The Daily News looked at some neighborhood cafes off the Starbucks-beaten-path in the city. They mention places in Queens (Avenue Cafe at 35-27 30th Ave. - Nutella crepes! - in Astoria and Oasis Cafe) Staten Island (Muddy Cup with books to borrow. ), Brooklyn (Greenpoint Coffe House, 195 Franklin at Green; Williamsburg's Japanese cafe Supercore, Bedford, between South 1st and 2nd; and Pask Slope's Tea Lounge, 837 Union) and Manhattan (East Village favorite, Cafe Pick Me Up on Avenue A; Ziggie's Cafe, 1817 Second Avenue at 94th, with fresh wraps and free WiFi. Sunburst Espresso Bar at 206 Third Avenue; Sweetheart Coffee Bakery 69 Eighth Avenue; and Zanny's Cafe near Columbia), all of which sound nice. Which got Gothamist thinking that finding a new place for coffee and a snack, one that is conducive to reading a book or writing that screenplay we keep takling about (think Speed meets Kindergarten Cop meets Ishtar), is a difficult but ultimately rewarding journey. Currently, Gothamist is fond of that import, Le Pain Quotidien (nice atmosphere, with a nice menu of savories to accompany the sweets and various coffees), Patisserie Margot, The Hungarian Cafe, and Cafe Reggio.
What are your favorite cafes? And LS.com is at the ready to let his LES brethren know about an impending an Starbucks as well as what New York City's Starbucks look like.
