually
if you're into espresso, def recommend Sofia Gourmet on Fresh Pond
They also have delicious pastries and sandwiches. Just got some today and proceeded to eat way too much.
Cholita is my favorite - the owner is the sweetest guy, they’re fast, and their specialty drinks are phenomenal. Variety has great coffee and usually stocks a decent selection of pastries, but is a smidge more corporate. I still haven’t been to Honeymoon, but have heard great things about the coffee. Norma’s and Bakeri have excellent food and pastries, but the coffee for both can be hit or miss. My go to move is getting coffee from Cholita, then looping back and getting breakfast focaccia from Bakeri or a biscuit sandwich from Norma’s. Topos is great if you’re looking for somewhere to work or read while you have coffee. Milk & Pull is also good for this.
Damn ! No love for one of our fine outstanding Dunkins’ in the area???
CUTE CAT CAFÉ!! on Fresh Pond road. They are cute and their drinks are good and you can feed the stray cats in the backyard. There’s a Starbucks opening soon on the same block as them, so they definitely need support
Yup!!! Cute Cat Cafe has some of the best coffee prices, especially in comparison to all the coffee spots near forest ave
Cute Cat, yes. Excellent Turkish coffee.
topos - OG and T2
I think Topos uses Variety Coffee.
Cholita is hands down my favorite coffee in the neighborhood. But gotta say nothing hits like a large iced coffee from Norma’s. I mostly go there for the food but there are many times I’m specifically craving their iced coffee and go there just for that.
Is coffee like the mating call for all the "Ridgewoodians"... wild how a post about coffee gets the hipsters going. RE agents knew what they were doing when they set up 48.6 coffee shops in the last year and 3 months...
Crazy, right? Shows how things have changed.
Sky coffee is my favorite!
cholita
As an avid Cold Brew drinker I recommend C.Lo, Variety, or Honeymoon.
Cholita has awesome signature drinks, Katan serves Loveless which is a great roaster. Not in Ridgewood but if you ever find yourself near María Hernández, come say hi at West Lab + Gallery where we have a coffee bar with locally roasted coffee as well!
Katan has solid coffee and Klovis is the nicest, always serve your coffee with a smile.
Anyone else notice no one is mentioning milk and pull ?
Not seeing anyone say Bakeri. Coffee is a little expensive, but the food is so worth it. Milk & Pull is too expensive now. I’ve stopped going unless I need a coffee and I’m right there.
Everyone I've interacted with at milk & pull has been rude as fuck too. I've been in the neighborhood over a decade and it's slowly gotten worse and worse. I havent been back there ever since cholita opened.
Oh most of them are sweeties but I don’t need to pay like 6.50 for an iced coffee or whatever it is now.
Bakeri cold brew is solid!!
they're all pretty good my favorites king koloache onderdonk cafe honey moon variety sky coffee starr st coffee? normas sure i'm missing a few
Starr st? This is the Ridgewood sub dog
hence the '?' most ridgewood ppl might find themselves at the jefferson/dekalb L train line and this coffee shop is close to that. so, i decided that this was 'ridgewood' enough.
Katan is good vibes
I like the cold brew at Gunther's. It's not sour like a lot of coffee in NY tends to be
Bravos!
Bravos is the best!!!! Owner is amazing and they have fresh juice options and great food.
Depending how strong you like your coffee. There are some adding to the other list Nomad cafe, Cypress Cafe and bar, Onderdonk Cafe, C.lo, Milk and pull, Gunther's, Peet Coffee inside Billly Market Place supermarket
Peet's Coffee you serious rn?
Milk and Pull is horrible. Run by Zionists
[удалено]
Love cute cat, tho their cold brew is mid. They need to step up their game or they won’t stand a chance against the upcoming starbucks.
Cute Cat uses some garbage big box brand industrial coffee beans.
Man I loved this place pre-pandemic, but I would never recommend them now which is a shame.
If cold brew is what you're after I'd say all the spots listed so far are solid but I've experienced variation of quality, strength, and taste on any given day - even the fancier spots aren't immune to some QC issues. They're all winners, but just in case you don't like one on first go give it another try another day!
Tikal
Nomad is possibly my favorite cafe in Ridgewood, but I confess I haven't tried their cold brew. I also like Vex El--doesn't seem to get mentioned much.
So many incorrect takes in this thread Weird OP too -- there are not that many coffee shops in the neighborhood and a cold brew is 4-5$. Just try them and see what you like most
I've been to almost every major city in the lower 48, and Topo's (1) is my favorite coffee shop in the US. I am biased, because it's very much a neighborhood hang, and I end up buying a book almost every time I walk through the door. . . . . . but it's a magical place, and should be protected at all costs.