Ninth Street Espresso

Nice and quiet coffee shop on 56 street. I walked in during lunch and the place had plenty of sitting available. I got a large latte and it was pretty cheap for Midtown, only 4 dollars. They only take CASH! Latte was strong and smooth. I added a little sugar and it was perfect for my taste. I would recommend this place if you are looking for a good latte and plenty of free tables.

I was looking for a place in Midtown East to grab a quick café with a friend and we came across the great reviews of this place. It is fairly large but doesn’t have much seating room. If you are looking to stand, the layout is a bit long/​narrow which doesn’t bode well for this as well but there is room nonetheless.
The café and tea we ordered were good and fairly priced and seemed as if they had a small selection of pastries to choose from as well. This is a cash only place, so make sure you come prepared with that green when you do. The black and white floors add for a more old-​school feel but can tell when the place has been opened all day as the floors are dirty and rightfully so as it is high maintenance to upkeep. Overall, the service was quick and friendly and I think I would come back.
Enjoy.

Disappointed at hoe bitter the coffee was and that there weren’t any add ons on the counter except for brown sugar. Another disappointing thing was the fact that the coffee shop was not really a place to lounge in and enjoy your coffee or dessert in. They just have a few stools and that’s it.

I really like cappuccino, it’s so smooth and lovely. The decorations of the place is cute and classic, service was good. Too little of variations in bakery but it’s ok, all I want is a croissant. And their croissant is decent. I had cappuccino and croissant, perfect combo for a cold breakfast. Dislike for only take cash, have to walk all the way to ATM for cash, not very convenient on a cold day. Guy was cute haha.

It’s been over a year since my last review and during that time I’ve been to most the local cafes in the area:
Birch
Ground Terminal (La Colombe)
Bustlier
Brooklyn Diamond Coffee (La Colombe)
Capital One 360 (Peets)
Juan Valdez Café
Bluestone Lane (Sightline)
Gregorys Coffee
Demarco
Fika
Pomme Palais (Illy)
As a fan of 3^rd wave coffee, this café ranks among the top (with Little Collins, Blue Bottle, Café Grumpy, and Pennylane) in Midtown East.
The high quality of their dip solid and consistent with the nutty, citrus notes of their Alphabet City Brazilian beans brings me there every work day.
While they don’t change their bean (except for a Nicaraguan bean they sell retail), what they sell is top notch. It’s unfortunate that ppl claim the above listed cafes have «great coffee» when most are programmed with the dark burnt taste from Starbucks. I’m thankful for a great café like this.

Serious kudos to the barista that was working on Christmas Day! She seemed to know most of the customers so that of itself says a lot about their service and their regulars. Although its not written on their menu by the counter, they do make lattes. My mother who is not much of a coffee enthusiast loved their lattes. Mind you that the small size, really is SMALL. Small as in, «I’m ordering coffee so I can sip while I read this book.» The iced coffee was okay, but tasted watery. I’ve had better. I liked the dim lighting and overall interior of the café (black and white, monochrome). A nice place for small talk with 1 other person, not for groups. The seating is all along the walls and windows with high chairs. They have a restroom conveniently located in the hotel? connected next door. I’m usually hitting up the cafes in the LES area, but I think Ninth Street Espresso and Ground Central are my favs for midtown. Btw, I don’t think they have WiFi, at least when I tried.

The espresso is v. good
Pretentious vibes resound. Kind of like Kaffe 1660 but w. out the nice lighting and seating. — 1 start for the ‘tude
This would not bother me so much if they took credit card (cash only #no)
Contrast this with my go to spot Uptown Roasters that brews an equally good espresso, accepts credit card, and doesn’t make you feel like the uncool kid tryin to fit in

Bang! Perfect cappuccino, small quiet space, chocolate banana bread was incredible. Would be an every day haunt.

Tasty espresso. But I can’t believe they’re cash-only![1]
This Ninth Street Espresso is connected to a swanky hotel, and a swanky bathroom. It has a vintage feel, and offers light seating.
Mornings, expect a crowd. This spot gets foot traffic, no surprise since they’re a quality espresso bar. Friendly service.
Find them a short jaunt from Grand Central.
[1] I still can’t believe they’re cash-​only, especially considering the location and the fact that it’s 2015.

The coffee is excellent. Because of the price I tend to buy coffee elsewhere. But when I want to splurge a bit this is where I go.

Came here after my food god, Alton Brown said this is the best coffee in NY, he’s always right! They don’t have many choices but it’s because they know how to do their coffee right! I got a simple expresso with milk to go. It truly was the best coffee I’ve had, very rich and flavorful! They have a few different locations though out the city. On my next visit to NY this is going to be my go to first place to revisit!
Only bad thing, is its cash only. Hit up the ATM before arriving!

Great coffee! A second favorite to Bluestone. Various locations throughout NY so that’s convenient. I tried a latte and my friend tried an iced coffee and didn’t go wrong with either. Worth a stop :)

My favorite coffee spot in a city. Hidden gem inside a hotel it is truly the best coffee, very friendly service and calm atmosphere. Feels like you are traveling somewhere in Europe. Top experience!

Cool space underneath a hotel. Great coffee and pastries. Probably my favorite coffee place in ny!

First tier cappuccino with no doubt. The flavor was smooth and not at extreme. Well done! And I somehow like their logo a lot, which looks like a smiley!
Too bad this place is cash only.

This is a conveniently located coffee shop right off Park Ave and 56^th, that does not get too crowded in the early mornings or mid-​day afternoon. The coffee was satisfying but pretty standard. Soy latte was not as nutty as I would have expected and hoped it to be, however, it was an enjoyable experience nonetheless. Cool interior!

This place is great for what it does, and that’s coffee. The coffee was really good. Awesome medium roast in their lattes. Kept me goof but didnt wind me up. Also, it was super smooth, and you could tell that it was slow brewed. All in all, the coffee was great.
The pasteries however, left a lot to be desired. They were okay, but didn’t taste very fresh. They might have been bought in bulk or something. I’m not sure. But dont here for the food. Come for the coffee.
Also, just as everyone else notes, it’s cash only. I don’t really understand why… the place doesnt exactly maintain a old time feel or anything, and they don’t seem like a lower class establishment. I think they’re even franchised.

¹⁰⁄₁₀
First ¹⁰⁄₁₀!!! Had an espresso and an almond croissant. Both were fantastic. I am usually a «dump sugar in coffee» guy but this stuff was so good and did not need any of that other gunk.
Only thing is the cash only policy but you get over that quickly because of the coffee. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area and need a good pick me up. Highly recommended

I needed a pick me up after spending the morning at MOMA. Had just finished eyeballing Mattisse and fighting for elbow room with snooty old ladies and my energy reserves were tapped out.
Needed a break.
Unilocaled out a near by lunch spot and café for afters.
Went, guided by the high stars.
What? Where? Why?
I remember this café from a million years ago.
The floor. Reminded me of NYC back in the day. Way back. Like Frank Sinatra was still alive, back.
The space is large, lots of open floor and lost space. Making it feel a bit like a bus station. But the black and white diamond floor and view to the street, makes me feel that Marilyn might show up if I just wait a minute. Or, better yet, Don Drapers wife.
The coffee?
Average.
Didn’t match my imagination.
Good for a quick buzz and hide away from the maddening crowds.

The Ninth Street Espresso is considered the first quality-​driven, specialty coffee bar in the city. They are located between the Harlow and the Lombardy Hotel, and have a very small, but honest menu — since this is a coffee place, they offer what they are known for: coffee! Brewed coffee, iced coffee, espresso, and espresso with milk (they also have tea, too). Underneath the cash register, there is a little case of pastries from Balthazar’s: plain and almond croissants, danishes, and muffins. I had the espresso with milk and an almond croissant. The espresso came with a cute heart art on top — very strong, but very tasty, and probably one of the best espressos I’ve had! The almond croissant was also nice, as it was pretty large, had a nice caramelized/​crunchy crust with slivers of almond, and it was perfect with the cup of espresso. The baristas here are friendly, professional, and really take care in making a perfect cup (you can see that in how they prepare the beverage for you!). Definitely a cute place to stop by to get some caffeine: D
+delicious espresso with milk
+Balthazar pastries (almond croissant)