Manhattan Espresso Cafe

Came in here almost every single day for the summer after I discovered this gem. The store is very quaint and small, but much more relaxed compared to the coffee shops around the area. The hot chocolate and mocha are phenomenal. Their pastries are also delicious. I have had the chocolate croissant and turkey and cheese and loved both of them. Definitely a wonderful spot for coffee.

I have tried every coffee shop north of the village and Manhattan Espresso Café is my favorite. The cookies are baked right there in front you!
Recommended!!!

I gave the 5 star rating strictly just for the Hot Chocolate.
I went here on a colder fall night. Didn’t want coffee at night, so got their hot chocolate.
The hot chocolate was really creamy and they used real dark chocolate shavings. Even after the hot chocolate became a little bit colder it was still good. I will go back just for the hot chocolate.

Not a coffee drinker, but I am a crêpe eater! Delicious. They have both sweet & savory. Tiny place, just grabbed an iced chai & the spinach, mushroom cheese (swiss & fontina) crêpe to go. Tore it up!

Tiny little stores with minimal seating by the wall. There was no one here when we came in to get some coffee and pastries. We loved the cute low-​key vibe, and the lady serving us (likely the owner) was adorable and funny.
I got a large iced coffee and tried the cappuccino (illy), which were good. We also got two pastries — one with cherries, and one large one with chocolate chunks in them. Loved both of them! There were some other drinks they sold, and on the side, some fresh fruit. She had some extra bananas, so gave us some for free. So nice.

Hands down the best Espresso Café on 146 East 49^th Street. Not only do they have the friendliest customers but they could sell you water and it’d taste delicious.

A friend and I spent last week in Manhattan and after 1 super expensive hotel breakfast, we hit the streets the rest of the week. We landed here most other mornings. The owner was delightful and the food great. There’s only 4 or 5 stools to sit at, but it looked like most people took it with them. The almond chocolate croissant was the best I ever had. The crepes (lunch only) are authentic and fabulous. I highly recommend it.

I came here to hang out while my pup was getting groomed at Lisa’s Pet Styles. It was a super cold morning and I was happy to find the heat pumping. It was so warm and cozy in there. Fairly busy but not too noisy to relax. Staff was super friendly and service was quick.
I had a regular coffee and a sesame seed bagel. I’m not a coffee fanatic so please take it lightly when I say I was not a fan of their coffee. The bagel was amazing! Cream cheese was so soft and creamy. The bagel was toasted perfectly, sesame seeds roasted and the bagel was crispy on the outside but still warm and soft on the inside!
Small coffees and a bagel was a bit pricey at almost 6 bucks. I had a second coffee that was only 1.09 but that may have been the refill price.

Nice small place to grab a coffee in midtown. Pastries are very good, all drink items are nicely done. There are not more than 6 – 7 sitting places, so it may be hard to find a seat.

3.5 stars. I came here to buy lunch twice. There are only about 5 seats by the wall. The first time, I had prosciutto panini. This was really good. The second time, I had spinach and cheese crêpe. Crêpe was good, but a little bit greasy.
This is a really little place, but I heard many guys talking behind me. It was a 5 men and a lady in business suits. They came for a espresso after their lunch meeting. They lively sap espresso while standing and talking lively and left. This place is good for a quick coffee break. I want to try sweet crêpe next time.

I am a big fan of caffeine and I found this place with the help of good ratings from other Unilocal reviews.
Environment:
We came here on a really cold day in November, and this place was really toasty. There were dimmed lights and a nice quiet setting. It was a very comfortable setting.
Coffee:
The coffee here isn’t exactly cheap, but you’re paying similar prices to Starbucks (maybe a little more). The quality of the coffee was pretty good. We both got the mocha, and it was sweet but not too sweet. It had a good balance between the espresso and the chocolate. You could also taste the quality of rich chocolate as well.
If you don’t want coffee, they also serve fresh squeezed orange juice.
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If you’re looking for a nice quiet place that serves quality caffeinated drinks, this would be the spot. We almost missed this place looking for it. It’s not a hole in the wall, but if your not looking specifically looking for this place, you would definitely miss a good coffee spot.

small place, but has great coffee. I got the café mocha, and it was soooo good. The expresso was strong enough but the coffee still tasted creamy and flavorful. Definitely worth walking for!
It looked like they also and crepes, which i would have loved to try, but they didn’t serve them in the morning.

Excellent little café shop located Midtown East. It had a great selection of flavors for espresso, café, cappucino or anything else. The large spread of cookies were starring at me while I was ordering, but I was successful in resisting the temptation although they looked heavenly.
They did seem to have a limited lunch menu with some little sanGwiches, but I didn’t get anything other than the espresso. Overall, it was very clean with ⁴⁄₅ stools to sit and chat a bit but a good spot to get a little extra energy boost.
FYI — no credit card transactions under $ 5.
Buon Appetito

Friendly service, innovative flavors

This cute little coffee shop is on a relatively quiet block between Lex and 3^rd and is a great place for illy coffee-​loving Midtown workers to escape to for their daily (or twice-​daily!) caffeine fix. I have had consistently excellent lattes and espressos from here, and the baristas are very friendly and welcoming and clearly know their beans. They have a nice selection of delicious pastries, brownies, cookies and sandwiches to choose from too.
I never have to wait long in line here, but the place has a very relaxed and warm Euro charm to it, which makes it a genuinely pleasant escape from the hustle and bustle of Midtown.
Highly recommended.

I have been searching for a crêpe place endlessly in Midtown East. Although they don’t mention it on their website, this café makes sweet and savory crepes. The place is small and when you walk in, the crepes menu is on the wall next to the door on your right (it’s a little hard to see although they have the menu pop up too on their tv screen).
I got the spinach, mushroom, and cheese crêpe for $ 9. You get a choice between swiss and fontina-​I picked fontina since it’s a little saltier. The crêpe is definitely big and they add a lot more vegetables than cheese so it’s not greasy or weighs you down. Swiss and fontina are a bit similar so I wish they had a strong cheese option like goat. Beggars can’t be choosers though.
Next time, I’ll try a sweet crêpe. Someone mentioned too much nutella in their crêpe, but I’ve never heard of too much nutella (that would be blasphemous) so I’ll give it a try. I also saw someone get a Coolhaus ice cream sandwich here too, so that’s an option.

I love this nice tucked away little coffee shop. They brew illy coffee which I like. The staff here are SUPER friendly and super nice. I suggest that you try the cookies or brownies right when they come out of the oven, they are decadent.
People complain that this place has no seating and whatever… but I don’t think that the seated coffee chat forum is what they are going for. Most people that come here are business/​finance people needing a recharge anyway. That said, there are barstools in there if you and a friend wanted to stay a bit longer.
I usually just get the black iced coffee so unfortunately I can’t speak for much else. but just the friendliness and enthusiasm of the staff keeps me coming back here over and over. I always smile and have a laugh when I am in the coffee shop. That means a lot to me!

A tiny coffee shop with real French employees.
I was craving crepes so I found this place on Unilocal.The menu revolves on a giant flat screen and the crêpe menu was hidden above a drink fridge. The crêpe was ginormous and I couldn’t finish it but there was way too much nutella inside. I felt like I was eating nutella on a thin pancake. Too much nutella? Yes this can be a problem. I think someone else mentioned this in another review, but I thought how could there be too much nutella?
The hot chocolate was not so good. It was very bitter, I think they use powdered bittersweet chocolate and mix it with steamed milk. There was not sweetness to it.
The pastries on the other hand looked great and I noticed that’s what everyone else was ordering, along with fresh illy coffee. Maybe I’ll try again.

The staff was great, super funny and helpful. The coffee is delicious and the panini was good.
Only downside is that there is limited bar-​like seating.
I would recommend this place for good coffee.

A really cute café to stop in for a quick coffee or small bite. It has the same feel as Joe the Art of Coffee (with the pastries all in the front) except definitely a smaller space. Cappuccino is yummy though!
Not a good place for sitting and reading though. I was disappointed since my boyfriend and I had both brought books but again, a good place to stop and pick up a coffee.