"THOR is probably the best espresso I've ever tasted in my life."
(in 10 reviews)
"The iced latte is a real treat made with organic, Clover brand milk."
(in 7 reviews)
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Oslo Coffee
Rating Details »
Category: Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhood: Williamsburg - South Side133 Roebling St
(between 4th St & 5th St)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 782-0332
- Nearest Transit:
-
Bedford Ave (L)
Metropolitan Ave-Lorimer St (G, L)
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
59 reviews for Oslo Coffee
Review Highlights
I usually have a problem with spending more than 3 dollars for espresso with warm milk in it, but...damn! This coffee is worth every 300 and some pennies.
Plus I don't have to stick my tongue in ice after the first sip...I like that.
Just moved to the area. Definitely the best cup of coffee around. In fact, this is the best coffee I've had in years.
The only downside is no wi-fi. I understand you don't want all the flea-infested hipsters hanging out in your shop all day.
Staff seems friendly enough.
BEST SUMMER DRINK:
naturally sweetened hibiscus iced tea + black iced tea = the best $3 I ever spent this summer
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
4/1/2009
Thank you for being next door! You give me fuel in the middle of my day with your yummy muffins and… Read more »
Oslo Coffee roasts their own, which is what I seek. Their roast is darker than average, well-rounded, and their espresso is very efficiently and professionally prepared... but they charge an extra .75¢ for soymilk. That's the steepest I've even seen, and unnecessary. How can any coffee shop still get away with that? If I'm in the neighborhood again, I'll walk a few extra blocks to Gimme! Coffee instead. Just on principle.
Now that I no longer live a block away, I appreciate it even more. The coffee is good, assuming you like it quite bold, but their espresso drinks... I mean, the lattes almost taste like chocolate. BUT THEY DON'T. I have a feeling that that is not so easy.
Decent teas for someone who doesn't drink coffee. Plenty of seating, and you can sit yourself down for as long as you want.
LOVE Oslo. Not only are they right around the corner, but they are so much friendlier than the other coffee shops off of Bedford (Verb, I'm talking about you!)...The cashiers are always friendly, I never have to wait that long, and there's always a ton of extra newspapers scattered around for my cheapass to browse.
One drawback- the crazy dog-hating lady that lives next door and will have a pyschotic break if you tie your dog to her fence...
You would think that living in the mecca of all things "cool" (which it isnt), that finding a good cup of coffee or tea would be easy.
Sure you will try verb and realize that the attitude of the employees is one part diva, two parts failing artist, and that their coffee is mostly burnt and that its more of a place to be seen working on your shitty novel than to actually enjoy a cup of joe.
Then you will find oslo. Sure its not right there on the neon sunglasses highway known as bedford avenue but the service is friendly. The coffee will make you feel like you've been in the bathroom with sketchballs at lit til 6am and the earl grey is to die for.
This is THE bean in the burg.
Olso is an awesome little coffee shop in Williamsburg with excellent decor, staff, and drinks. Their iced tea is amazing, their iced chai tea latte is even better! The only downside to Oslo is that I have to exclusively drink tea because their coffee is way too strong for me! It is so caffienated that I either get a stomach ache or I'm bouncing off the walls! Oh well, tea's better for you anyway, right?
If you're in the mood for a serious cup of caffeine... no one does it better than OSLOS!!
Strong, flavorful coffee with cute seats and the staff is friendly. The service is quick and if you come often-- they take pretty good care of you.
Beware-- this is super strong coffee, so make sure you dont' drink it after 4pm or you'll be wide awake when you're supposed to be in bed!
They have a variety of cold beverages and tea too!!
I've spent the last 2 years or so wondering why my dad drove all the way into Williamsburg to buy coffee. And by "all the way," I mean from midway through Long Island... a good hour away. The supermarket's offerings always sufficed when I was still around. Now, please don't get me wrong... I'm very particular about my java. I'm that "type" that prefers spending the extra $5 for my Venti Starbucks over a large Dunkin' Donuts brew anyday of the week. Black with 2 Splenda... when I'm feeling dangerous, a little soy milk.
Well, after moving into town about 2 1/2 weeks ago, I decided to venture over to Oslo to see what the hype was all about. Let me just tell you: THOR is what it's about. Just as the name implies, I feel as if the God of Thunder hits my body with every sip. What a way to wake up.
Sorry, Starbucks, but you'll never touch my 2 travel mug drip coffee maker again. Or at least as long as I'm within 1 hour of Thor.
I love Oslo's coffee. *The* perfect way to start the morning.
Amazing, amazing iced coffee, with rotating beans so you don't get tired of the flavor. Always good. Really great, always changing selection of muffins too. (Only bad because you get a flavor you like and then don't see it again for a while! ahem, Pumpkin Raspberry Chocolate Chip) I love this place. I can see how it might seem just a little too expensive, but for the quality of what you're getting I think everything is priced fairly.
I just had to give props to Oslo AGAIN, since I'm an everyday customer to their other store on Bedford.
Dudes are WAY cool, let me say first off... and nothing would matter if the coffee wasn't amazing. Just read my other review, and you'll know what's up.
This place is best NYC coffee hands down.
A nearby coffee house is a small, good thing. At least it can be. It is also, today, a rare thing. With the sprawl of Starbuck's, the comfortable propinquity of a neighborhood café has become as endangered as the cobbler, the knife sharpener or the watch repairman. So I am fortunate to be about 50 strides from one of the best coffee houses in Brooklyn. Or am I cursed?
Oslo Coffee Co. has two locations: the first is a large store strewn with magazines and tables and woven by well-traversed airiness on Roebling Avenue in south Williamsburg; the second is a small shop with bar minimalist bar seating in north Williamsburg, on Bedford, near my apartment. The baristas move between the two workplaces with surprising fluidity. This gives each shop familiarity and allows me to tip on a can-do basis, alternating change and dollar bills to ensure an even 25% that, I believe, baristas deserve. This also means that the baristas I find infelicitous and fickle pop into my life when I would have them elsewhere.
This is a problem. Oslo has at least three baristas who, if I see them and can make it to the next point in my life without extracurricular stimuli, deter my patronage. And this is painful. Oslo makes my second favorite espresso drink: a cortado. Other places can make it, but Oslo advertises their skill in this area and thereby encourages one to enjoy this creamy drink. A cortado is an espresso tempered with steamed milk without foam. Oslo adds a bit of decorative foam for the efficacy of foam art, a leaf or a heart, but the steamed milk cuts the acidity of espresso deliciously.
When I see the barista whose sobriquet will be "J" I saunter in and enjoy his cheerful banter; when I peer in and witness the barista who will be called "X" I speed my gate and usually settle for a frustration and discontent.
Occasionally, I order an iced coffee drink. Oslo has the best Iced Coffees, and they seem prouder of those than their cortado. The iced latte is a real treat made with organic, Clover brand milk. Iced coffee and café au lait is made with chilled coffee so that the buyer is not left with a watered down drink. There are also specials such as the curious "rocket" which claimed to bear four espresso shots in a coffee with steamed milk and caramel. I passed that experiment in re-animation alchemy but found it utterly fascinating. "J" informed me it was quite popular.
The espresso is delicious, but Oslo does not roast their own beans, so they are dependent on the selection and quality of their purveyors. The product is consistent, however. The macchiato is served with a careful dollop that melts like butter in thick, earthenware espresso cups that keep the aromatic brew at the proper temperature throughout drinking and idling.
Oslo sells coffee by the pound and can grind to taste in an antique grinder that comes straight out of a Felini film. T-shirts of inscrutable purpose (Japanese bunny-people printed on teal Ts escape my interpretive skills and perhaps the skills of anyone less than Chomsky or Bloom) sell at a glacier pace. J had never sold one and seemed surprised that they were still pinned up to the wall, like archaic ciphers or graffiti hieroglyphs.
Besides the HR problems, Oslo is a real boon. In many ways their shady hiring policies serve to monitor my coffee intake and that fiscal category I fail to monitor: out-of-pocket, unexpected necessities.
On mornings that I have to go to work before Oslo's opens my whole day is off. This is by far the best coffee in the neighborhood. And I am a tuff critic.
If I were to say anything negative about Oslo's it would be that the atmosphere isn't so great but really thats not gonna stop me or any other coffee lover from going there.
As others have noted, the coffee here is in fact good. It's just that I am the kind of person who goes to a coffee shop to sit and read or chat for a good 30 or 40 minutes with my beverage of choice. There is not much atmosphere to speak of. Bland interior, no effective air conditioning and a lack of character make you wonder why you aren't enjoying a beverage of a different sort on the beautiful patio of a certain establishment down the street.
Still, if you are the kind of person who just wants to grab something to go or take some beans home with you, this is the place for you. The product is legit.
Let's see. You have Williamsburg, make that the Northside of Williamsburg. Besides bars being 2 or 3 to a block, not to mention those useless novelty stores where you can spend 100 bucks on an ugly all-weather scarf, what else is there a whole fucking hell of a lot of?! Cafes. So, you'd think that the owners of these places would instruct their "fresh faced" staff to be a bit more accomodating to the R&R customer (that's "rational and reasonable," ok?) so that they don't hoof it over to the cafe with marginally LESS snotty employees two feet away.
Oslo usually has been A-OK (3 1/2 stars), and maybe the other day it was just because of the insane heat and humidity and the fact that they don't have A/C in there, but, not only did I get an argument over what cup size four shots of iced espresso should go in, but after paying for it and even stating that I'd pay extra for the large cup so that it could be filled with MORE ice (yes, it really was about 95 degrees on Saturday and I'd like my iced espresso to remain ICED), they still fucked up my order. It took two baristas to do this and they've both perfected the same vacant stare, as well.
Not sure if I feel like braving this place ever again, especially if I god forbid want something outlandish like the wrong cup size for an Americano or something.
Also, the espresso tasted bitter as hell.
they're a little expensive ... but they're nice. and their sweet tea is delicious. i wish there were more places to sit, but the massive table is an attractive place to spread out. and maybe i'm just used to my juice being a little cheaper and having more space! oslo was in the right place in the right time for us. and they're in a nice building. great stoops around the corner to sit on, too!
The most dog friendly coffee shop ever, there is always a scene of tiny dogs mulling outside. This delights some folks, I am not one of them.
Owned by ex-Seattle coffee folks, Oslo has a decent pedigree. I've stop by many times but the lack of ac doesn't make me linger. The iced latte (too thick) and the iced tea (too bitter) are a bit pricey for what they are. I prefer to save myself for Manhattan caffeinated concoctions.
Why...whyyyyyyyyyyyyy does Oslo close so early? Can we all call them and complain so they stay open later? I thought this was the city that never sleeps!
Other than that, best coffee and lattes I've had...ever. And chocolate croissants...mmmm.
I have 3 words for you: Hibiscus Iced Tea.
(or as I like to call it, the pink iced tea)
Lightly sweetened, no caffeine, it tingles the taste buds! Just give it about 30 seconds, you will receive a nice little hit of sweetness in the back of your mouth!
PS Yes, the coffee is very strong and delicious, but the H.I.T. needs the good good love of the public.
I honestly don't understand the hype. Coffee was extremely hot. When I get a cup of coffee, I want to start sipping it right away. Not recommended here unless you want to get burned. The space seems a bit plain, a common round table, "shelves" by the storefront, and not enough chairs for more than 3 people.
I'll stick to my Dunkin' Donuts coffee, black, no sugar please. Or when I want to get fancy, I'll go to my secret crack-infused coffee joint for the 4pm pick-me-up.
I prefer this location to the one on the south side (they are actually not very far from one another). The coffee is good at both spots but this one has a lot more space to sit and read the Times or whatever periodicals they have lying about...This morning I leafed through a copy of ARTnews that Oslo subscribes to and learned about a Warhol and a Basquiat exhibit. I also like just sitting on the bench outside the shop and reading the paper with my coffee.
And the staff is very nice and smiley.
Believe it or not, if you want decent cofee in Williamsburg it's no easy feat. When I first moved here I used to frequent the Verb Cafe, but after an out-of-town friend got barked at by a cashier (don't ask) and the overall lackluster taste of the bands there, I was on the hunt for a new coffee spot.
Oslo's coffee is super strong and delicious. If you can't afford to go out for coffee every day, you can buy a huge bag of the Thor house blend of beans for nine bucks and it'll keep you stocked for weeks. Oh, also, the staff is super knowledgeable and not nearly as pretentious as anything on Bedford Ave.
As good as it gets!!
JD and the staff at OSLO serve the best coffee in Hipsterburg, quite possibly best in all of NYC.
Buy a pound of coffee ($10) , get any drink for free (-$4)!
... and remember to bring CASH.
THOR is probably the best espresso I've ever tasted in my life. This is coming from someone who has never been to Europe, though.
Who knows why, but I end up liking this place a bit more than the other Oslo location closer to me house. Maybe it's the different vibe off decor. Who knows. Lattes are decent. Still a bit thinner than I have come to like, but it's still purty good.
In the grand scheme of the treasure hunt for greatest lattes ever, it isn't really making my underwear seem too small.
This place is just so my life.
I get Williamsburg overload and must take a philosophical moment whenever I visit here.
To leave my luxury condo, go to this spotless and mildly pretentious coffee spot, slink down way too much money for good coffee, and head to my job in Manhattan; I arrive at some sort of penultimate yuppie overload.
Oh well. It is good coffee and I love this place.
It is way too busy though.
FINALLY the South side has some good coffee. I've been living on south 2nd for 3 years and although I love supercore they're not open for early morning weekday coffee needers like me. It's already given that the coffee is awesome--so good infact that I take it with me to soho becuase the coffee around me sucks.
welcome to the neighborhood!
Good coffee, friendly staff...though I wouldn't recommend trying to get in here in the morning. Not only is the line long, there are about 1000 artists and people with seemingly no job sitting outside talking about god knows what at like 10-11am! I can't even form a sentence at that time never mind take the time to go meet up with my friends and have a cup of coffee.
The hot chocolate here is good too, but $4 for a large cup of foamed milk and some chocolate syrup is a bit much.
There's obviously no question that Oslo has the best coffee in Williamsburg. They won't tell you where it's from or who roasts it, so don't bother asking. If you're a regular, they notice, and throw highly valuable "free drink" cards your way, redeemable for a latte or a quick ristretto shot - which is good, because Brooklyn coffee prices are approaching Manhattan-scale, and it adds up.
Stay away on weekend mornings, unless you like to take your coffee with all the hipster families in Williamsburg, and their screaming, free-roaming kiddies. I know I do.
great latte!! (think it was around 3 bucks) good fight with 9th Street Espresso. will try the reg coffee next time. A good place to hang around during daytime lots of lights and space.
I don't know much about coffee so I can't say much, but the prices are reasonable and it tastes good to me. My only complaint is that the lids don't stay on the cups very well which is SO annoying. I spilled coffee both all over myself and onto someone on the train yesterday because of it. arg!!
The coffee is good, but not worth the wait in the morning. I say, over rated. I would much rather go some where less crowded. When they raised the prices last year I quit going.
Never disappointed. By anything.
Really great coffee and espresso, and that's about it. But I'm not looking for much more when i stop in here for the 2 minutes it takes to get my drink.
Once, and once only, did I stray from my routine, and it turned out to be a huge mistake. My foray into the world of Oslo pastry--specifically a soggy piece of cardboard masquerading as a pain au chocolate--almost turned me off this place. But then I had another Americano, and fell back into the arms of my lover. Oslo, I'll make sure you never hurt me again. Coffee only.
Oslo...
I so slow in da mornin'
Oh I feen for da caffeine...
When I getz da pain, I can't refrain...
And when it hurts I must revert...
Keep yo 'spresso flowin'; to you I'm goin'
Oslo...I go, I go, I go
Best Coffee spot right before heading to work. Make sure you head over here.
