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D'Amico Foods
Categories: Food Coffee & Tea Food Specialty Food Coffee & Tea, Specialty Food [Edit]
309 Court St(between Degraw St & Sackett St)
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Neighborhood: Carroll Gardens
(718) 875-5403
- Nearest Transit:
-
Carroll St (F, G)
Bergen St (F, G)
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
47 reviews for D'Amico Foods
Review Highlights
"This the best cup of coffee I've have ever had."
(in 3 reviews)
"...you walk in and they are roasting coffee beans in your face."
(in 4 reviews)
"Seriously, the had a coffee roaster on site, and a cup of..."
(in 7 reviews)
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47 reviews in English
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Review from Peter D.
11/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Do you drink coffee and/or know people who drink coffee? Then you should know about D'Amico.
I was eating brunch with a friend down the street, and she mentioned that she needed to buy some coffee, and that she'd probably just go to the Starbucks on Smith.
Absolutely not. Not while we're in Carroll Gardens. Not on my watch. Not while D'Amico exists.
I brought her over, and watched as her eyes widened in wonder. I watched her marvel over the machine mixing and roasting beans right in the front of the shop. I watched her peruse all the options, finally picking a blend (organic, fair trade Sumatra). I listened as her and the helpful coffee guy discussed the type of coffee machine she had, and watched him grind the beans into a bag. I watched her pay, and smiled when she said that while not cheap, it was a better price per pound than Starbucks.
And then I allowed her to kiss my ring for showing her where she SHOULD be buying coffee. -
Review from Emily L.
Brooklyn, NY
2/3/2012
There is nothing like a freshly brewed cup of coffee. When you walk in and smell that coffee on a winters day, D'amico foods is where you want to be.
It is a warm environment with quality products. Friendly service too! -
Review from Donna F.
9/21/2011
There is a feeling one gets when they've been hit by a brick reading the sentence ''Yeah, this was right under your nose the whole time... you schmuk.' I know this feeling intimately, especially after stepping into D'Amico's.
I walked into D'Amico after using the last dregs of my Lavazza reserves (I know, I know...) as I haven't had time to pass by Stumptown. I had seen the reviews for D'Amico's and decided, why not? Thank god I was in a trying mood.
After browsing the wall of amazing smelling beans the owner asked me some questions. I felt like I was at a beauty counter getting my personal fragrance. Then he told me 'Vienna' with absolutely no reservations.
Vienna. Like I was being told the whole of my life's future in one word.
I bought a bag and left with a quizzical grin. Immediately upon entering my kitchen I got my stovetop coffee-maker out and started a-brewing. I am now sitting, writing one sentence and taking one sip in turn as I cannot put it down. I don't know if this means I am easy to read or if the owners are just that good but, I can honestly say I don't give a damn. This is the best cup of coffee I have had this side of the Arno or Hudson.
I love my Stumptown but, for the prices and the amazing service, D'Amico, you have a new addict to supply.Listed in: Gobble Gobble Cobble Cobble
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Review from alicia k.
Atherton, CA
1/28/2012
Awesome place to pick up coffee. I love the atmosphere. It feels very homey.
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Review from Ali F.
Brooklyn, NY
12/2/2011
Its as if they grow the coffee themselves. The best part of these guys, is when they are making fresh coffee, no lie, a 2 block radius around them smells the fresh coffee being made. ( live 4 doors down). awsome people. Awsome coffee.
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Review from Andre P.
7/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
I used to work in the area and loved going to D'Amicos. Really friendly, good food, tons of coffee, and a little bit of an Italian grocery store. I used to really enjoy the sandwiches - home made with lots of fresh ingredients.
But the other day they didn't have any soft cheese! Bread was kind of plain. And they don't make espresso with their blend, which is kind of ironic considering the amount of coffee they produce. -
Review from Daniele D.
New York, NY
2/27/2011
The expectations are high. The competition for good espresso in this city is getting fierce and 'amanti di un buon espresso' (espresso lovers) rejoice!
So is it the best? No
Is it good. Yes, very good.
Unfortunately we are in 2011 and sleek looking, with fully trained baristi, highly technical process, and freshly trucked in - perfectly roasted beans are not missing from the city.
Where does this leave D'Amico? A little behind. You taste an espresso at Culture Espresso on 37th and its thick and fruity, yummy.
This is America at its best. It takes something done forever and it improves it to make a better product by applying technique and carefully managed process.
D'Amico is a quaint old establishment, full of dust and old jars, representative of a by-gone era where you can get still get an old school espresso, made from good fresh beans.
Should they clean up, blow the dust off their shelf and off their espresso making process? Damn sure they should, and that would bring them to truly be the best espresso on the east coast, one where history and tradition marries modern espresso making techniques.
The opportunity is there.Listed in: Hard facts about espresso
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Review from Vichnou P.
Brooklyn, NY
9/15/2011
Coffee is good , once I got 3 lbs of fresh mozzarella that tasted like coffee ruined my party, they make good sandwiches nice local joint
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Review from Valerie K.
Brooklyn, NY
5/29/2011
I grew up drinking this coffee, my dad brings my mom home GIANT bags of beans which she grinds every night. I think I was spoiled. You cant walk or drive past without being sucked in by the most delicious smell of roasting coffee
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Review from Fyza H.
Spring, TX
12/15/2010
Don't need to say more than I walked in here, stayed for a couple of hours doing some work and walked out smelling like heaven!
Read the other reviews for more helpful stuff. (: -
Review from Julia W.
8/19/2008
The aroma of freshly roasted coffee warrants five stars on its own. The small, mom-and-pop feel of the joint (complete with requisite old men shootin' the breeze on a bench outside or at the tables in the back) make this place so much more appealing than any high-falutin' coffee house. Add to that the coffee is wicked good and we have a winner, folks.
Maybe I shouldn't mention this 'cause it might damage my credibility, but I've never liked black coffee. I like it light and sweet. The Copenhagen blend at D'Amico, however, might just change my cream and sugar ways. Smooth and delicious with nary a hint of burnt bitterness, this black coffee is life-changing. For me, anyway.
And just when I thought it couldn't get better than a wink and a thick Brooklyn-accented "Take care" from the guy working the counter, I hear the older Italian guy telling someone he's "the lover."
I have no idea what he was talking about, but I'm a lover, too--of this little coffee roaster.Listed in: From The Windy City to The Big…
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Review from Abigail S.
Miami, FL
12/18/2008
This place is awesome. There's no basket of corny world music CD's by the register, no bespectacled wannabes blogging by the front window, no self-congratulatory display of "fair trade" coffees complete with long-winded, patronizing explanatory pamphlets about how we can all "get green". Ask for some sickly sweet fake coffee drink and you're likely to get laughed out of the store. And that's as it should be, nancy boy!
D'Amico is an old school, unapologetically un-PC place. The owners are serious about coffee and it shows. Huge open burlap sacks of coffee beans, white aprons on the staff, decor that doesn't seem to have changed much in thirty years, unsmiling patrons--it's all there. Be ready to order and don't give anybody any guff, okay?
The smell when you walk in is incredible, perfect, exactly what you hoped it would be--roasting beans, tasty baked goods, a faint hint of smoke. These guys know their coffee and but good. Don't think you can bullshit your way through a coffee conversation with the staff like I saw some random douchebag try to do on my first visit there; he left the store in abject shame after getting schooled about the difference between some particular roast he wanted and "regular beans". Fool! You cannot dupe the coffee man.
Not only do we buy our beans here and I stop in frequently for the best cup in the neighborhood, but they even put a gift basket together for us by special request and delivered it to my midwife in Windsor Terrace--no extra charge. That's great service. That's D'Amico. It's a Brooklyn institution for some very good reasons.
Go. -
Review from Yann B.
Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY
7/25/2010
Where's the best coffee in NY you ask? In my kitchen... Why? Because I get my beans from D'Amico. The "dark house blend" to be specific. And I use a French press to make it.
They roast their beans themselves (not all of them though, so might want to check), in small batches, so it's always super fresh.
The coffee you get out of those beans kicks Gimme, Joe, and all those supposedly "bests" in the rear... big time... every time.
By the way, If you believe Frappuccinos® have anything to do with coffee, forget everything you just read. -
Review from Risa G.
Brooklyn, NY
4/24/2008
This is the basicly not even worth thinking about. It is just the best place to buy coffee beans, hands down.
The people are local and I think have each been working there since the begining of time.
I have tried a few Colombian and Kenyan blends that were good, the carroll gardens blend that was a little to light for my perticular brand, the red hook blend which was good and little darker, and the house blend. I like the house blend for drip but my beau got it esspresso ground and WOOOO! So damn good.
The pounds range from $8 to $14ish? So its not like you are spending more than you would at the grocery.
Another great little specialty spot in Carroll Gardens! -
Review from S. M. S.
Brooklyn, NY
10/24/2011
It is what it is..and what it is is great coffee, old school atmosphere, a real find.
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Review from Kellser G.
Brooklyn, NY
8/6/2008
You know the 50's Hollywood version of Brooklyn you think of?
Go to this place (and the whole surrounding area basically) and you get the real life version.
Walking into D'Amicos is like walking into the past, a really charming past.
If you LOVE coffee you'll love a lot about this place. You can smell the coffee a'roasting from at least a block away.
The sandwiches are great.
The older Italian guys who hang out in front are keepers.
Love This Place! -
Review from Sadie S.
Brooklyn, NY
4/1/2008
I love me some d'Amico. It's well-nigh impossible to pass by its ancient storefront without being seduced by the aroma of roasting coffee beans (a process which, by the way, makes the shop VERY cozy in the summer, AC notwithstanding.) And be seduced! Both by the ground-to-order beans (I like the dark-roasted Red Hook blend) and a cup from the self-service station in the back of the store. (NB: If you are getting iced coffee, ask for ice from the guy behind the little coffee counter.)
The scene here is the real deal. Carroll Gardens old-timers while the day away at the back tables, winter and summer, joking with the owner and the highly competent and knowledgable Chris. In fact, when d'Amico goes on summer vacation, the guys still hang out on the benches out front!
They make sandwiches here and have baked goods (some of them from nearby Margaret Palca) but personally I go for the coffee and the ambiance.
Please note my impartiality. I still bestow a glowing review, even after failing to win the naming contest for a new, South American blend. "Mambo Italiano", people! The winning name can't have been as brilliant. -
Review from Amber B.
Brooklyn, NY
3/17/2010
Every single time I go back to my parents' house to visit, I have to smuggle this stuff across state lines. Their drug of choice? Hazelnut Cream- whole bean, not ground.
I love doing them the favor- the place just IS Brooklyn. It smells like Brooklyn, it sounds like Brooklyn, and it sure as hell tastes like Brooklyn.
My drug of choice is an Italian sub with peppers and fresh mozarella. It's huge and delicious and only $6 for the whole thing! People seriously still go to Subway and Dunkin's? I just don't understand... -
Review from Michelle L.
Brooklyn, NY
9/28/2008
Go directly to D'amico's for coffee. Do not pass go. There is no better coffee with less hullaballoo than D'amico's. Anywhere.
Walk in, pour your own from the selection of 5-6 blends in the back or iced coffee, and up to the register at the front you go.
P.S. I like to think it's the guys who work at the 3 (three!) local funeral homes who are yakking in serious Brooklyn accents at the cafe tables in the back. Gives neighborhood newbies like me a small thrill. -
Review from jacques w.
Belchertown, MA
6/9/2011
Best coffee! I buy the Columbian light and dark (mixed) every time I'm in town and bring it back home to MA. Get panicky when the supply gets low!
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Review from Mick S.
Brooklyn, NY
9/14/2009
When moving to a new neighborhood, finding a good place for great coffee beans is as important as finding a great butcher.
Fairway has been my spot for the past few years, but after one trip here; D'Amico is my new place for beans.
My favorite is the RedHook Blend. Dark, rich, and robust flavor without the acidity to make your gums bleed. -
Review from Taj M.
Castle Rock, CO
5/13/2011
A beloved friend and foodie sent me some "Red Hook" which one whiff from the bag and I was in love...... I have a method of dry rubbing meat for BBQ here in the Rockies and tonight I did a 1-2" thick ribeye and blended 2-3T of the 'Red Hook' into the rub.....the family is now sitting about like a bunch of gorged lions, rubbing their bellies and polishing off a spanish granache...which offset the flavors of the coffee in the rub.....this is beyond mere mortals' coffee...this is the java of the gods. Next I visit NYC and Brooklyn, you know I'm going to be spending my time and foodie budget in here. Kudos to D'Amico and my beloved friend for sharing!
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Review from Chowhundius I.
Brooklyn, NY
11/19/2008
I love this place: a slice of old Carroll Gardens. Great beans, freshly roasted, from all over the place. Also, great sandwiches. You can get fresh Italian [fill in meat of choice], w/ cheese and roasted peppers (!) on a roll for about $4.
Just to correct a couple of misconceptions in other reviews: 1) they are now open Sundays, until around 3 PM, and 2) you can get a cappuccino or latte, in the back. -
Review from Shelly F.
Brooklyn, NY
3/16/2011
I order their HOUSE LITE and the COLOMBIAN LITE and mix the beans together. It all makes for a great cup of coffee. Its always fresh in this place. They have many different types of fresh coffee beans, even decaf. You can take the beans or they'll grind it to your specs.
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Review from Keylime S.
Brooklyn, NY
12/14/2007
What better time to say something about the folks at D'Amico than now, as I just sat down to a cup of fresh ground, fresh brewed coffee purchased from them. First thing that hits you when you enter is the roaster (I miss the old one) and the smell that comes from it. Any caffeine jones is you might be having could be satisfied by that alone, but taking the bag home is the treat.
Prepared self-serve coffees in the back are always fresh (try the Red Hook blend if you like strong coffee), and in the summer they have a ice-coffee frozen slushy type drink that -while a bit on the sweet side for me- is perfect when you feel like having your caffeine but don't want to ingest anything warmer than body-temperature.
Brewing tools and utensils are along the shelves, usually whatever you're looking for they've got. Behind the counter are Italian cold-cuts, a fresh roast of beef daily for sandwiches.
I think bottom line with D'Amico is the very character of the place. They're not modeled after a corporate guideline or stringent rules of behavior, this is a family business with enough charm and character to develop a sitcom around. There's a certain comfort in seeing the same faces, always affable and welcoming, and knowing that they understand I am there for my two-pounds; Columbia-light House-dark blend, whole bean.
Ready for my second cup! -
Review from John E.
Brooklyn, NY
7/22/2009
I recently moved to the neighborhood and I have been trying to find a good coffee shop. As I walked by D'Amico I could smell pure caffeine emanating from the coffee roaster in the window and I heard an old man out front swearing in Italian... I decided to go inside.
It was like stepping back in time one whole wall is filled with containers of coffee beans for sale, which I assume they roast themselves (see reference to roaster above) and across from that is a deli counter full of fantastic looking Italian meats. Oh yeah and you can buy a cup of coffee too, 16oz is only $1.75, it's sad how exciting that is.
So far I've tried the House Light Blend which was a good everyday roast, the Copenhagen which is of a similar strength with a really interesting flavor to it, nothing over the top just really rich. Today, I had the Red Hook Blend which is their dark roast and is fantastic... It's still rich and tasty and doesn't have that charcoal taste that dark roasts sometimes get, but its got all the kick you could ever want.
As soon as I unpack the coffee pot I will definitely be buying my beans there... their prices were fantastic and its such a satisfyingly old school place. -
Review from Matthew S.
Jackson Heights, NY
2/8/2011
The smell is utterly intoxicating. When I ask friends to smell the freshly ground coffee I've just purchased, one whiff is all it takes... they start to swoon. I now purchase this coffee also as gifts for friends and family. This place is a gem.
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Review from Ethan M.
Brooklyn, NY
1/3/2011
I know this place is all about coffee so take this review with a grain of salt: I ordered a simple takeout sandwich here and it took ten mins for them to make it (I was the only one there) and it was really bland. I guess I'll try a bag of beans next time.
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Review from Nat J.
New York, NY
11/19/2008
As other reviewers have pointed out, this is a store that time forgot... Which means incredible quality of ingredients. The store is laid out in an amusingly inefficient way, and has a "we've done it this way for 80 years, so why would we change now?" vibe to it.
Service can really slow, especially if you ask for sandwiches which are amazing. The first time I asked for a sandwich the woman left to the store to go buy more bread from the bakery down the street. Worth the wait! If your in a rush take your blackberry and bluetooth headset and head elsewhere :) -
Review from Mike P.
Brooklyn, NY
8/9/2010 2 photos
No need to repeat all reviews below. Everything said is perfect. Wonderful coffee. I've only tried the Red Hook blend, but will be spending the next 12 months exploring all the different verities. Love this neighborhood.
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Review from Carl J.
Fresh Meadows, NY
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Review from Ben C.
Brooklyn, NY
6/21/2010 1 Check-in Here
This the best cup of coffee I've have ever had. Its not an artsy starbuck-sy cup of high end overpriced coffee - its a regular cup of coffee perfectly made. Very fresh, very strong (not too strong) and very good. Imagine the best cup of coffee you ever had - It's like that. I can't go anywhere else, once you go there you can't go anywhere else.
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Review from Sam P.
New York, NY
5/2/2007 1 photo
It's not often that I find myself in Brooklyn, but I recently got to know some of it's charms, and D'Amico is definitely one of them. It reminds me of my beloved Empire back in Hell's Kitchen as a shabby yet cozy place to get a cup or a pound of what you know is going to be amazing coffee. Stick with the beans as the pastries are pretty lackluster, as are the surroundings. But what it lacks in presentation it makes up for in charm and coffee roasting skills. This place has been around for 80 years, and I bet it'll be around 80 more. If I ever make the move to Brooklyn, I have a feeling this is where I'll get my grounds.
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Review from Tina E.
Alameda, CA
4/18/2007
This is my neighborhood shop for acquiring the coffee bean that I love so much. The atmosphere is old school and the service is speedy. The other day when I went to buy my french roast and mocha java, there were a group of neighborhood gentlemen reminiscing about days gone by, family friends and local business. I felt like I had popped into a bit of a time warp, a time before the neighborhood was full of young professionals pushing strollers. Though not pushing a stroller, and currently unemployed, I felt like a bit of a outsider. The days of the Brooklyn social clubs has faded (the real ones, not the trendy Smith Street bar), but this place has an air of that old community. The local flavor is in the beans.
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Review from Heath R.
Los Angeles, CA
9/24/2006
For more than 50 years, this coffee roaster has served Carroll Gardens. They run a mail order business, as well, but on this site, you can buy whole bean or ground coffee roasted by the proprietors -- or hang out in the small cafe and seating area in the back of the store. C. and I stopped by for a pound of beans the other evening. She described what kind of roast she liked -- and specified that she preferred organic. The young man working there recommended a bean, and away we went. Not as jam packed or hectic as the beanery I've been to on the lower east side -- I forget its name! -- but still an experience.
Listed in: For Cobble Hillbillies
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Review from Sarah F.
Brooklyn, NY
12/28/2009
The coffee is wonderful and the store smells heavenly. Wouldn't get my beans anywhere else!
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Review from Valentina P.
Brooklyn, NY
4/3/2007
We make trips to D'Amico's to buy their dark roast coffee mocha style for our morning stove-top espresso. Amazing selection of coffee's and teas at non-yuppy prices. But remember, it's closed on Sunday's!
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Review from Jill F.
Brooklyn, NY
1/25/2010
Hands-down the best coffee in the neighborhood, without any pretense. Bonus: The old Italian guys sitting in the back, chatting all day long.
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Review from Joe M.
Brooklyn, NY
7/12/2008
A coffee fanatic's wet dream. I set out upon regular pilgrimages to this Caroll Gardens caffeine cathedral, and it's become the only place from which I buy coffee. The "Red Hook Blend" and Brazil "Santos" dark roast make espresso that motivate me into utterances rivaling the diner scene in "When Harry Met Sally". NBC ranked D'Amico's "Best Coffee Roaster in NYC", a title they well deserve.
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Review from Christina R.
Chicago, IL
4/5/2008
I am giving this place 5 stars exclusively for the price and quality of the coffee. I do not speak to the food or the ambiance in my rating, but ONLY to the amazing coffee. Seriously, the had a coffee roaster on site, and a cup of 16 oz. cup of coffee was like $1.25, but it was amazingly delicious coffee in a number of different varieties. They sell it by the pound, whole and ground. Plus, it appears to be a little family run joint, because when we were there some old lady with a thick Brooklyn accent was shouting orders from the corner where she was sorting through some business related stuff. The place is a little cluttered and it isn't terribly attractive, plus you better not be looking for a latte here people, but if you want a regular and delicious cup of coffee, this would be the place to do it!
