1. Ninth Street Espresso, East Village
By all accounts, Ninth Street Espresso was the first speciality coffee bar in NYC. The original location opened in 2001 with a quality-driven, minimalist approach to coffee and espresso, which the team maintains to this day. Ninth Street offers a basic seven-item menu with all nomenclature removed; guests simply select the size and style of drink they prefer and Ninth Street Espresso builds it for them. As owner Ken Nye says, “Our primary focus has always been quality. Everything else comes after that.” Ninth Street roasts its own coffee at the Pulley Collective in Red Hook, allowing them complete control from the roasting room to the cup.
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