A look at the NYC coffeehouses embracing coffee rituals from Sweden, Italy, France, and more.
BY SHAUN MELADY
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Featured photo by Shaun Melady
New York City has many well-known coffee chains, but across the boroughs is a growing movement toward traditional European brewing styles. If you’re in NYC and want a rich espresso experience without boarding a flight, you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for right in Manhattan.
According to the National Coffee Association’s Specialty Coffee Report, consumer demand for specialty beverages is continuing to grow. Spots across the city are serving up well-known European-style beverages like the Spanish cortado and the Italian macchiato, along with rarer gems like the Italian marocchino and Swedish iskaffe.
Today, we’re highlighting six local shops sharing European coffee traditions throughout the Big Apple.
Embriago Coffee – Lower East Side
Walk along Rivington St. on the Lower East Side and you’ll find Embriago Coffee, a shop that serves its own take on the Italian shakerato, which they’ve called the Oat Shaken Espresso. This drink is iced espresso with oat milk and simple syrup, frothed in a cocktail shaker. The menu also includes the Portuguese galão, which combines one part espresso with three parts aerated milk.
“My vision for the shop was just going back to basics, where the coffee flavor is spotlighted,” says Embriago co-owner Samiel Fuentes. “I think being authentic to the drink is more important than branding everything as being from a certain place.”
One of Embriago’s specialty drinks (and perhaps the most popular) is the Einspänner, a drink with roots in Vienna, Austria, that has recently become popular within contemporary coffee shops around the globe. “I use the framework of staying true to its original form as a Viennese drink, where the coffee flavors still really come through—less of a dessert,” Samiel shared with Barista Magazine.
Café Sabarsky – Upper East Side
Located within the Neue Galerie, a museum of Austrian and German art located on Fifth Avenue and 86th St., Café Sabarsky is an Austrian café that recreates the traditional coffeehouses of Vienna. Like Embriago, this shop also serves up the Einspänner, theirs being made of espresso topped with a thick layer of unsweetened whipped cream.
Another option on Café Sabarsky’s menu is the Wiener Melange, which blends a single shot of espresso with steamed milk and milk foam. These drinks trace their origins to the grand cafés of 19th-century Austria, bringing Central European coffee traditions directly to New Yorkers.
Sant Ambroeus – Various Locations
If you’re looking to experience Northern Italian coffee culture, Sant Ambroeus is your ticket. This coffee shop operates multiple locations across Manhattan and, notably, their menu contains the marocchino, a beverage originating from Piedmont, Italy. Baristas make this drink by dusting a small glass with cocoa powder before adding a shot of espresso and a layer of frothed milk.
Caffè Reggio – Greenwich Village
Caffè Reggio on MacDougal St. in Greenwich Village is a bit of a New York legend—this spot is said to have introduced the cappuccino to the U.S. over a century ago. Today, the café continues to serve this Italian drink in its traditional form, combining espresso with steamed milk and an airy layer of foam.
This spot is also an ideal place to enjoy an espresso Romano, more of an Italian-American drink that pairs a single espresso pull with a lemon twist. The citrus cuts the bitterness of the dark roast beans—a beverage that stays true to Southern Italian style.
Fabrique Bakery – West 14th St.
Fabrique Bakery on West 14th St. near the Meatpacking District is a Swedish company that offers a taste of Scandinavian café culture. Here, you can buy a customary Swedish kaffe, a strong drip brew usually made from light roasted beans. This lighter roast preserves the floral and fruity notes found around Stockholm coffeehouses. Another item to enjoy at Fabrique is the iskaffe: iced coffee lightly sweetened and mixed with oat milk.
Both of these drinks reflect Nordic preferences for light roasts and a pop of acidity, offering a great way to experience what is fondly known is Sweden as fika, a coffee break that isn’t just a hit of caffeine but rather, a chance to unwind and connect with friends and family over a cup.
Buvette – West Village
On a corner of Grove St. in the West Village is Buvette, a Parisian style gastrotheque that embraces French coffee-drinking traditions. Here, you can order a café crème (sometimes known simply as une crème), which is espresso combined with hot milk, similar to a latte. This drink originates from Parisian coffeehouses and traditionally uses whole milk or a denser milk substitute for richness.
Your server at Buvette may also suggest the noisette, an espresso shot marked with just a drop of hot milk. These selections are reflective of routines seen throughout France.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shaun Melady is a lifestyle journalist and content creator. His contributions appear in Upscale Living Magazine, Chilled Magazine, Robb Report, and various other publications. In addition to his journalism career, Shaun is a social media content creator, an international actor, and a model. Before transitioning into journalism and entertainment, he had a successful career in marketing communications, managing public relations, marketing, and communications for various global companies. Follow Shaun on Instagram at @ShaunMelady.
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