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Category: Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Union Square, Greenwich VillageUnion Square (4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W)
14th St-6th Aves (F, V, L, 1, 2, 3)
14th Street (PATH)
"Roots and Vines is a destination, folks. Travel here if you don't live within walking distance. It's worth it. Seriously. My brother and…" read more »
Coffee is an Art, not a Science.
It's worth mentioning. Take a moment to walk around the espresso bar and take a look at the barista making your drink. You'll realize the employees here truly put love into every cup, so aptly memorialized by the heart-shaped foam at the top of your drink.
First off, they measure heat by hand by keeping their hand over the milk jar. The issue with measuring via a thermometer is that it may be too late before your remove the milk. Burnt milk within a cappuccino kills the flavor of the drink. A true latte/cappuccino should not be scalding hot, but a nice and comfortable warm temperature.
Second, they take the time and care of only foaming their milk in small jugs, thus alleviating any need to "re-foam" and thus creating either too little, to thin, or too thick of a foam. It also tends to change the taste and texture after multiple heats.
Third, they pound the milk to allow the foam to settle. A true foam should almost be a transition with the milk, rather than a light and fluffy separation from the liquid portion. This extra care, although time consuming, creates a significantly better pour.
I appreciate the care they put in, and it is worth mentioning. Please take a second and give this place your business. Effort and care should always be awarded in an era where businesses tend to commoditize everything. This is a chain that still adheres to their core values as true values, and not just a statement in an employee handbook.
CAVEAT: Deserving of this rating on coffee only. If you're a sit and chill person, either try a… Read more »
hmmm, am not really sure about what to say of this place ---it just reminds me as of this writing of a relatively unassuming coffee place anywhere in the city (as in, working not to be compared to starbucks, or even something similar to it)...i had medium sized coffee & a scone here, at around 4ish in the afternoon, while outside, the rain continues to fall. i had to ask someone to share his table with me, while he works on his assignment. man, the whole place got crowded FAST, but it looked like people didn't really mind at all. at the next table to mine, i could not help but overhear w/o trying hard (even if i didn't really want to listen actually, given my stressed mind nowadays after a long gig the last weekend) the topic they're covering, which was on a negotiation between a job offer for a project-based employment for a designer's job(of which kind, i was not sure of)...i wanted to butt in & explain to the fellow being offered the job that the arrangement's really a sophisticated ploy used by businesses to save on direct costs, & show a profit&loss statement that uses "labor" as a part of the various costs of coming up with a service or a product---it's dehumanizing in the long term, unless if you own the business, LOL.
well, i may just be back to this coffeeshop as soon as i got the chance. btw, the coffee was OK, & i enjoyed the scone.
Joe the Art of Coffee---what could I say to convey how I love thee? There are several reasons to love Joe and trust it implicitly to meet all your (re)fueling needs:
- accessibility: multiple locations around the island to insure maximum coverage...ie, no matter where your path takes you through the city, you can just about rely on having a Joe's close enough to your path to give you an extra boost if you need to incorporate a subway layover on the way to your destination.
- consistency: a cappuccino today is going to be just as kickass as a cappuccino tomorrow. . .a cappuccino in Grand Central Station is going to be just as kickass as a cappuccino in Union Square. . .Joe's knows how to train its baristas so the product is always grade A with a flavor and texture that is top-notch and consistent across the board
- love: Joe's treats its product with respect, from the choice of bean, to the grind, to the extraction, to the milk. . .you will not get burned milk, you will not get an overextracted shot (many times you will see their baristas pour out a shot that just didn't cut it while making your drink), you will not get a half-assed drink.
If you haven't already, go see for yourself. Joe's meets all these expectations and I love them for it. Yes Mr and Ms Joe Barista, I love you. If I didn't have intimacy issues or fear of restraining orders, I would even hug you.
SERIOUS COFFEE BAR WITH MULTILE LOCATIONS IN MANHATTAN
I have read a lot of press on their coffee and I was looking forward to tasting their lattes.
Latte
I ordered a regular latte and it arrived in a small paper cup with a rosetta pattern on top. It was a great latte and if I lived in New York this location would be one of my regular stops.
Iced Latte
L ordered the iced latte and he said it was very rich and satisfying with a deep roasted flavor. "One of the best iced lattes I have ever had."
There was limited seating but we found a table and enjoyed our lattes and listened to the locals as they conversed about their hopes and dreams.
Friendly service and a fantastic americano secures four stars from me despite a couple of gripes:
#1: I like to go to coffee shops with other people, believe it or not, and that doesn't really work here. It's bigger than at the Waverly location, but still... the tables barely seat two, IF you get a table.
#2: It closes way too early. I would be here so more often if it closed even an hour later.
If you need some more hair on your chest, come to Joe's! I had an americano that totally kicked my ass and I loved it...
Cafe au lait please!
I'm definitely a fan of this joint, especially the morning- ahem, afternoon after a long night of drinking. It's also good for those regular mornings. You know, pick up a cup of Joe and saunter over to the Green Market types of mornings.
OMG - I don't have a ton of time right now but want to write a quick blip on my latte today. Quite simply, the nectar of the gods. Would be five stars if they accepted cards, as I have been denied this heavenly fuel on several occasions when I have skipped by without cash in hand. But you must give their christ-like beans a try!
this place is fantastic. I've been meaning to come in and try their legendary artsy foamy beverages forever, and yesterday, I did.
I had a good ole fashioned cappucino-- no fuss no frills. And I got a little love on top of my froth. That's right. The baristas put a little heart into my capp to help me find that lovin feeling that some song out there tells me I've lost.
It was deelishissss. strong. perfect foam to beverage ratio. perfect size. perfect temperature. and if I closed my eyes, I'd have to sip twice to make sure i wasn't in italy.
I also had a chocolate covered macaroon. I can't not get the chocolate covered macaroon. Ever. So I got it. It was a splendid little midday treat. YUM pretty much describes my experience as a whole.
One star knockoff bc the place doesn't exactly throw it's arms around me when I walk in. It's smallish and definitely cute, but just not quite as cozy-feeling as my heart desires.
I've struggled to find good coffee here in the USA - probably hasn't helped that Starbucks dominates so many towns that independent coffee places have become really hard to find.
Joe's whipped up one of the best latte's I've had in a long time! The art on the top is cool, and the staff were nice. They have lots of "regulars" in this shop and it was cool how some of them chatted with newbies waiting on the line.
74 Yelp reviews, mostly 4 stars, for a rather ordinary coffee chain. Sorry, it didn't do that much for me.
I think people come for the coffee and pastries. The shop itself was rather boring. But the cappuccino was very good. Maybe I just don't appreciate art work on the top of my cappuccino.
I can dig it.
I dig the good Americanos and the occasional cappuccino. I dig the ~hot dudes~ who work here. I dig that, every once in a while, I see my friends here. I dig that it's close to my school.
Decent latte - though my large wasn't nearly full at all. Minimal seating with tiny tables. Sleek decor with high ceilings. The staff was friendly, and my drink was made fairly quickly despite there being 4 people ahead of me - but you have to wait at the bar to get your drink, because they won't call your name. Anyway, I'd definitely come again for coffee to go, but I might not go out of my way as a place to stick around and work.
Delish. I stumbled upon this place while roaming about the 'hood last year, and then was pleased to learn my company's new NY office just so happened to be around the corner. Hence, I made about six trips to this particular Joe within a week...
All the bevs I've tried have been good -- drip coffee, lattes, cappuccinos. Decent variety of baked goods as well.
They're just slow. Don't come here if you're in a rush. Also, a great place to chill -- interesting crowd and good photography -- but the tables are typically taken.
Certainly not worth a trip across town, given all of the wonderful coffee options in Manhattan -- but if you're in the hood, it's worth the stop.
I became a frequent Joe's customer while working in this neighborhood. The service is friendly, the cappuccinos and lattes are excellent (and pretty!) and they have a great selection of baked goods. The apple walnut muffin is delicious, and I've been dying to try other goodies they sell.
Most of the time when I visited (always at about 9:45 am on a weekday) I'd be in and out in just as much time as I would be at any Starbucks, but once in a while it would take a little longer. I risked being late to work in order to get a drink here on quite a few occasions, but their cappuccinos are worth the dirty looks you might get from your boss.
There are few coffee shops in the city that I would go out of my way for, but this is one of them!
MMM.... good old $5 new york espresso. great place if you live or work nearby. Good espresso, $4.5 or w/e for a latte. Be prepared to wait in line, they take a minute or two for every drink they make, which results in good espresso, but takes a while. Small place, no internet, just for the drinks. I would suggest think coffee or something like that for a sit down all day and do nothing place. Joe is good for a coffee break or on your way to work place.
A few years back I was venturing around my new neighborhood of Union Square. I'd never been much of a coffee guru, but tried an espresso at Joe's. Wow, I thought, this tastes different than any I've had before. Not surprisingly I was hooked. I went there almost everyday.
Later, I was planning a trip to SF, and asked one of the Joe's barristas for recommendations. It was then that I found Blue Bottle, and Ritual, and the rest is sorta history. A SF friend of mine dubbed these places "designer coffee". I like that, it's better than "gourmet" which just about every deli + starbucks use to describe their less than mediocre brews.
Upon returning to NYC I discovered Ninth Street Espresso (ironically on 13th street). They since renamed to Everyman espresso.
Recently I went on a trip to London, and went on a quest for espresso. I had tracked down a few online reviews of good places. I found so many good ones, Monmouth, Flat White, Milk Bar, Clemson & Hedges, and Taylor Street.
And when I think about it, my recent obsession with great espresso all started from this little coffee shop on 13th street. So if you haven't been there, I hope you try it. You'll never go back to the chains...
I had a friend visiting from Chicago, who is addicted to coffee (really) and so his pal from Chicago that used to live here told him about several coffee shops that he found impressive. Kyle seemed to take a liking to this one. He really knows his coffee down to the machines, and said that the one they were using is awesome and makes a darn good espresso. I'm not an espresso drinker, but I trust his opinion.
I've had a Mocha and a Cafe Au Late from there and both were tasty. Mocha was not overly chocolatey which is nice that it wasn't overbearing and the Au Late was pretty decent as well. I've also had a Soy Latte but from the 10th ave location which was okay too. Something about the atmosphere of this place is nice, although I'm partial to dirtier places like Porto Rico (which will remain my favorite coffee shop in the city- and it's cheaper).
Prices are high, but it's like 398238209830283028032 times better than Starbucks.
Place like this is what makes the city so unique. It's a standard coffee shop but yet unique. you wouldn't notice it unless you heard about it or read review about it
I ordered a cold-drink. turned out to be very good. I can't comment on there coffee yet. but my experience of this place is good so far.
Will be back one day to try out the coffee.
Joe's became my neighborhood coffee shop for my long weekend stay in NYC. I had individually prepared drip coffee on two occasions (the Ethiopian and Sumatra) and the standard Vienna Roast one time. All were more on the medium roast side and all were excellent. I was not too hot on the espresso I had though, it was bit bitter. I am used to really good coffee in San Francisco (Bluebottle, Philz, etc.) so many standards are pretty high. I was impressed with Joe's and would be a regular if I lived in NYC. The Almond Croissants here are also amazing. I lost count of how many I had over one weekend. The staff is also very friendly and knowledgeable about coffee which is cool. I was a little disappointed that the lack of size selection for the "I Love Joe" t-shirt but I think they can work that out somehow for my next visit.
Best espresso in New York, hands down.
Would be nice to have some free wifi access, but hey, you can't have it all.
They have a cortado which is my perfect drink. So I love them dearly for that. Their latte art is good and their coffee and shots, though by no means the best in the city, are rather tasty and beat your standard Starbucks outta the park.
But tell me, why does this place have to be so damn crowded?
I LOVE JOE.
First of all, the coffee is delicious (at least, in my opinion)...it's like a treat.
Second, the boys who work there are VERY cute. And everyone is friendly.
The atmosphere is great also.
Only thing that sucks would be: the line/how long it takes to get your drink, and the fact that I'm pretty sure I order the same thing every time I go, and the price changes all the time on it. Sometimes it's super pricey, and sometimes it's super cheap. Hmmm.
They close too damn early. I went @ 8, and they were setting up for the next day.
i wii come back to give you an actual review, eventually.
If I don't show up so early,
Really, 3.5 stars ( 3.34661. to be exact. what? me? jackass? no! ).
Reasonably good coffee, but not as good as the original on Waverly.
Seating is better than Waverly.
Closing at 8pm is somewhat lame.
Very friendly staff, nice ambience, spacious room with high ceilings and plenty of light. It tends to be quite a popular place any day of the week. I love the lattes and cappuccinos but mostly come here for Morrocan mint tea. I can also get lots of work done usually. Of course any of those beverages should not be without a delectable macaroon. I keep coming back for more.
Prettiest lattes around. They do know how to wow their customers.
The macchiatos are fantastic too, but it depends who the barista is it seems. It does take a little eternity to finally get your java in your hands, but it's usually worth it.
Crazy busy all the time and getting a table is near impossible because NYU seems to have a stronghold there.
Joe The Art of Coffee is for the inner coffee-snob in us all. Now, I must say, I don't drink coffee on a regular basis (chai-drinker est. 1997), but their beans are of the highest quality. Don't be fooled by the young, hip-looking baristas who whip up your "cup of Joe," they are highly-trained professionals who are well-versed in their coffee knowledge.
Note to chai-drinkers: Joe's chai tastes different than any I have consumed in the past. It's got a special sort of spice to it, which is not for everyone, but is why I like it.
Their biggest downfall I would say is that they do not take credit cards, which makes it awfully annoying sometimes. But, I'm sure it's better for them because most items are small things, so it might not be worth it them to pay the credit card companies.
Drip coffee was fairly dark, similar to a Peets but not quite as heavily roasted. The shop is small, just a couple tables in the front and a couple along the wall as you walk in. Service was super slow. It seemed like it took an eternity to get an iced late. Seriously several minutes with essentially no line.
I was chilling here for about an hour and the line around lunch time was continually huge, if the staff was cranking service times could have definitely been better. Oh well.
I fell in love with the Waverly location and Amy Sedaris' cupcakes. 13th Street is no Waverly place but it's right across the street from my new pad, so I am there more frequently.
Somehow it just doesn't have the same, "You and me against a Starbucks kinda world" vibe to it. But it is across the street.
So there's that.
The coffee is still quite nice and the baked goods are still worth the guilt.
Very good espresso drinks, mediocre drip coffee, a great assortment of local pastries, and several types of interesting loose tea. I'm guessing this place has wi-fi too based on the plethora of laptops I saw, and it has a clean bathroom and TWO seating areas, the main floor one and a smaller area on the second floor that can be accessed by a ladder - possibly one of the coolest things ever.
The staff are friendly and fun, and reasonably fast considering the busy hum of the place. My double cappuccino - ordered dry with extra foam, not taking any chances this time! - came proportioned as a cappuccino should be, with ample, good quality foam and a trademark leaf pattern. The espresso was very good. Not as good as a few other places, but the competition in this city is stiff.
On other occasions I've had their pear green loose tea (quite tasty with a massive portion of tea leaves and it's unusual to find pear flavoured tea) and their drip brew coffee. The latter failed to impress; it was overground or perhaps overbrewed or both, and so on the bitter, acidic side. I make it sound dreadful, but it was perfectly drinkable - I just wouldn't get it again. To its credit, it was quite strong.
They offer reasonably priced pastries here and quite a selection (muffins, cookies, cakes, almond french-toast like slices of brioche, and amazing looking cinnamon buns), making it difficult for my sweet tooth to decide. I spied a small cake donut ($2.25) and inquired as to who supplies their donuts? Response: Donut Plant - yay! This spoke volumes of the quality of edibles proffered. It was a very tasty plain glazed cake donut. A friend got a raspberry thumbprint style cookie, with the cookie part consisting, as is traditional, primarily of ground almonds, but I found it disappointing; the jam was tasty but the cookie was dry and lacking in flavour.
Overall, Joe's has some advantages over other fine coffeeshops in the area; its coffee may not be quite as outstanding but the pastry selection, bathroom, and pleasant seating area make up for much of that. This would be a good place to linger for a while and read or work.
I have come back to this location a number of times and can confirm that they are SLOW, and really unnecessarily so. I really don't know why it takes 10 minutes to get a simple latte. They have 3 people behind the counter, one of whom is a cashier, and I think they have two machines. Their Grand Central location moves along very quickly with only two people (1 is a cashier) and one machine. The coffee is awesome, the people are nice, the space is great, people watching is fun, the blue walls are calming but they are just so slow. Waaaaaah! I'll still go but I won't go when I'm in a hurry.
I can't rave about this coffee shop as I compare them all to Grumpy's but it's still pretty good.… Read more »
While I appreciate the care that was taken with my latte I was waiting to receive my order for almost ten minutes WTF?!
Wish the space was larger.
Wish Joe had been on this stretch of 13th when I was enrolled at the New School.
great espresso. really friendly service. my go to place for a pick me up. the inside area is just a little too small in my opinion to hang out in. i'd walk to nearby washington square park to enjoy.
I can't believe I didn't discover it until a friend took me there, but this is one of the best coffee/espresso bars I have ever been to. Not only is the price affordable, the espresso strong and the milk thick and foamy, the baristas know how to foam the milk and make a little swirly design on top- latte art for ya! This is one place where price does not compromise for quality.
Plus, when you eat the little muffins and donuts, you definitely don't feel that you're stuffing yourself with empty calories and bad sugar. With the friendly staff and cozy environment, this is a nice place for a little morning date or for catching up with an old bud from high school. Oh and did I mention that dogs are allowed in there?
Very friendly staff in a super-cute shop that serves up a perfect latte! So why not 5 stars? Very little seating and it's cash only. Still, they are good at what they do and I'd go back.
I'm not a coffee snob. You can ignore pretty much anything I have to say about coffee. That being said, they do serve up fabulous coffee here. So why only three stars? Well, while the coffee is great and the baristas behind the bar know their art well, they are not the happy, friendly sort of artists and seem to be either overwhelmed, bored, or just generally unhappy... it's like they've come down from their coffee high. I suppose that's possible, but seriously, a smile with my coffee would help me cut back on the sugar in it.
The place it self is very clean lined and a tad bit cold (decor wise). Still, it's a nice place and you can sit there (if you find a place) for a while without anyone really bothering you (unless it's crazy crowded in which case hogging a seat is a bit rude!)
I don't know if the coffee shop itself offers free wi-fi but my computer has picked up a variety of unencrypted signals so I was able to work there. They also have lots of sweet things to add to your coffee/sugar high, including Red Velvet cupcakes (made by Amy Sederis, I think?) Haven't tried those, but it's on my list!
I should mention that I once tried their frozen coffee (don't remember the name) and I had asked if it was very sweet. My overly-serious-unfriendly-unsmiling-but-skilled-ba rista replied sourly, "If you mean is it sweet like a Frappacino, then no, not that sweet". So that's what I got. And you know what? It was VERY sweet.
Oh well, lesson learned. Stick to the coffee in hot form, I guess! For people who are serious about coffee, go to Joe the Art of Coffee.
I only tried their latte's, and each time I did they were just your average latte's. The baristas attempted to produce some latte art, but failed each time - the milk was too bubbly for any kind of latte art action. However, I honestly don't care if there's latte art, as long as it tastes good - I'm happy.
Joe, with all the hype and publicity, you honestly need to step it up a notch. While every time I got latte's from Joe they were ok, they definitely weren't anything to write home about. Joe's is a specialty coffee shop, and I can honestly say that I've had similar in taste, if not better, latte's in various restaurants around the city.
Sorry Joe, but I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon. This expansion business isn't serving you, or should I say your customers(?) well.
I've had better.
Overrated and overpriced. Their drinks have way too much milk.
Good selection of drinks, but slow service and not very friendly staff. The line moves pretty fast,… Read more »
Sooo, I was disappointed. Joe, you do not live up to the hype *at this location*. The Waverly location hands down, has got this one beat. Maybe it was just an off day. I sure am willing to try again.
I met lovely yelpers Lisa C, Michael G, Joolie T and newbie from Germany Anja...and tried to describe the latte art - that should have been present.
The decor - kinda cold. And, I don't mean temperature. I didn't really like, didn't feel warm and welcoming, didn't feel like a place I'd want to hang out in...seating was not incredibly sparse, but not comfy either.
And yet, they get 4 stars (though I seriously debated 3, wish there was a half button)...cause, It was still a very good cup of cappuccino. Starbucks, I say screw to you!
WiFi and 10% Student Discount!
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