Jump to content

Cafe Grumpy, Brooklyn Roaster, Coffee Shop, and Bakery Now in Multiple NYC Locations


Recommended Posts

Cafe Grumpy - Chelsea - (three additional locations: LES, Park Point and Greenpoint). Read bottom Think Coffee review before reading up here to keep with timeline. Cafe Grumpy holds near and dear to my heart because this place is where I first had my coffee awakening about five years ago. I guess it's the heart of the staff and their careful training that brews up an excellent cup of joe which leaves you nothing but a satisfied "ahhhhh." When they had only the Chelsea location, I know that they started out using Counter Culture beans, but since September 2009, they have invested in their own Grumpy Roastery, churning out fine roasts and blends. I knew I wanted to start out my Sunday morning here. I kind of ruined it by ordering Iced Coffee, but gosh darn! it was such a rich way to start out my day. Redemption. Iced coffee was of unknown blend/origin, but it was mildly acidic, flavorful, smooth, and without a bitter aftertaste. I also do not know if it was cold-brewed or concentrated.

I started Saturday and Sunday mornings here this weekend at the 20th Street location in Chelsea. Their cappuccino was creamy coffee goodness. The shop was narrow, sleek, very well kept, and adorned with interesting artwork that appeared to be for sale. It is on a nice tree lined street right down the block from the NYPD 10th Precinct Station (which was about the only thing to remind you you were in the middle of Manhattan). The only negative for me was that they do not open until 7:30am on weekends which means I had 45 minutes to wander the streets passing probably a dozen open Starbucks in the process (NYC must have the highest concentration of Starbucks per square mile of any place I have been). Nevertheless, I kept my resolve and was glad I did. This is a coffee worth the wait.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cafe Grumpy - Chelsea - (three additional locations: LES, Park Point and Greenpoint). Read bottom Think Coffee review before reading up here to keep with timeline. Cafe Grumpy holds near and dear to my heart because this place is where I first had my coffee awakening about five years ago. I guess it's the heart of the staff and their careful training that brews up an excellent cup of joe which leaves you nothing but a satisfied "ahhhhh." When they had only the Chelsea location, I know that they started out using Counter Culture beans, but since September 2009, they have invested in their own Grumpy Roastery, churning out fine roasts and blends. I knew I wanted to start out my Sunday morning here. I kind of ruined it by ordering Iced Coffee, but gosh darn! it was such a rich way to start out my day. Redemption. Iced coffee was of unknown blend/origin, but it was mildly acidic, flavorful, smooth, and without a bitter aftertaste. I also do not know if it was cold-brewed or concentrated.

I visited the Park Slope location of Cafe Grumpy on Saturday and Sunday am. The space is clean and slick and is definitely designed to get people not to linger. Service was great on Saturday and slow on Sunday but I had plenty of time so it wasn't an issue. I had a decaf both days made using the "pour over" method. No bitterness at all and a hint of sweetness to the coffee over all.

They get bonus points for selling Raaka chocolate bars. Except they sold out between Saturday and Sunday when I intended to buy them to bring them home.

It was definitely better coffee than I have had previously in Park Slope.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cafe Grumpy - Chelsea - (three additional locations: LES, Park Point and Greenpoint). Read bottom Think Coffee review before reading up here to keep with timeline. Cafe Grumpy holds near and dear to my heart because this place is where I first had my coffee awakening about five years ago. I guess it's the heart of the staff and their careful training that brews up an excellent cup of joe which leaves you nothing but a satisfied "ahhhhh." When they had only the Chelsea location, I know that they started out using Counter Culture beans, but since September 2009, they have invested in their own Grumpy Roastery, churning out fine roasts and blends. I knew I wanted to start out my Sunday morning here. I kind of ruined it by ordering Iced Coffee, but gosh darn! it was such a rich way to start out my day. Redemption. Iced coffee was of unknown blend/origin, but it was mildly acidic, flavorful, smooth, and without a bitter aftertaste. I also do not know if it was cold-brewed or concentrated.

Beans are locally-roasted at their Greenpoint roastery. Available for sale starting at $16.00 in-store or online.

Cafe Grumpy's location on the les is at 13 Essex Street.

I started Saturday and Sunday mornings here this weekend at the 20th Street location in Chelsea. Their cappuccino was creamy coffee goodness. The shop was narrow, sleek, very well kept, and adorned with interesting artwork that appeared to be for sale. It is on a nice tree lined street right down the block from the NYPD 10th Precinct Station (which was about the only thing to remind you you were in the middle of Manhattan). The only negative for me was that they do not open until 7:30am on weekends which means I had 45 minutes to wander the streets passing probably a dozen open Starbucks in the process (NYC must have the highest concentration of Starbucks per square mile of any place I have been). Nevertheless, I kept my resolve and was glad I did. This is a coffee worth the wait.

I visited the Park Slope location of Cafe Grumpy on Saturday and Sunday am. The space is clean and slick and is definitely designed to get people not to linger. Service was great on Saturday and slow on Sunday but I had plenty of time so it wasn't an issue. I had a decaf both days made using the "pour over" method. No bitterness at all and a hint of sweetness to the coffee over all.

They get bonus points for selling Raaka chocolate bars. Except they sold out between Saturday and Sunday when I intended to buy them to bring them home.

It was definitely better coffee than I have had previously in Park Slope.

Cafe Grumpy now has an outpost in the Grand Central Terminal station, thankfully, as it combined a great history lesson, awesome coffee, and milk for little man. My only regret was thinking I had time to purchase a bag of beans before taking the subway uptown to catch the bus back.

This just means another trip back at some point....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...