Oren’s Daily Roast

I don’t like factoring cost into reviews, because costs are cold, hard facts, but geez. There’s a difference between reviewing on cost and reviewing on not getting your money’s worth. A $ 3 cup of black coffee shouldn’t taste burnt and shouldn’t taste watery. I could get a $ 1 cup from the cart outside if that’s what I wanted. I will say that when I got a latte here, I was pleased with the level of sweetness (minimal), but that’s the only good I can say about this place, unfortunately.

I have a pretty regular (3 a day) espresso habit, and I started going to this place for my first daily fix a few times a week pretty much the day it opened. I used to love it, but that’s all over now.
You see they recently increased prices ($ 2.83 to $ 2.99 in the case of an espresso), which they justified on the basis of better milk and bigger drink sizes. A double espresso doesn’t require milk. As for the size… well, read on.
I went in last week and ordered my usual espresso. It came to me so short that you could see the bottom of the cup if you would place it on a not precisely level surface. When I asked them to fix it, it came back 4x as full as the first cup.
I went in this morning and ordered an espresso. Their sign specifies that all espressos are double shot, so when the man at the cash register called out «a shot of espressso», I clarified «that’s a double shot right?». (He confirmed.) Well, my espresso came out as short as the last time.
I gazed into the cup a bit trying to figure out what to do. Without settling on the greater moral question of how I would structure my life around what is clearly shaping up to be an ongoing thing, I settled on going back to the register (no one else was accessible to the customers at that point) to let them know so I could get a more appropriate size. (The first half of that sentence is only slightly facetious.)
So I told the guy at the register that I wanted a double shot but didn’t get very much. Without himself ever seeing how much espresso was in the cup, he told me it was a double shot. I told him «if I took half of this out to make a single shot, you would see the bottom of the cup [ed. note: without any tilting]».
Do you know how he responded? He SHRUGGED. A shrug! I don’t know how to respond to apathy — I’m pretty sure I’ve never experienced it in my life. I threw the espresso in the trash and went to Starbucks. I just don’t know how to get my $ 3 back.
I haven’t used Unilocal in so long, but this place set me off so much that I couldn’t help myself.

Their espresso is solid, a little bit lighter than Coffee Bean and less sweet than Joe, so a nice option to have around for variety. The one star review is because they just raised the price of a latte from $ 5 to $ 6.64, a more than 30% price increase. This is now by far the most expensive coffee in the neighborhood, not even in the same ballpark as the rest of them, so there is just no way I will be stepping foot in that store again. Irving Farms, which has a pretty similar flavor profile to my unrefined palate, is just a block away.

The coffee quality here is inconsistent. Last summer, I quit visiting this location for the same reason. I, however, wanted to give another try this year, so I got a cup of small Americano a few days ago: it was rich, bold and tasty. So I just came back today for the same (well, expected) small Americano. Eww. It was just like water. I already got to the subway station so I could not even go back to complain. There was not much espresso inside, and I am now super angry that I paid $ 3.21 for a shit. Never coming back to this location. This location really really sucks.

Solid coffee with a hipster vibe that reminds me of Seattle’s coffee shops and a nice selection of mugs. My Americano was just okay, though, and tasted a but burnt. They do have a wide variety of almond and soy options, if that is what you are looking for. Seating is very limited so it’s more an of on-​the-​go café.

You’ll do no wrong stopping by Oren’s. They make a solid regular brew but if you like espresso I would avoid it. Not sure if it was the particular barista I had but it came out burnt tasting and sour — blegh.
They have some cute pastries (my favorite is probably the bacon scone) and a good tea collection.
If you’re looking for a quick bite + coffee before you hop on the subway Oren’s is a great option.
Not really any seating so don’t expect to sip and chat here with friends.

Amazing super tasty coffee, it is good for take away, but if you wish to have a really tasty macchiato or an amazing almond milk latte that is definitely the place for those who understand what a good coffee is.

Oren’s has a great mug selection! It’s a Perfect place to get coffee and coffee related stuff. They also have gift cards.

Really good coffee — but most importantly — they sell DOUGHNUT PLANT DOUGHNUTS! What a find! Different selections each time i’ve gone in, but am so grateful they have them. Wish there was more seating in the place, but I don’t mind because at least I can walk out with great coffee and an even greater doughnut!

Yummy cappuccinos and pastries (many of which are half-​priced in the afternoon!), friendly baristas, and cute tip jars. Sure, they could use more seating, but the coffee is good enough to make up for that!

Ah… what a great place for a cup of coffee. I usually try to come here at least once a week because not only is the coffee good but the staff is friendly and always very cheerful. I do also like the different tip jar names. Each day the daily coffee changes and is always delicious.

Very cool place I walked in to escape the heat and I was welcomed by the staff with great energy they were so nice to me and it was my first time here so they didn’t even know me and were polite and very accommodating, offered me a napkin and took the time to explain all the iced drinks on the menu.
The place had a great aroma that should already say something about this place. It’s like walking into a cool coffee paradise.
Chances are I won’t be back because I’m not from this part of the town but I will recommend that’s for sure

Awesome late and were those «Donut Plant» donuts?
One star off because the line to order was more of a blob of people both waiting to order and pick up drinks. like a food truck.

For years I’ve gone to Oren’s on the Eastside every once in a while to buy beans. It was always a bit expensive, but for an every once in awhile deal it was fine. Then they opened up shop on the UWS and I would find I would go there, again, every once in awhile to buy just a cup of coffee.
Recently I thought I would try their beans again as a different supplier from my usual Zabar’s. I’ll say although it was good and fresh it wasn’t all that much better than Z, IMO, but it was much, much more expensive. So I think I’ll continue going there a getting a cup of joe, but I won’t buy my beans there.

I work literally a block from here. I generally go to Irving Farm over on 79^th on my walk up but sometimes the line is overwhelming at 830am when I would go and I abhor Starbucks coffee (unless I have a gift card), so luckily my employers notified me of this place! I have only tried the iced coffee, but it has great flavor black on it’s own — no milk or sweeteners or added syrups! It’s cheaper than Starbucks for a large sized cup and goes without saying that it is much better. I haven’t tried a latte yet so I cannot compare it to Irving Farm espresso (which is rich and high quality on flavor) but will update as soon as I do.
Oren’s has a fair amount of pastries from places around the city (notably Balthazar) that look fresh and a few healthy on the go bar options as well. That’s as much as I got a look of it, only stopped in here twice briefly, but I am quite pleased to have found it!

Seriously nice coffee and service. The overwhelming scent of coffee when you open the door is the best greeting a caffeine starved addict can receive.
I had a iced coffee it was super strong and smooth. Not a big fan of the milk and cream being added for me deli style but it won’t stop me returning to be best smelling store in town.

I know it’s a coffee/​tea shop. But I came to like this place for its croissants! I love croissants. When I was in Hoboken, the bakery on the 1^st street supplied to my need for great croissants. Since my move to Upper West Side, I had searched for great croissants for several weeks and tried three terrible croissants until the day I walked into Oren’s. I have to confess that I went there because the Starbucks cross the street was too crowded. Anyway, I don’t know which bakery provides them croissants, but they are great, really great. They taste best before 10am every morning. I just tried their scone today, pretty good too.
As to coffee or cappuccino, they are not strong or fragrant enough for me.

This place is just a few blocks from where I grew up on West End Avenue. I went away for college and after that moved away for three more years so when I would come home for holidays, I tried to only frequent places that were around when I grew up… I didn’t want my neighborhood to change.
Now I’ve moved back to NY full-​time so I guess I’m a little more open to trying new places instead of living in my childhood memories. This place is GREAT. I came here when I really wanted a Frappuccino but didn’t want to support Starbucks. My boyfriend and I spoke to an incredibly patient and friendly barista, Mickey (Mikey?), who told us about their direct-​trade coffee. This is even better than Fair Trade, which can be pricey and relies on third party «certifiers» (I am still totally pro-​Fair Trade, I just think people should know direct trade can be equally as ethical, if not more-​so). I was tempted to have Oren’s lose one star for not having all of their coffee be direct-​trade but that seems unfair since they’re at least trying. Maybe in another review they’ll only get four…
Mickey was super patient with my boyfriend and me as we tried to navigate the menu and pick coffee options that came from direct-​trade beans. I got a Frozen Caramel, I think it’s called, which is really similar to a Frapp except BETTER because it actually tastes like coffee and not pure sugar.
They also have a rewards card where if you buy 12 coffees (or bags of coffee beans, I think), the 13^th one is free. It takes a while to get there but I’m a sucker for pretty much any place with a rewards system.
I returned today and met Hannah and Jordi. They were both incredibly friendly as well so I will definitely be back here.

I really wanted to like this place, close enough to my son’s apartment to pick up a coffee. Their coffees were pretty tasty but all of their tables were pub style. While grabbing a coffee with an 80 year old woman with a walker the options for sitting and enjoying their tasty brew were non existent. We ended up on a bench at the intersection to sit and drink but next time I’ll look for someplace different.

I have been looking for the perfect cup of Joe in the neighborhood for a couple months now.
Oren’s coffee is definitely on the top of my list. I don’t think there is much of an amazing choice around. There is Irving Farms on 79^th street but since they burned the first coffee I ever tried (Their Union Square location) I definitely won’t go back unless some friends of mine will force me.
Since it has been so difficult to find a good coffee around, I might be a little bit biased, but Oren’s Daily Roast is on the top for me. Their expresso is flavorful (a daily roast + sumatra blend according to the friendly barista who served me).
I removed one star because it’s so small and there is nowhere to sit, even if you want a couple sips while seating, it’s just not great. They have teas as well, but being the tough tea lover that I am, I won’t be judging them by their teas. I always feel suspicious if they are stored in glass jars. Teas don’t like light. even less air. Anyway… worth trying if you’re in the neighborhood.