Best Iced Coffee in NYC
Published 05/16/2017
New Yorkers like to complain about any number of things, but you’ll never hear us griping about finding a good cup of coffee. The caffeinated beverages in this town are absolutely first-rate—and yes, we’re talking about iced coffee, too. Understand, people: we need our fix. Sure, in warmer weather, a piping-hot cup of joe will do in a pinch, but it’s not something we’re going to seek out. We want to cool off, not heat up. Here we’ve assembled a short list of some of our favorite summertime spots, all of which serve frosty delights. Read our guide for the best of the best.
1
Devoción
1
69 Grand Street
This airy Williamsburg café sources its fair trade beans from Colombia, the owner’s native country. The beans, which arrive days after they’re dry milled, are roasted in-house—customers can watch—resulting in fresh and rich flavors. Try the cold brew, made slow-drip Kyoto-style, for an intense taste. This is Devoción’s second location; its first is in Bogotá.
2
El Rey Luncheonette
2
100 Stanton St
Owner Nicholas Morgenstern serves up some pretty interesting ice-cream flavors at his namesake parlor, Morgenstern’s (lemon espresso and black coconut ash, for example), so regular iced coffee just wouldn’t do at his Lower East Side eatery. Espresso-based drinks here include the Mexican iced coffee made with condensed milk, mint and sprinkled with chili flakes and cinnamon, as well as Vietnamese iced coffee on tap. The café also offers counter service and light dishes, including chia pudding and Japanese-style honey toast with whipped feta and almond butter.
3
Fab Cup
3
605 Forest Ave.
This cozy coffee shop is one of the only on Staten Island to serve their joe alongside a variety of healthy items. (Think smoothies, açai bowls and wheatgrass shots.) Aside from its cold brews and iced cappuccinos, we love their iced Spanish latté, made with both regular and condensed milk.
4
Jack’s Stir Brew Coffee
4
138 West 10th Street
One of the first cafés in New York City to serve organic, fair-trade coffee, Jack’s now sells its stir brew in five locations. You don’t have to be Canadian to enjoy the iced version of one of their popular drinks, the Mountie. It’s made from triple ristretto, steamed milk, cinnamon and—naturally—maple syrup.
5
La Colombe
5
400 Lafayette St
Our favorites here include the on-tap Pure Black cold-brew blend, which is brewed overnight, steeped in steel tanks, cold pressed and filtered before being served. There’s also an eye-opener called the Iced Jedi, which features a shot of espresso thrown over the Pure Black, and the honey and cinnamon almond milk cortado—as delicious as it sounds.
6
Maman
6
80 Kent Street
They might have locations in both Manhattan and Brooklyn, but Maman has South of France written all over it. The rustic French bakery café serves a menu of French treats like beignets, croissants and tartines. Popular drinks include the lavender hot chocolate and, in the summer, iced cappuccino with foam. Make sure to Instagram your Candice Kaye–designed cup.
7
Ninth Street Espresso
7
700 East 9th Street
Ninth Street Espresso has long been an NYCgo.com staff go-to. The spare aesthetics of the East Village locations (and its outposts elsewhere) match its menu—excellent, no-frills coffee. Try their iced espresso over milk for a summer-day pick-me-up, and you’ll likely be tempted to buy a bag of their beans. Fair-warning: it’s never as good when you brew it at home, but that hasn’t stopped us from trying.
8
Ok Café
8
22-04 33rd St
This unassuming Astoria spot serves eco-friendly, sustainably harvested coffee from Counter Culture, along with organic, hormone-free Trickling Springs milk. For an indulgent treat, try their Magic 8 Ball, made with New Orleans-style cold brew (brewed for 12 hours with roasted chicory and cane sugar) and then topped with vanilla syrup and heavy cream.
9
Toby’s Estate Coffee
9
125 North 6th Street
The cold-brew experience at Partners, the small-batch Williamsburg roaster, is among the special brews here. As soon as you taste it you’ll know why it’s noteworthy. This method requires steeping for 24 hours before being drained through cheesecloth, the result is smoother and sharper than a regular-drip brew. We love the chocolatey Brooklyn blend.
10
Birch Coffee
10
21 E 27th St
This popular coffee spot, which began in a hotel in the Flatiron District in 2009, now boasts eight locations each serving its signature cold brew. The cold-brewing process takes around 12 hours (done overnight) and uses beans sourced from Guatemala specifically for this blend. The result is a high-grade coffee with chocolatey notes.
11
To Laiko
11
29-29 23rd St.
Astoria’s To Laiko serves the frappé, a popular Greek summertime beverage, made by blending European Nescafé with water and milk. We recommend adding sugar; Nescafé tends to be bitter. Try it alongside the tyropita, a layered cheese pastry.
12
Zibetto
12
1385 Sixth Ave
A leader in the espresso game, Zibetto offers an Italian-style experience—sip and go, never linger. Their carefully selected beans are roasted in Italy and prepared using imported La Cimbali espresso makers. Try a shakerato: baristas throw one shot of espresso over ice, add some simple syrup, and then shake it up for about 15 seconds. The drink is strained and poured into a glass without ice.