The Best Coffee Roasters in Downtown Manhattan, NYC

Since 1907, Porto Rico Importing Co. has been the Greenwich Villager’s pick for the best beans in the Big Apple. You’ll smell this New York institution before you see it thanks to the store’s iconic open sacks spilling over with both classic and “rare and special” beans, such as unique Asia-sourced products. A one-stop shop for all of your coffee roasting needs, Porto Rico offers grounds, machines, and (dare we say?) one of the best cups of coffee in the city.

Don’t be fooled by the cozy digs at PROOF Coffee Roasters’ FiDi outpost (which PROOF’s website describes as being “about the size of a walk-in closet”): this small space packs huge flavor. The beans here come hand-selected and ethically sourced from around the globe before being roasted in Red Hook, Brooklyn and turned into the neighborhood’s buzziest coffee drinks. Tip: Take advantage of PROOF’s monthly coffee membership, which will get you unlimited drip coffee and tea, discounted specialty drinks, access to exclusive sales, and more.

With coffee this good, even the snobbiest New Yorker won’t care that La Colombe is a chain. The straightforward coffee drinks here are anything but ordinary, thanks to single-origin beans from sources such as Kenya and Guatemala that feature complex flavor profiles (made all the more intriguing by La Colombe’s tasting notes, which include “beloved” and “renowned”). Tip: While this chain boasts several downtown Manhattan addresses, its spacious SoHo outpost is your best bet for securing a seat—and one of the city’s most popular cups of coffee.

Looking at Roasting Plant’s coffee-making machinery, it’s easy to believe that the shop is the brainchild of an industrial engineer (and not-so-closeted coffee lover). Here, each order sends freshly roasted beans whizzing through the Plant’s patented tubes, snaking their ways along the wall. In this way, every cup is ground and brewed just for you, ensuring fresh coffee, happy customers, and, if you’re so inclined, a great Instagram post.

At Stumptown Coffee Roasters, roasting is a religion. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the chain’s warm West Village café acts as an altar of sorts for the city’s proud coffee snobs. Next time your caffeine craving strikes, sip Stumptown’s hand-roasted beans hailing from Africa, Indonesia, and beyond for a sacred start to your day.

Coffee connoisseurs, rejoice: local favorite Irving Farm Coffee Roasters has recently unveiled the newest addition to Manhattan’s roasting scene, the chain’s just-opened Washington Square café. At this latest location, longtime Farm fans can expect to find all of their favorite offerings, such as classic coffee drinks featuring freshly roasted beans from Ethiopia, Costa Rica, and beyond.

For buffs of Nicaraguan brews, there’s only one coffee destination in New York City. At Café Integral, Nicaraguan coffees are not just a primary focus; they’re the only focus. Months spent on farms in the Central American country more than pay off at this niche New York coffee roaster, serving the finest Nicaraguan coffees outside the “Land of Lakes and Volcanoes.”

Featuring tasting notes including “Oreo cookie” and “Starburst,” this East Village establishment doesn’t take itself too seriously. City of Saints does, however, buckle down when it comes to its beans, which come sourced from Guatemala, Kenya, and beyond before being transformed into everything from classic pour-overs to the popular lavender agave latte. With mouthwatering menu items such as these served in a bright café space, City of Saints provides patrons a taste of heaven.