Ground Central

Cappuccino here is off the roof! I absolutely love the smooth texture of the coffee. Bold flavors of coffee and just the perfect amount of milk. Latte art is simply adorable here and even after several sips, you can still see it clearly! Now that is skill! Cold Brew is another great choice here for the hot weather. I love the strong and bold flavors that wakes my taste buds up. A perfect cup of coffee is hard to come by these day but you can find it here!
This spot is located in the middle of 52^nd Street and it can be easily missed without the chalkboard outside. It is definitely worth stopping by for a morning coffee or an afternoon pick-​me-​up!

This place is a hidden gem in the middle of a hectic midtown environment. It’s very calm and welcoming, with outstanding croissants and a nice tea selection.
The back reading area is nicely decorated with cozy chairs for relaxing, and was not too crowded during weekday lunch.
Customer service is outstanding.
Will likely return

Ground Central is one of my favorite places to get a cup of coffee in Manhattan. The coffee, service, and ambience are all on point.
It’s normally pretty busy in the mornings, which is expected especially on the weekdays with so many people working nearby. The baristas are really efficient though, as they’ll ask you what your order is before you get to the register. I usually get an iced coffee so my drink is normally ready before I even reach the register.
In terms of ambience, this coffee shop is very conducive to studying or meeting with people. There are tables in the front and a nice lounge area with couches in the back. If you prefer a quieter setting to get some work done, then I’d head to the back.
I’d also like to note that the bathroom in the back does have a code. I’m not sure how often it changes (if it even changes), but I would just ask one of the baristas what the code is if you need to use the bathroom. There’s also free wifi that you can connect to that doesn’t require a password!
If you’re looking for a coffee shop in the area, then I HIGHLY recommend this place!

Good coffee, good nibbles, fantastic ambiance. The back area is designed like a readers den/​library and is great for bringing a friend or date to chat. Plenty of seating avail at 11a on a Friday. If you need ambient light there is a front area near the windows. Plus free wifi with a sign in! The staff seemed a bit frantic but I think I caught them flipping to lunch. Five stars for ambiance, four for everything else.

A great vibe and great NYC coffee… orginally made here in new york! Great music, great vibes… with a library setting in the back of the coffee shop! Great place to meet up and chat with old friend!

I come here after 5 pm and always get the latte. It’s tastes pretty good. If you have it to stay you get it in a coffee mug which is so much better than a paper cup. What catches me the most of the place is they have great chillout music playing in the background and yes the nice back room with cozy seating.

The coffee here was good and the pastries were good. The place has a cool vibe — very 50’s I would say. Wouldn’t go out of may way, but it was the definitely the best choice in the area.

I am a part of a bookclub and we were searching to find the right place to have a book club meeting after looking on Unilocal and other websites.
We decided to try a Ground Central because of the couch that it had in the back luckily it was not being used when we got there so we were able to have our bookclub meeting. It was a little bit cold in there they had the AC up a little too high but aside from that I loved it I loved how the lights were dim and it set the mood especially if you were trying to read… I would definitely go back.

Location: such a surprise visit. I bookmarked Ground Central for several times but it is so far from my usual traveling routine so I have to remove it somehow. I am grateful that I finally bump to this place and enjoyed their unique service and ambient environment for a great sunday morning.
The place is doped!
When you stepped into the coffee shop, you probably think the store is so small. But you are wrong, go a little bit further, you will find a secret backroom, which has comfortable seats and sofa back there.
I quickly walked to the couch and gave myself a break when I found the secret spot.
There are bookshelves as well so you may find some books you want to read to spend sometime in this place.
Coffee: their coffee is just average, but you cannot beat the great environment.
I highly suggest people take their books and spend a cozy Weekend here.
Service: they get wifi here
they get couch here
they are not expensive
what do you expect more?
Overall:
yah, i am a fan

Woke up early to grab a morning coffee w my sis before work. Ended up getting a chai latte instead. It was pretty good for a typical American chai latte (no extra sugar needed). I loved the back library with it’s dim light, dark wood and comfy couches. It fills up quickly, but it is a little haven from the hustle and bustle of midtown. Feels like a secret spot. Me likey.

It’s really busy… because of it’s location, but also they have REALLY great drip brew.
The back seating is where things become interesting…
It’s tight and usually packed, but if I can just sit and read there… all day long… it would be a day well spent.

I have never seen any place so packed at 3pm on a weekday before. The line is practically out the door. Even though the line was super long, I was able to get my iced chai tea latte within ten minutes.
The chai tea latte was amazing! I don’t know how they do it, but it’s very light and the tea doesn’t leave a bitter taste. Probably the best chai tea I have ever had.
I love the room in the back of the café where customers can relax on comfy couches and read books. Plenty of outlets and free wifi.

great place for dating, somewhat good for reading, because it’s extremely dark inside for reading lol.
I went right before they close, so it was not crowded but I’ve heard that during the day it can be pretty hard to find a seat?

Ground Central is almost like a rocker version of Starbucks. It’s clean and organized and a great place to study and open up your laptop and set up shop for a couple hours. I like to come here because they have Colombe coffee and Colombe is one of my favorite East coast coffee companies. And now Ground Central is even offering the so popular «Flat White». I had to try their version today. It might not have been the Little Collins standard but it was still delicious and under five bucks. It’s hard to get a crafty coffee in the area without spending an arm and a leg.
I do enjoy the rocker side even though it does look very organized. I like my rocker side to be a little grittier. But I will take the clean coffee shops and the gritty bars any day. There’s cool records laying around like Bowie all set out and chain link fence and some cool music inspired murals. The back room offers up more of a laid back living room feel. I good spot for an after lunch caffeine fix!
This place is no secret so be prepared for some long lines and thirsty people!

This spot is difficult to rate.
The coffee and pastries are admittedly top-​notch. My macchiato even came out in a tiny cup.
However, the PEOPLE!
1) If you prefer waiting in a very long line w/​the financial, ruthless, crowd that pushes and talks of absurd and horrific deals while you are waiting in that long line — THIS IS YOUR SPOT.
2) It is a real scene in there… and definitely NOT my scene. I live in Brooklyn and work in Queens… this place felt like a starchy upper east side jaunt.
However, I *would* go back but only for a hit and run if I ever need caffeine while in that area.

Five stars for the customer service. Top notch, which is so desperately needed in the NYC food service industry.
I had written my previous review about my visit back in May, which expressed dissatisfaction as I ordered a egg fritatta sandwich to go & it was served cold. Etienne, the owner, contacted me within days to remedy the situation. At the time, I wasn’t frequently in Midtown East, so it was a bit inconvenient to get there just for a replacement egg sandwich.
As I now work on the same block, I reached out to him & was finally able to stop by today — 8 months after my initial visit. Both Etienne and Zoe, the manager, have been incredibly generous in making it up to me. The staff members whom I encountered were also apologetic & kind; although they most likely weren’t involved in the original transaction.
It’s just really refreshing to meet people who genuinely care about their product quality & customer satisfaction. Sometimes you write a negative review & the business owner slams you or ignores you. Etienne, Zoe, and the entire staff VALUE your business & it shows. I will definitely be back, and I picked up a punch card on my exit.
PS — The egg fritatta, served warm, was great! ;)

Though my wallet is in pain, my mouth is so happy.
I’m not from nyc, so a $ 2.75 croissant seems pretty ridiculous to me. But after eating it — I kinda wanna go back for another!
Great coffee too.

So the décor is cool. The front has a communal table and some bar level seating, I assume for the people actually drinking and eating. There is a separate back room that resembles a dimly-​lit library with couches, coffee tables, and smaller 2-​person tables, perfect for working. When I came, all the peripheral tables were taken, so I decided to work in the front.
I got the iced coffee, which was pretty good. The frittata sandwich was good, as well as the almond pastry.
Service was OK. A bit brusque…

Love this place!!! Especially the little chilling area in the back where you can do a little work or chat with friends (but not too loudly because the ambience is more calm). I came here on my coffee break because I wanted to explore the area a little. I ordered their hazelnut mocha and it was so good! The small size is definitely good enough and is comparable to a Starbucks grande size. The mocha has little bits of dark chocolate on the bottom that melt instantly in your mouth! At first I thought they didn’t mix it well for me but it’s there on purpose!
One word of warning though, the drink is pretty heavy and I didn’t feel like eating anything for a couple hours :(I’ll only be getting this drink if I want to treat myself so you’ve been warned!

I’ve checked in here 47 times as of this review. I can’t think of anything negative to say about this place. Maybe if the coffee was free that’s the only way to improve a place this good.
They remember you by name and what you drink — but beyond that they actually do care and are interested in their customers. Great place. Irene who calls your order and Jay the barista are both awesome.

Ground Central es ahora uno de mis lugares favoritos para ir en NYC. El café es simplemente delicioso, no como otros lugares que te dan el café con pura agua. Pedí un Latte Large y definitivamente el sabor era espectacular. El lugar es pequeño, pero perfecto con toda la decoración y ambiente. Los lps en las paredes y el escogido de música lo hacen un lugar perfecto para desconectarse un rato a tener una buena conversación! A menos de un minuto de la parada del tren de la 3ra Ave con la calle 52.

Très agréable endroit pour déguster un chouette café. La déco est très originale. Quelques places pour s’asseoir dans une ambiance de bibliothèque.Ils y vendent également des pâtisseries qui semblaient bonnes mais je n’ai pas testé. Pas de terrasse. On a droit à un dessin sur le cappuccino comme en Italie. Très chouette alternative à la machine Stb.