Kaffe 1668

Ok I’m back to update my review as eventually I was able to test this place out after trying many times despite the fact that they were closed during the holiday season.
Everything was good and consistent with its FiDi sister; except that they don’t carry many sheep inside the shop due to the limited space, so sad. Besides the regular choices of coffee, they also provide ice tea with variety of flavors and pastries that look delicious.
One thing: when I ordered americano, they poured the milk for you instead of leaving yourself doing it — so considerate.

Very ordinary over priced coffee, that is neither smooth nor clean. The pour over provided contained substantial sedimentation; which obviously should not be present. Furthermore, the service is slow and disorganized.

Kaffe «Lite» /​/​«Good Coffee»
The Abbreviated Midtown Version
This location is the minime version of the original downtown spot.
Great strong well crafted coffee, excellent cold brew, without the lounge or additional food.
Kaffe’s first location in Tribeca was a favorite many years ago, consistent, great coffee and over time juices and food. The second location just north of the first had great juices, and delicious healthy things to eat (love this spot).
Hopefully this location will offer more than just coffee and scones…
The Scene: Quality Coffee, To-​go
Destination Rating: 4
Date Rating: 1
Hob Nob Potential: 1
Note: Not a Café for lounging. And yes, their signature sheep are available for purchase.

Who knew 530 5^th Avenue hides Kaffe 1668! If it wasn’t for the ‘Good Coffee’ signage outside, I would not be able to guess there’s a coffee shop in there. You are to go through the revolving doors, past through the spacious lobby, and the tiny left corner is where you will be greeted by the barista. Daily fresh selection of pastries like cookies and scones are available. Also, you can also buy yesterday’s pasties for a discounted price which they do label (we appreciate the honesty!).
Blueberry-​Lemon Glazed Scone was deliciously sweet. To me, the texture is quite different since it is soft even on the outside. It is not dry like it is supposed to be but very tasty. Hints of blueberry are evenly spaced out with a lemony, tarty finish. Interesting!
Cold Brew has a very upfront, in your face dark taste than what I am used to. A terrific wake-​me-​up choice!
Alright, I dig it!

It was fine. Nothing spectacular. Decent cappuccino.

Finally tried this Swedish kaffe this morning. I like it… The coffee reminds me of Stumptown coffee, which isn’t a bad thing, as it makes for a good and complex espresso or macchiato, but it wasn’t overpowering either. I had an espresso here, along with a raspberry biscuit and chatted with the barista for a bit. I could see myself coming here regularly, but the only deterrent is that it’s SO tiny. You can sit in the lobby area of the building and relax, but I like to stand while I’m having my espresso or macchiato and read the NYTimes on my phone, so this is more of a grab-​and-​go place, especially if it’s in the morning. Nice to have options in this area though for meeting up with clients or other folks that I work with globally when they visit NYC.

Excellent coffee, but the real star of the show here is the Pour-​Over Coffee with three or four fabulous options that change regularly.
They usually have South American and African coffee bean options, which is pretty amazing considering how small the location is. I really enjoyed a Burundi one, which is unusual as I normally prefer South American over African coffees and chocolates. Probably speaks to the quality of the beans they source.
My favorite pour-​over coffee spot is still Café Grumpy in Chelsea, but to be able to have this option in Midtown, is truly unique. Plus, as the owners are Swedish, they offer tasty and real (meaning, not processed) pastry options. My personal favorites are the Swedish Raspberry Biscuit and the Swedish Chocolate Ball (which amazingly does not have any sugar added, but tastes great).
And, on top of all that, the lobby of the office building that the coffee stand is in, is beautiful and has several couch benches and tables that you can sit at and enjoy your coffee.
Really unique space, location and coffee, and beats going to a run-​of-​the-​mill Starbucks.

Love the location. Little corner closet of an office lobby on 5^th Ave near 42^nd St. Don’t fret! Yes it’s just a corner counter but they have to stay cups and lots of lobby tables and chairs to use.
I still prefer the two TriBeCa locations. But always nice to have an extra choice midtown here. Of course beautiful silver Synesso espresso machine like the other locations. Plus now they roast their own beans in Red Hook so no more Intelligentsia.
Love the colorful cups! That hasn’t changed in so many years. But my espresso was mediocre this day. Burnt. Hmm. Tasted more like over roasting if anything. But I’ve had plenty of good shots at the other locations so I would still come back.

Wasn’t sure where to find this… you have to go into the building, it’s in the corner of the lobby all the way down the hall.
The coffee is very strong and flavorful– definitely a better choice than Starbucks or Dunkin. Skip the sweets; not crazy about the muffins. Coffee is a go for sure!

I’ve walked past this teeny café many times and finally decided to stop inside.
This location is in a office building but walk to the back and it’s not too hard to spot. There is seating, but it’s in a lobby so you can decide if you want to stay or go.
The coffee here is strong and crafted with care. Not to mention, the barista makes a cute heart with the milk! Similar prices to Starbucks but they actually get your order correct! Also, the biscuits with raspberry jam are delicious.
Wednesday’s are my favorite because the barista is chipper and accommodating. Going to work on 3 hours of sleep is hard — but the barista had the perfect remedy. I feel bad I don’t remember her name!
Friday’s are ok… the guy here is pretty adorable but lacks in the personality range. I’ll still throw a dollar in the tip jar but he really needs to learn that his looks only got him so far with me.
I’ll stick to Wednesdays.

Excellent expresso, with the perfect level of acidity and long taste. Very friendly staff. Clear go to place !

With this sleek little place along with Hole in the Wall Coffee suddenly on the scene, midtown is no longer such an abysmal place for espresso. What these two new awesome coffee shops have in common in that they are both hidden away in the lobbies of 5^th avenue office buildings.
This means they are hard to find, have a small space, and you get a somewhat cold and unwelcome feeling when you first enter. There is also often a bit of a wait since both have like 1 or 2 baristas. However, with all this stacked up against Kaffe 1668 and Hole in the Wall, they still manage to rock just on sheer quality and the absurd awesomeness of their products.
Both have baked goods that are top notch. Kaffe 1668 actually makes all their own pastry and while I was there people were going HAM over the blueberry scones. Kaffe 1668 also has outstanding espresso served in cool dishware and, gasp, actually has a good amount of seating! (It’s lobby seating but it’s pretty much full of people drinking coffee.)
But of all the things I love about this nutty little spot helmed by a single hard-​working barrista, was that they have perhaps NYC’s best cold brewed iced tea. I will simply say that this is the best cold brewed tea I have ever had in my life hands down and some of the best tea I have had generally and leave it at that. Please try this if you go here.
And if you do go here, just enter 520 5^th Ave and walk straight ahead. You will see a line and, at the end of it, one brave barrista.

Can’t believe my favorite Tribeca coffee spot has a small location midtown! This popped up on my Unilocal app and I was so excited because I love the Greenwich St. locations. This is a scaled down version of the actual coffee shops located in an office building, so don’t expect to sit down with you laptop and get comfortable. The downside is that the people working here move slow. I’ve literally stood at the counter as the barista prepared another customer’s coffee for several minutes. All I wanted was a small drip, which takes 2 seconds to grab. If I see a tiny line and just turn around because let’s be real, during the day nobody has time for that. The coffee is still great!

Amazing coffee, extremely friendly employees, fast service; this hidden gem should not be missed! Ice coffee is off the charts good. I hope they stick around for a long time.

Nice hidden outpost of the downtown powerhouse. Ben makes a great cortado and certainly lives his coffee. This is little more than an alcove inside of an office building lobby. The guards freak out if you move the chairs more than a millimeter in the lobby, so you can have fun with that. A great addition to espresso-​less mid-​40s Manhattan. See if you can find it!

This place has the best espresso in Midtown. I would like it to be a daily pilgrimage, however they apparently close whenever the employees feel like with no regard for schedule. Today I showed up at 3:45 and they barista said they close between 4 — 5, but had closed early for the day. If you guys stick to a schedule I will be a regular, otherwise I will settle for less.

Found this via a NY Times review. You’ll walk through a corporate lobby and tucked at the back is a little espresso bar. A grab n’ go option this place does terrific coffee with a tasty (& healthy) snack/​mini meal offer too.

Cute small coffee shop on the first floor of an office building. Many choices for coffee, but since it’s a one person operation there may be a wait. As a break from shopping on fifth Ave, my friend and I enjoyed sipping coffee while sitting in the lobby area.

Has some of the best coffee in midtown. And its hidden in the back of a super sleek new lobby.