Something that the pandemic took away from us, besides, you know, everyday life as a whole, was the ability to spend a morning sipping on a latte or an afternoon working in our favorite downtown coffee shops without a care in the world. One of my favorite parts of traveling to New York City, pre-pandemic of course, was finding a cute coffee shop and sitting right up against the window and people watching for hours on end. In a city that never sleeps, coffee shops are literally the foundation of keeping the town going.
Imagine being surrounded by exciting people with the perpetual scent of coffee swirling around in the air. Imagine the ability to plop down with an iced cold coffee, sans facemask, after a long walk to just relax. A place where the snacks are available, and the coffee is always fresh—a dream in today's world. But, it’s more than just excellent coffee that keeps me coming back to my favorite cafes. Sure, the drink is important, but the overall aesthetic and design of the shop is just as important as the beans. It’s truly all about the experience, the essence, and the vibe.
Now that life is, slowly but surely, getting back to normal, we've gathered three of the most well-rounded, aesthetically pleasing coffee shops in New York City. Wanderlust has hit hard, so we're living via daydreams hoping that one day, very soon, we'll be able to pop in and spend a significant amount of time at these shops that value design, quality, and aesthetics as highly as we do.
Stepping inside Felix Roasting Co. is like stepping into an entirely new world. If a coffee shop could take you on vacation, consider this a vacation of a lifetime. There are two locations in New York City; one is in Soho and the other on Park Ave., but it's temporarily closed. The in-house talent created all things design in collaboration with Ken Fulk Designs. Together, they have created an experience that draws its soul from the aesthetic movement of the late 19th century. In the store you’ll find a hand-drawn mural that’s made up of 500 individual tiles, a patterned terrazzo floor, and to-go cups to match. Every detail is exceptionally executed to allow consumers to step into a new universe and be taken on an extraordinary journey. Felix Roasting Co. is redefining "coffee breaks" and turning them into absolutely dreamlike experiences.
Devoción has brought a new freshness to their coffee shops with three locations in and around NYC that you've never seen before. The branding for Devocioón is by the ever-talented, Noeë & Associates, who were in charge of taking the famous Columbian brand and rebranding and repositioning to launch the brand in North America and to the rest of the world.
Some other shops' beans take almost a year to arrive at the shop; Devoción's beans come in a short 10-45 days because they buy and process their beans directly at origin . Not only are their beans fresher than we can fathom, but step inside, and you'll feel as though you've been taken from the hustle and rigor of the city and placed right in the middle of a Columbian jungle that's been converted into a hipster's office space. It's refreshingly eclectic, with leafy greens, deep leather tufted couches, pops of yellow designs, and rich wood furniture throughout the shop. Take me here, and I'm not sure you'll be able to get me to leave.
Ralph Lauren launched Ralph's Coffee in 2017, and it represents the timeless American spirit of the Ralph Lauren brand. With rich green hues throughout the entire branding system and a reminiscent logo of old-school diners, this branding is traditional and comprehensive in every way. Ralph Lauren himself stated, "The smell of freshly brewed coffee evokes so many memories for me. Mostly of my time spent with friends and family, the people I love. I wanted to develop these coffee blends in that spirit and create a place where people could come together and take a break from their busy days."
As an extension of the brand, Food Truck Promotions executed a custom mobile build-out of a little green coffee truck that's perfect for creating lasting, unique memories for customers. Additionally, Ralph's Coffee is getting brewed and packaged by Philadelphia-based La Colombe. Everything about this coffee shop and its branding is classic, timeless, and utterly representative of the Ralph Lauren brand.
