Where to find the Best Coffee in Soho, New York City

Ashleigh Fay
4 min readNov 8, 2020

Soho NYC is a neighborhood densely packed with lots of boujee cafes and coffee shops: some are a hit and some are a huge miss in my opinion.

To preface this, I did write a whole blog post on NYC cafes that seem all perfect on platforms like Instagram, but don’t actually have good coffee. Hence, people just go for the photos… ouch.

Also, I started off this New York City Neighborhood Coffee Guide with the West Village, which you can find

I’ve made the decision to only chat about and mention the BOMB places in Soho so that I’m not wasting anyone’s times on the bad… head to my Instagram Hyped Coffee Shops of NYC Post to see some of the hard misses….

Okay, okay. Soho — let’s get into it.

Here are my favorite spots to get coffee in Soho of Manhattan.

First Impressions: I first heard about this spot on Instagram when they first opened this past June. It’s an Australian inspired cafe (whoop whoop) that has a slogan “wtf is a flat white”. That sarcasm makes me crack up every time.

Final Thoughts: Super good quality coffee & the flat white definitely was a good one. It’s a great spot if you’re in the central Soho area and wanted quality to-go coffee with no frills.

First Impressions: I didn’t really ever see much of this spot on social media (nothing wrong with that). It’s definitely a popular spot with the locals. There was a steady line when I went.

Atmosphere: It’s a nice warm-toned spot with some spots for outdoor seating. I’d be really interested to go back here to have coffee there in a nice ceramic cup (if that’s their thing).

Final Thoughts: Gasoline is a pretty popular spot with the locals, which is generally a great sign. Pretty good coffee with talented baristas.

First Impressions: A really cute spot in the center of Soho. Adorable & bright French vibes with a decent amount of outdoor seats and tables. It is actually a coffee shop in a clothing store but they have a cute little window to order from on the street.

Final Impressions: When visiting Cafe Leon Dore I think I was on coffee number 5 for the day. I switched up my usual order of a flat white or latte and instead ordered a cortado (less milk kinda like a flat white but doesn’t have the velvety microfoam that a flat white does). Decent espresso and a good cup overall! It was definitely one of the most ample amounts of outdoor coffee shop seating I’ve seen so far in the city.

First Impressions: Okay. This spot has been on my list since DAY ONE! I’ve seen them all over Instagram for well over a year now and even heard of the name “Happy Bones” before then. I use the app called “Mapstr” and its been on my map/list to try for a while. I’ve passed it multiple times walking as well. Long story short: I’ve been wanting to try it for a while but it never was on the top of my list.

Final Thoughts: It was a good latte! The barista was super chill and again, I’d be really interested to go back once the world calms down a bit. I’m sure it’s a nice place to go and get work done.

Although I haven’t been to Maman’s Soho location (these photos are from their Tribeca location), I’ve heard great things about it and I still wanted to mention it as I’ve been to two of their other locations.

First Impressions: Very aesthetic — to the point where I was worried the quality wasn’t going to be any good because it was so “Instagram worhty”

Atmosphere: Very Instragrammable, very pretty, very dainty with a French vibe. Anytime I’ve been, they’ve been pretty popular — but honestly for good reasons.

Final Thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised that the coffee was actually pretty good. It’s a GREAT spot to go and grab a coffee and a sweet treat (I got a vegan carrot & pumpkin loaf and it was divine). Thankfully, this spot not only has the aesthetic, but has the quality too. praise.

{Tribeca location on the left, Flatiron location on the right}

Thanks so much if you came this far! I’ve been enjoying putting together this “mini series” of coffee guide to different neighborhoods in Manhattan.

Don’t forget to check out my West Village one.

Tribeca is up next!!!

If you liked this guide, or found it helpful please let me know! I’d really love feedback.

If you’re on the look out for more coffee guides: Best coffee in NYC (also the most instagramable spots)

Best coffee in Portland, Oregon

What to look for when choosing a coffee shop to spend your money at

Lots of love,

Originally published at https://flippersandflatwhites.com on November 8, 2020.

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Ashleigh Fay

An aspiring marine biologist takes on coffee culture, travel and lifestyle. I’m 23 and NJ based.