Cafe Bamba

Very friendly barista, free wifi, cool décor, and they accept the Cups app! Use the code: u6atf and get a free $ 10 credit!

Too much flirting by the person who works there. Cute place, looked great, and I’m sure they had good intentions, but I left before I even had a chance to order. That’s not why I’d come in. Bummer.

Al little Brooklyn in Manhattan.
This place has a Brooklyn vibe, which isn’t necessarily a bad or good thing, it just is. Picnic style tables and mellow staff. Café Bamba is very bright in the afternoon with the light streaming in the large window. My friend’s espresso was good, as was my iced latte, both more expensive than other coffee places in the area. When you pay more, you expect to get a little more — however, in this case, you get less. The espresso didn’t come with a little piece of chocolate that everyone loves and has come to expect and the selection of sweetners is very disappointing. The only sugar is cheap, white cane sugar — no sugar in the raw. And as for the non-​calorie sweetners, Café Bamba only offers Sweet ‘n Low, the cheapest and least liked of them all. No Equal, No Splenda — obviously because they cost more. So for a spot that charges more than everyone else, to not offer the choices others do is a big negative. I shouldn’t have to bring my own Splenda when buying a coffee. Even the local diner up the block offers Spenda with their $ 1.75 coffee (and free refills too). Also, I’m not germaphobic, but the other negative about the place is the pastry out on the counter and open to anyone touching it, breathing on it, coughing or sneezing on it. It should either be behind glass, or sit on a plate with a glass dome over it. Hopefully Ariana Grande won’t be stopping by for a lick. The music they play is hip-​hop, and at one point was so loud a few people complained, so it was finally turned down to a reasonable level.

Great place. Had to wait a bit for my toast, but that was indeed worth it!

I live nearby and I was so glad when this placed opened! Though the famed grumpy café is close by, this place beats it for being spacious, quieter, allowing laptops, having a real (and delicious) menu, and having the friendliest staff!

Can be a little expensive (drip is $ 2.50, latte is $ 5), but you can tell they really care about what they serve. It was a little weird coming in and not seeing prices next to their menu but they have a printed version at the counter with everything listed.
Baristas are super friendly, the opening hours are good, and there’s enough table space to get work done in peace~ The art is also pop-​deco and is colorful enough to keep you from falling asleep in the warm space.
I’m definitely coming back to try their Nutella Toast, which is sweets and nutella piled on top of Balthazar banana bread!!! Does that not sound amazing?

Uncovered pastries, flies. Door open on a chilly day. Barista making sandwiches with his bare hands. Should’ve invested his savings elsewhere.

Excellent meal. They just started serving dinner. Delicious arugula salad with amazing dressing. Delicate prepared salmon with seaweed and grilled apples. Delicate and lovely. A nice surprise. Good for before a movie or The Joyce.

Love this place! Great, strong coffee and good pastries. Haven’t had the food yet but it looks tempting. It’s become my new go-​to spot for both meetings and reading — it’s very sunny and pleasant and the tables are a nice size.

A nice new addition to the Chelsea coffee scene!
The interior is really well-​done. Lots of light, really fun art lining the walls, colorful chairs, the whole works. A couple people were working there, and I think they had the right idea. If I lived closer I’d love to sit and stay for a bit. Seems like wifi is available.
The coffee is pricey (no prices on the wall menu, oddly) but I think that speaks more to the location and the general cost of operating a small business in the Chelsea area. I hesitated to hand over $ 5 for my latte, but it was definitely quality coffee. You could see them carefully working behind the counter and putting real care into small touches like the latte foam.
Service was very friendly and the baristas had a sense of humor, which is always a pleasant surprise in Manhattan let alone coffee shops. I’d love to come back sometime and leave a more detailed review, but for now, it’s a thumbs up from me!

They serve moderately good but expensive coffee ($ 3) and they do not offer refills, which makes it even more expensive. Wifi, lots of natural light, bathroom, and outlets are positive. Unfortunately, their competitors (Grumpy, Toby’s estate, Intelligentsia) are quite better for now.

Lol @ the person angry at the multilingual ambiance of this café. Dunno who she’s referring to when she says «do ‘we’ need to be excluded». If you can’t stand people speaking multiple languages NYC might be the wrong place for you. try a cabin in the middle if the woods.
Anyway! I love how much effort they put in to the food here. Pretty simple menu; toasts, parfaits, sandwiches, but they always go the extra mile with presentation
Also, most interesting music selection of any coffee shop I’ve been to in Chelsea lol. I dig it.

They reeeeally need to get their act together in terms of barista skills. Not everyone behind the counter knows what they are doing. At $ 4 a cup, and with Rex, Commons and Grumpy’s down the street, it’s unforgivable. (Picture of my cappuccino as presented by barista; spilled milk all over cup and plate and weak brew, flimsy foam)
Also they yell across the shop in a foreign language CONSISTENTLY. At first I didn’t think anything of it but after an hour of this it got on my nerves. Are they talking about me? Why are they yelling? Do we all need to be a part of their conversation? Or completely excluded and observing? Kinda like that annoying loud group that stands right in front of you seated on the train which was otherwise peaceful before they entered.
You get the picture.
That said, some perks include:
Bright, spacious atmosphere
Wifi
Outlets
Bathroom (a novelty for a café in this area)
Diverse but fun music (whatever the hell that means)

This café is becoming my favorite one in NYC. I pretty much go there everyday. The food is great. They have the best espresso in town and the staff is Amazing. It feels like family and you never go wrong with the food. Just delicious. A++

Excellent coffee, staff and music. Cute place!
Probably the most personable team of people in a coffee shop that I’ve ever met.
The food looked amazing, but I’ll have to try next time for lunch.
*the music was a bit too loud… it all comes out of one speaker directly over one side of tables.

Very cute spot. I just was walking by and one of the friendly owners waved, so I went in. Very nice ambiance with super cool art. Awesome music too and one of the owners friends actually gave me other music suggestions after I inquired about what was playing. Will likely return. One star off for being pricey, but hey, its Chelsea!

My new favorite neighborhood café! Friendly service, great food and coffee. The welcoming atmosphere is very comfortable with soothing world music. The rotating art is better than a lot of galleries… you definitely need to check this place out!

Very happy to have a friendly attentive coffee spot in this area. Been there a couple of times — warm, friendly staff and excellent food — small and intimate — great experience and value

A recent addition to the Chelsea coffee circuit. I’m a big fan, and not just because I live around the corner! Really dig the aesthetic — art deco chic, lots of cool paintings and photos on the wall, succulents (!!). Plus, some delicious cold brew iced coffee that I’ll absolutely be returning for. The barista was very friendly too.
Free wi-​fi, of course!

Unbelievably good find. Was just walking around my old neighborhood when I came across this place. Great atmosphere and the menu is quite varied.