FEED Shop & Café

FEED is a new café and shop we discovered in DUMBO’s Time Out Market. FEED is an impact driven lifestyle brand that offers meaningful ways to make a difference. For every coffee you buy, it provides one meal to someone in need with a focus on providing school meals to the most vulnerable communities around the world (including right here in the US). Every product made has a number on it, and this number represents the school meals donated with its purchase.

The shop features a variety of goods such as candles, tote bags and more. FEED also works with artists from Kenya to India and through the sale of the artisan-made goods they not only provide meals, but help promote a sustainable livelihood for the artisan partners and their families.

Now onto the coffee, they serve all sorts of coffee drinks in partnership with La Colombe (one of my favourites) and their baked goods are served in partnership with Ovenly. My favourite part of coming here was that they’re dog friendly! I loved my drip coffee and my pup loved the treats they kept at the counter along with all the attention and belly rubs that he kept getting from the other customers!

There is a large table and also some counter seats to enjoy your drinks and snacks. We ended up walking through the rest of the Time Out Market while sipping our coffee. If I lived closer I’d make this a regular spot for me! The baristas are very welcoming and the space is so cozy! This is a must-visit café in my favourite Brooklyn neighbourhood!

Boris & Horton

Boris and Horton is NYC’s best dog friendly café! Located in the East Village, this spot is a great place to bring your pup for some fun while sipping on a latte and meeting other fellow dogs and pawrents! 

They serve coffee and pastries as well as beer, wine, sandwiches, cheese plates and more! You must order your food and drinks from a separate section of the café (where dogs are not permitted to enter) and then you can bring it into the main part where there are plenty of tables set up. There is also an app available where you can order in advance and just go pick up your food.

I really love this concept but I was shocked at how busy it was! I saw a number of people working on laptops but I definitely would not be able to focus with all the pups running everywhere! It was so sweet to see my pup and my friend's pup explore and greet the other dogs with so much excitement! 

This spot hosts various events as well as meetups and adoption events. It’s a unique spot to bring your pup or to come enjoy the presence of other pups if you’re feeling like you need a sweet pick me up!

Café d'Avignon

Café d’Avignon is a French bakery in midtown. Their menu is quite expensive with classic espresso based coffee drinks made using Stumpton roasters and specialty lattes. They also bake loaves of bread, sweet and savory pastries, breakfast and lunch sandwiches as well as scones, cakes and other snacks. I ordered a drip coffee to go with my kouign amann which is a French pastry similar to a buttery croissant rolled in sugar which forms a caramelized crust. It’s flake, chewy and has just the right amount of sweet crunch on top. 

My colleague told me about this spot and I went back with her and some other work friends. It surely did not disappoint! I hope to go back again soon and try all the other delicious pastries in the display!

Café Grumpy

Grumpy started out in Greenpoint in 2005 and has grown to over 10 locations all over new York and has even expanded to New Jersey and Miami. I first heard of Café Grumpy when the HBI series “Girls” was super popular. I can’t remember if I ever tried their coffee while visiting the city over the past years, but my friend recently suggested stop by the Chelsea location which is super close to where we live!  

The Chelsea spot was really busy and crowded so we decided to get our lattes to go. I loved my vanilla latte and my friend got a maple latte. We laughed because the service was a bit slow with unfriendly baristas (true to the café name) but the coffee was delicious so we couldn’t complain! I enjoyed the coffee and its proximity to home!

Charley St

Charley St is an amazing Australian café in Little Italy. I had the most amazing food, coffee and service here!

The atmosphere is very casual which I liked, where you order at the counter and your food / coffee is brought to your table. I went with some friends and we did struggle to find a spot to sit but eventually got a great table in the back. I ordered the special which was a piece of sourdough bread topped with hummus, enoki mushrooms, with two perfectly poached eggs topped with pesto. While it wasn’t the prettiest dish, I think it was definitely the most delicious! There were plenty of other toast options, grain bowls and even a PB & J Oatmeal bowl that was very popular in our group!

On the way out I grabbed a hot brew to go. Turns out this café is owned by two young Australians, both of whom were serving customers and chatting with everyone! I loved the service, the cozy vibe and the food!

Green Grape Annex

I got to explore Fort Greene today and had coffee with a friend at Green Grape Annex! This is a cute neighbourhood coffee shop during the day and bar during the evening.  The inside is spacious filled with people powering through work sessions, catching up with friends or grabbing a bite to eat with their families.

The café offers fresh baked pastries, hearty soups, sandwiches and an evening dessert menu. I loved that everything on the menu is seasonally inspired and made in-house. My friend got a turmeric latte and I tried the drip coffee which was so comforting and absolutely delicious! We took our coffees to go and explored the neighbourhood including the Fort Green Park and the shops on Fulton. I absolutely loved the neighbourhood feel, brownstone buildings and tree-lined streets strewn with crunchy leaves!

Corvo Coffee

Corvo Coffee is a hidden gem in Hell’s Kitchen, just walking distance from my office. Their pastries looked amazing and they serve La Colombe coffee as well. The best part – everything is priced at $2! The inside was not very big with only a few tables on the side and some bar seating looking out the window, so I took my coffee to go but I loved how friendly and welcoming the barista was. She greeted every single customer as if they were regulars and that makes such a difference to me!

I’m so glad I found this well priced / high quality coffee shop and will most definitely be recommending it to others and will visit again!

Culture 36

Culture 36 is a hidden gem in midtown west, fairly close to my office. I stopped in for a quick coffee to go and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of seating inside considering it was a lunch hour during a busy work week! There are two other locations (Culture Espresso and Culture 307) fairly close by as well! 

The vibe is very relaxed and a bit hipster, but the café attracts a varied crowd including business professionals, students and tourists alike. There are tons of reviews on yelp about the cookies here but unfortunately I was not in the mood to try one. Their coffee was definitely very good and so comforting since the weather is finally starting to drop here in the city. This is a great spot to mark for future reference and for coffee breaks with colleagues or client meetings!

 

Old Country Coffee

Old Country Coffee is a hidden gem located in the Hudson Yards area. The atmosphere is so comfy and cozy it’s almost as if you’re sitting in a little chalet somewhere! The menu is pretty extensive with espresso based drinks, seasonal drinks and teas. I had a latte and it did not disappoint! 

They also serve sandwiches and sweets and the can cater corporate events or parties. I loved this place and the fact that the people inside looked like they were just at home! I’ll definitely be coming back for an afternoon coffee break since this spot is so close to my office.

Optimistic Café

Optimistic Café opened in 2017 in the Garment District! It's a hidden gem right off 8th Ave that I was so happy to discover right by my office! I immediately fell in love with the gorgeous tiles, the plant wall and wooden chairs!

The vibe was super inviting and relaxing. While the space was small, there was still some seating available but I didn't have much time so I grabbed my coffee to go. I ordered a flat white which was perfectly balanced and absolutely delicious. The menu had the standard coffee items and some pastries. This is on the pricey side but definitely worth treating yourself to once in a while.

Grindstone Coffee & Donuts

Grindstone Coffee opened in the quaint Hamptons town of Sag Harbor in 2016. They make amazing brioche and cake donuts that look beautiful and taste amazing! We shared some cinnamon sugar donuts and I couldn't stop eating them! I was intrigued by their giant sized party donuts too which they can make for any occasion with a few days notice!

The coffee was also really great here! They make espresso, specialty teas and cold brews. Their menu also includes some lunch items like soups and sandwiches. The space is small so it was perfect to take a coffee to go and continue exploring the town. There was a long lineup when we got there which is a testament to how popular their donuts and coffee are! If you're in the Hamptons, be sure to stop here for a coffee and something sweet!

East One Coffee Roasters

Hope you're all enjoying the long weekend! There's a new coffee shop that opened right around the corner from us and I finally got a chance to stop in last week! East One Brooklyn has three locations one, the original on Baxter Street, an eatery on Court Street and their newest location in Chelsea!

I've hearing mixed reviews about the coffee here, but I tried the drip coffee and absolutely loved it! I also had a sip of my friend's iced latte and really enjoyed it as well! Their menu is simple and concise with coffee options, pastries and a few dishes including avocado toast, a grain bowl and a few others. You can also check out some of their coffee blends here!

The cafe is spacious with lots of seating and desk space with outlets. I was really digging their "warehouse chic" vibe with concrete floors and exposed pipes in the high ceilings! This is a great spot to sit down for a while and escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

District Doughnut

District Doughnut is an amazing doughnut and coffee shop with five different locations in the DC area. I went with family to explore the monuments in DC and ended up at the wharf for some amazing clam chowder and a huge order of crabs for a family dinner that night! We stopped at District Doughnut for a little pick me up before heading home and I absolutely loved the house blend drip coffee!

This store offers gorgeous, gourmet doughnut with some classics and some seasonal flavours. I was tempted by the key lime doughnut but restrained myself since I knew we would be having a huge family dinner! My photos just didn’t do it justice so here are some great shots from their website! If you’re in DC, the wharf is amazing and should definitely be on your itinerary!

Savannah, Hilton Head & Charleston

Hey y'all! We just got back from an awesome trip down south where we exploring Savannah, relaxed in Hilton Head and discovered the history of Charleston. If you have not been down south, I'd highly recommend it. The food was amazing, the history was rich and the people are so friendly! We went during the off-season (August is so hot down here!) but made sure to book hotels with pools everywhere so we always had the option to relax in the water if we wanted to. Here are some of my favourite photos from our trip!

Savannah, Georgia

Hilton Head, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina