Cafe Silan

Good food, drinks, and locations. They have a nice selection of sandwiches. As others have said, the downside is that it is rather small, though I had no trouble getting seats the few times I’ve been.
Definitely the best part is the owner (and others who work there), who is very nice and genuinely cares that his customers are having a good time. He was just hanging out while my boyfriend and I had lunch, and he checked in to make sure the temperature was ok, we had everything we needed, etc.
I was also very impressed by how the staff handled a rather delicate situation. We were seated inside looking out the window, and while we were eating, a beggar came and started talking to us incomprehensibly (and aggressively) through the window. He then tried to enter the shop and approach us. The worker immediately came to our aid, and firmly but politely asked the man what he needed, and got him to leave. I really appreciated his attentiveness and maturity in handling the situation.
Come here for a true east village experience. :)

Wonderful place to stay a few hours and get some work done. There are many working power outlets!
The coffee is quite good but my favorite is the peanut butter and date smoothie.
The chocolate chip cookie I had I thought was only so so but I would consider trying another treat.

The latte was ok, the barista very nice and friendly. Very small space, not good for groups!

Very small space. Really good coffee. I had a good chocolate chip cookie. It was a cozy space with great jazz music. Nice atmosphere. I will definitely return. Free wifi and plugs!

Yes, people say this is a café with a neighborhood feel. Meaning that the owners appear friendly and people come in who are not hipsters. And the coffee is incredibly ok. But, for a neighborhood place there is little place to sit. There are enclaves in the front and a couple tables shaved down to a thin rectangle. Nothing ‘cozy’ about sitting at a table the width of a models waist with the wind blowing at you. Outlets are also mysterious and hard to find. Everything says, ‘this place is cute and I bet you want to sit here… And about 5 minutes into drinking your coffee you’ll be caught in a wind rush, bump your hip against the end of the table, kick someone else’s stuff and your phone will die.’
And I assume the bathroom is a saloon outhouse.
Please join me in the next coffee place I open, yes, it will be in a meat locker.

Beautiful cozy place with Great coffee and super friendly service. Nir the owner made us feel so welcomed. Will be back soon

Delicious coffee, open early, and very nicely and thoughtfully designed. Love this place!

My neighborhood coffee shop, good for work or brief brunch. They have plenty of sockets for laptop and free wifi.
Coffee is good and the scramble egg is very special as you can tell from the picture. The shop owner is very friendly.

If you want to enjoy a true neighborhood coffee shop, come experience Silan.
I recently moved from CA and had missed Peet’s Coffee «melted ice-​cream consistency foam” – and they know how to make it here, with a twist of espresso art.
I’m sitting here now, enjoying the free wifi, enjoying great espresso, environment, and music. (The sound system and uplifting 70s and 80s hits kept me here longer.) I ate lunch before coming today, but the food looks fresh and well-​prepared.
Someone just came it to repay for a coffee she got on the house when she forgot her wallet yesterday. Nice staff.
When I tried to figure out what I wanted, the employee seems really happy to help me find something to suit my quirky preferences. Next time I’ll have to try the rose tea and some food.
(P.S. the laundromat a few doors east is very clean in case you want to combine laundry and coffee.)

Excellent.
The owner is just so kind, and the prices are good, and the coffee is delicious! He is Israeli I believe and his wife is from New Zealand and the food is an honest combo of the two regions.
I came in here to read almost every morning in June, and was never dissapointed. The food is so good too! Simple, but happy. And their chai is great, not too sweet. Go here.
Also, the people who frequent here are very interesting and nice to be around.
A lovely café. Unpretentious, yet careful. Simple, yet deep. A warm baguette in a desert of artisan brioche.

Great little café with awesome coffee! They are open decently late and take the cups app which makes me even more happy. The staff is super nice and he even gave me a cookie on the house for the road! Woo hoo — I will be back for my caffeine fix!

This is a cozy little place. I came here with a friend so we could sit down and chat. I didn’t know what to order so I asked for a recommendation and the guy who helped me was really friendly. Good coffee. Good people.
I like how there is a water bowl and dog treats left out for the furry friends passing by. Overall a great café and a great place if you want to be somewhere quiet where you can just chill.

Cute little café with delicious coffee and outlets at every single seat!!! Reasonably priced and friendly staff. Not sure about food but looks like they had some tasty options.

The cold brew is my favorite in the East Village. This place is comfortable with a small amount of seating, wifi, outlets, and solid, not too loud music selection. The owner was super sweet and they offer great food options– healthy salads and yogurt cups, as well as decadent pastries and sandwiches.

I was looking for a nice café to study in while I was in the neighborhood, and happened upon this little hole-​in-​the-​wall. I’m so glad I did! I got a rose-​tea, which came with free hot water refills. Though the menu itself is small, the menu items, especially the sandwiches, are amazing, with a middle-​eastern twist! Super tasty, and very unique flavors. I got the Sabich crossaintwich, and a Kukuriku sandwich. The crossaintwich had a special sauce apparently made of mango, had eggplant, and eggs; I’ve never tasted anything quite like it and was very pleased! The Kukuriku had different meats in it, including bacon, and caramelized onions.
The space itself is quite small (3 tables and a few benches), but there is free wifi and plenty of outlets.
One more thing: i stayed here for a good 5 hours whiling doing work on my laptop. I needed to use the bathroom several times, and unlike most cafes in the city, this one has a bathroom for customers! BUT, its awkward that the bathroom is actually BEHIND the counter/​register.

I needed a café to study in and this place was perfect! Lots of outlets, good wifi connection, seating that doesn’t make you feel cramped, and smooth jazzy music. The place isn’t huge so there isn’t a lot of seating (3 seats by the window and 8 seats for four tables), but it was never packed the whole afternoon that I was there.
I can’t speak for the coffee since I only got an iced chai (tastes like the one from the Bean), but the service is great! I got a bagel and they brought it out to where I sat. Only complaint is that it did take a while for the bagel to come out. Regardless, they’re super duper friendly and didn’t care that I was there for 5 hours. When it’s not busy the barista (owner?) rolls his own cigarettes and chills outside on the bench. It’s kind of fun to watch a customer enter because he’ll jump up and follow behind the customer. Sometimes the customer is startled and doesn’t understand why a stranger is greeting him until the barista walks behind the counter.

A welcoming, cozy coffee shop with the nicest dude ever working the counter. I got a flat white which came in a fishbowl sized mug and… Wasn’t quite right. It was good but the texture was off or something. Just milk in a bowl. My buddy got a chai, but the masala contained no tea and the warm water he was given was insufficient for brewing. After two attempts to get it rectified he switched to their pre-​made chai latte and found it good. They did not fuss at all about the requests.
They have a sweetener called «silan» on the sugar counter; I asked what it was. Apparently they make their own date syrup, so I gave it a shot. Delicious, and I would happily use that in all my coffee drinks.
Will come back some time. Very excellent people.

What makes Silan truly special is that it captures the vibe of the east village. Completely relaxed tiny hole in the wall with really tasty food and interesting people
I also think it’s pretty difficult to find REALLY GOOD coffee and tea in the EV, but Silan is a winner. I usually get the chai tea and my tastebuds have never known something so delicious.
Their food is pretty phenomenal as well. Do yourself a favor and try the Kish Kush eggs– make sure your tastebuds are prepared for the amazing flavor to follow *TKO*

This place has became my preferred Coffee shop in the east village. the owner is super nice and the coffee is great.

Barely two weeks old, Café Silan is nestled in the heart of the East Village between 1^st Avenue and Avenue A and it’s about to make a scene out of a scene.
Headed up by two veterans of the coffeehouse and restaurant industries (including former manager of Tiny’s Giant Sandwich Shop), Café Silan has already carved out a cozy home with dim and warm lightning and seating that really makes the most out of notoriously limited East Village space.
If asked, the owners will explain with enthusiasm that «silan» refers to a lovely, vegan date syrup that can be used in place of honey. I tasted it straight off of a spoon, and it’s beautifully sweet. The partners take loving care in everything they make, and soon they will be offering some mouthwatering food inventions (including some exciting-​sounding pulled chicken)!
It’s seriously a breath of fresh air to come in out of the cold and have a hot drink here. My mint tea was made sweeter by the atmosphere, I cannot wait to return for more.
Silan, if I may– how sweet it is :)