Steps from the Knickerbocker Avenue station, a new Starbucks has emerged, featuring the Seattle brand’s slate-gray walls, blaring pop music and, these days, a surgically efficient online ordering system. But if you don’t want to go to the corporate super-chain’s latest foothold in Bushwick, here are five other cafes safely within walking distance you can go to instead.
Located just a block or two away is HEADREST, which opened during the pandemic and might just make the most finely crafted cappuccino in Bushwick. Imagine picture-perfect latte art sitting atop a glossy blend of milk-foam and espresso; it’s an ideal pairing for the flaky croissants they bake in-house every morning. You can savor this in the cafe’s cozy, plant-draped interior, while listening to soft, contemporary indie rock — and feel good about it too. “Our priority to stay environmentally conscious and sustainable in every aspect of our business,” reads their website.
HEADREST is located at 262 Irving Avenue.
This hip window-service coffee bar over on Myrtle Avenue is the perfect spot to grab a latte — and maybe even a bagel sandwich — as you go to or from the L station. Mixtape’s relatively simple menu still features a couple signature items, such as a chaga mushroom latte and greens-stacked “Veggie Party” bagel. The vibes are also tremendous: the storefront’s spacey purple mural has an outsized presence on bustling avenue. Even though seating is limited to a few barstools and a bench, you may find yourself lingering.
Mixtape is located at 1533 Myrtle Avenue.
Further up Irving Avenue, you’ll hear smooth jazz setting the tone at Werkshop. The cafe’s comfortable yet elegant interior is furnished with plants, books, and, until Sept. 13, a small gallery show called “Muted Realities,” collecting works by Mi Chen and Oojin Kim, two local artists. You can appreciate their paintings and ceramics while sipping on Werkshop’s standout matcha latte and munching on the place’s signature croffle. You’ll find it hard not to relax.
Werkshop is located at 181 Irving Avenue.
At one point calling itself the first bookstore in Bushwick, Molasses is three in one: bookstore, cafe, and a bar. A small collection of tables sit alongside the shelves, which means you might have to crane your neck to inspect Matt Winn’s meticulously curated collection of used books. Maybe you’ll find something you like. The walls are decked out with posters and other kinds of geometric designs; the music taste of the baristas here generally tend toward the obscure. If you find yourself lingering late enough, you can also pour a glass of wine or a craft beer — but you’ll have to ditch your laptop.
Molasses is located at 770 Hart Street.
Everyone knows it’s not just about coffee. Sometimes what you want is that much mythologized “third place,” where you can comfortably work or study for a few hours without the guilt of clogging up a small cafe’s precious few tables. Lazy Suzy offers the best of both worlds. There’s an array of drinks and pastries, but also at least 2,000 square feet of indoor seating. And the wifi password is posted all over — you don’t even have to ask!
Lazy Suzy is located at 703 Hart Street.
Photos taken by Liam Archacki for Bushwick Daily.
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