Toby’s Estate Coffee

Great coffee, but the staff can give some attitude. I’m not into the rude barista thing. I’m being pleasant so should you.

I had a terrible experience at Toby’s coffee on fifth avenue. An employee basically screamed at me for taking a milk to add to my coffee. First off, they do not have skim milk. they only have ‘low-​fat’ milk, which I could not find. I finally noticed a bottle on the counter, and took it to add to my coffee, when an irritated looking barista with a mustache, septum ring, and a fedora came over to me and SCREAMED at me for using the milk, grabbed the milk bottle away from me and rolled his eyes. It really was unnecessary and uncalled for. As for the coffee, it is just ok, definitely not worth getting berated for. I prefer Coffeed on sixth avenue. Better coffee and nicer staff.

I ordered a iced mocha, and my boyfriend got a dirty chai. Both of us were very pleased with our drinks, and the decoration was on point. My mocha was a bit too rich, but that’s a preference. The space is small, but there is a small library/​book area that’s a part of Club Monaco that is really nice. Great environment, just a bit limited in space (therefore, seating) and drinks offered.

crowded and barely any seats. Nice to be in the bookstore area sitting in front of the fireplace and be surround by books and bouquets. yet you do get «butt brushed» all the time which can be unpleasant ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Awesome place to grab a coffee with a friend! Once you pick up your coffee, you can walk toward the back and youll pass a cute little florist and then youll be in The Strand bookshop where there are little tables that you can sit and talk, read a book, or just relax. Definitely a great coffee shop in the area!

This location is right across the street from my office, so it’s a really convenient and fun spot to frequent. The staff are always really friendly, and they have a great variety of sweet treats/​savory goodness as well (if you get there early enough!)
I’m a fan of the maple sage latte with almond milk — it’s not too sweet, and has a subtle herby essence. I was worried about the sage being a strong flavor, but it’s actually really lovely and cuts through some of the maple sweetness.
Only watch out is that the latte is about 8 ounces (if that) and costs $ 5.00 with the almond milk. I think it’s $ 4.50 if you get regular milk. For that price in the neighborhood, there are a lot of options that will get you 16 ounces! However, it’s the quality and I imagine, artisanal craftsmanship that you pay for, and come here to enjoy.

I love this coffee place after being turned onto it by a gal pal, but the customer service at this location isn’t the best. As far as coffee goes they have delicious drinks, but I will visit the Williamsburg location from now on, much better!

Coffee here is great, love their little treats, there’s this bookstore or something in the back I’ve never been in because it looks fancy and I’m trashy so I don’t go in there, but it’s nice to look through. Place gets packed with the navy blue suits and button downs getting their fix but the line moves fast.
service is definitely decaffeinated. Everyone here seems miserable, and they’re rude. Not saying you have to do a backflip everytime a customer walks through the door but drop the attitude, makes the coffee bitter.

Toby’s located inside the entrance to a pretty cool and modern looking bookstore, is pretty modern looking itself. It wouldn’t be out of place in Paris. The line can get a bit long and the small place crowded, but it moves fairly quickly due to a good staff. The cold brew on tap is very good though a bit gritty later in the day. The coffee is very tasty though, and though the iced variety is pretty packed with ice to presumably take up space, it doesn’t get too watered down. It’s not the best coffee in the city, but it is definitely above average.

It’s not easy to make a good shot of espresso. It’s not surprising that it’s so hard to find one. What is surprising, and it happens a thousand times, all over the country every day, is that people would get into the coffee business, make a lot of effort to get the sourcing and the roast just right, buy a bunch of expensive equipment and then leave the last mile up to indifferent, under-​trained, probably underpaid young humans.
Maybe surprising isn’t really the right word any more; astounding?
There are even fewer good espresso’s around work so I stopped in here a couple of times. And thus, I’ll probably continue. So I stop in and it’s cute. Small and strangely laid out, but cute. It took me a second to figure out where to order, but I walked up as three youngsters milled around behind the counter. It was one of those strange moments, as a customer, when you think you should be acknowledged in some small way but nobody seems to be giving a shit and you’re not sure who’s job it’s supposed to be. So you just wait. Ah, it’s you! And you couldn’t look up and at least recognize my presence a minute ago?
I’m impressed that they have TWO choices for espresso. TWO! I’m not being facetious. I’m really impressed. We need to see more of this (and less darkly roasted while we’re at it, please). I order the SO espresso and a chocolate croissant and, I guess, wander over to what is intended to be the coffee delivery area. Under extracted, sour. Wah, wah. Better luck next time, hipsterina.
Experience two, it’s much more busy. The line wraps around the bar corner, inside. After ordering (a carrot muffin with my espresso this time), I squeeze through the people waiting to order and the people exiting to the people waiting for coffee. This time, I’ll drink it on premise. I start to just drink it on the spot but quickly realize that everyone is in everyone’s way, including me. I squeeze and push up to the front where I grab a stool in the window and try to be civilized. The muffin isn’t very good, I’m sorry to say. It’s just not a recipe to my liking.
When I finish, I inch over and ask if I can just hand my empty shot cup to the cashier; the same emo-​ette from yesterday. «Uh, there’s a bus pan in back.» Yes, and a lot more people to get through on this side of the bar. So… I squeeze my way back through to the back, place my dirty cup in the pan, wait for a woman at the milk and sugar station so I don’t bump her, and finally eject myself through the peoples and out the door.
The second espresso, by the way, was average. I little bitter for my taste but I recognize that I’m an outlier in that I enjoy the sweet, delicious and complex taste of the organic material of the bean at a city roast and a perfect extraction; next to impossible to get in a store.

Come here for a cup of maple sage latte. A perfect cap to your little shopping spree win (or loss), or simply, an instant mood-​booster.
Four Unilocal

I LIKE to CHECK MYSELF OUT… in the big mirror wall as I wait in line or about to walk out. For some reason it always makes me look better than I usually assume I do early in the morning.
I’m a picky coffee drinker. It’s not a surprise most places don’t impress me. However, at Toby’s, the coffee and cappuccinos are seriously ⁵⁄₅. I do wish the space was larger with more places to sit. But I think the fact that it connects to The Strand with shelves of cool, lovely plants totally makes up for it. Another big plus is that people there are super hip.
Toby puts coffee at a new level, just as they do for my looks!

Solid coffee but nothing special. It’s a nice spot to stop for coffee if you’re shopping around the 23^rd street area — but no seating so be prepared to take your coffee to go.
The space is also really narrow so getting in and out of the back area to pick up your coffee is a bit annoying. There’s a flower shop in the back — I didn’t take a look but my mom did. Not your typical florist.

World class macchiato. Rich, no bitterness. Best I’ve had in a long time — not since visiting a Toby’s in Sydney many years ago…
So — come on Toby’s — if you can make a macchiato this good, and you have the antipodean Flat White on line, why can’t you push out a piccolo latte?

I need to preface this review with the statement that I am a new coffee drinker — blame this on my choice to try Starbucks for my first sip of coffee ever and waiting a decade before trying it again. This is the best coffee I’ve had thus far in the city. While my expertise is limited, it’s not bitter and it’s always at the perfect temperature. This is one of the few places I have been that has changed my previously negative opinion of coffee in general.
This location — while great, is a bit small. I love the décor. Toby’s really knows how to cater to hipsters and food bloggers alike with their interior decorating. I much prefer the Brooklyn location because it’s a bit edgier and definitely more space to just chill out, but this is a good spot if you’re just popping in for a coffee before being on your way to another place (you know, the American version of «enjoying» a coffee). The staff leaves a bit to be desired as far as friendliness which is why my review is not a 5 star rating. It’s definitely worth a stop for a good cup of Joe but maybe keep your earbuds in, order quickly with minimal eye contact, and keep on your merry way.

Toby’s is one of the earlier Aussie coffee shops in the city, with an all-​white, trendy interior that looks great in photos. In reality, it’s tiny and chaotic, and the layout makes zero sense — there is a single bench outside and stools lined up against the wall that are literally touching. Don’t bother coming here to chat because there is no room to do so. (Although the one in Brooklyn is much more spacious, I wasn’t impressed with that one either.)
Compared to neighboring coffee shops in the area, it’s also noticeably overpriced by at least $.50-​$ 1 more. The coffee is good, but not great.
The biggest turnoff is the baristas. I didn’t ask for a latte with a side of ‘tude! On a serious note, they’re one of the most apathetic and aloof bunch I’ve encountered. (I much prefer Joe Coffee, or hell, even Pret — at least they’re friendly.)

My favorite coffee shop of all time!
I spent most of my New York trip this time around cooling off with iced coffees and stopping by Toby’s in the middle of the city was some of my favorite moments. The space itself was absolutely beautiful on top of the coffee and cookies.
The coffee shop is also a flower shop that’s also a book store that’s connected to Club Monaco and everything about it is absolutely beautiful. If I could live here, I would.

Their iced coffee is okay, it is smooth and could use a little more kick. The two stars are for their lack of consistent customer service. I’ve been here a few times and have had different experiences on each occasion.
First time the male and female baristas were both super friendly and attentive. I asked for an iced coffee and it was pretty good, not the best, but good. They have regular milk and sugar on the side. I take my coffee black so didn’t have a need for milk.
The décor is pretty and they have limited seating out in front and towards the book store/​Club Monaco section as well. Overall the atmosphere «seems» inviting but I guess it depends on who is working that day.
Second time, came in again for an iced coffee and was not even acknowledged for the first few minutes I was there. Completely ignored even though there were about 3 – 4 baristas working, two of them clearly saw me, and yet they went about their cooking jar stuffing business. I mean seriously your job is to serve people and if you don’t like customer service or have a ‘tude then perhaps you shouldn’t be a cashier/​barista. Finally, the girl with the massive wood earrings attended to me and gave me my coffee.
I doubt I will be back. There are a bunch of other great coffee shops around the area.

I ordered an iced americano. I found it to be pretty weak and overly watery tasting. I didn’t get the espresso boost I had sought for.
On a more positive note, the décor is super beautiful and the pastry and baked goods offerings looked to be strong.
Also, heads up that there is very minimal seating. Laptop crowd, this Toby’s location isn’t the place for you.

I’m here right this moment and I’m drinking a decaf cortado. It’s wonderful.
The café itself is so beautiful and is attached to The Strand and Club Monaco. They also serve donuts, chocolate, tea, and sandwiches (a little steep at $ 9 but sounds delicious).
It’s 5:18 pm and it isn’t too crowded. I found a seat at the front counter.
The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I asked the employee what the difference is between a cortado and a flat white, and he explained it really well.
I will definitely come back.