Il Caffe Latte

the best thing about this place is the lox bagel brunch item. the service is hit or miss. the lattes are OK, but there is better coffee to be found in the area. i once ordered a hot salmon entrée which had the appearance and taste of tilapia, leaving me confused. maybe the salmon had just lost its pink color as salmon does if it’s not consumed while fresh. but yea, i will return for the smoked salmon, which always delivers.

During one of the chilly NYC nights I came in to meet a friend and was pleasantly surprised with how cozy and warm this place is, and the service staff are friendly and open. It’s a nice space in the evening with lit candles at every table and relaxing music. The coffee is good and hot. They make their own croissants and desserts in house. I will def come back for their weekend brunches

Great neighborhood brunch joint. Slightly hidden amongst Harlem’s now many for sale properties. Where do Harlemites go in this gentrification process?
Hmm, larger than some of the new cafes in Harlem, this is a friendly service with plenty of coffee choices from $ 2.50 +.
I had an omelette with onions, cheese and mushrooms and my friend 2fried eggs and toast plus coffees which came to $ 23 with tips so pretty good.

comfortable neighborhood café with great tasting food! Awesome service! good day to start the mid morning!

Menu very confusing. Penne vodka listed as $ 11 under «lunch and dinner noon-​9pm» however I got charged $ 2 extra because it was dinner time.
No wifi.
Losing customers… much less busy than it used to be.

My family has been to this café many times for brunch and dinner. We’ve always had good service, though it can be slow at times, which we don’t mind. They have been very accommodating and the food has been yummy.

Very cute little place. I had the salmon burger. It was delicious! I’ve been living in this neighborhood for four years and this is my first time here and I will definitely be back. Great staff. My grandmother and her friends were here from Argentina and the host even tried to speak Spanish to them. Sweet little café.

Contrary to many of the reviews I read on this place, I have to say overall I had a pretty decent experience here. If I could give it 4.5 stars, I would for the speedy service, delicious food and cozy intimate atmosphere. I ordered the Latin egg wrap with a side of bacon and my friend had the Acapulco platter with Apple sausage and it was all tasty. Great brunch prices for a decent sized portion. We are both definitely going again!

Disclaimer: this review describes my experience from 5ish months ago, it has just been sitting in my drafts and I forgot all about it.
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I was in here with my boyfriend earlier because we walked by not too long ago and it looked like a great place to study. It definitely was a nice place to quietly do work, even though there was no internet. That’s really where both of the stars in this review came from. It gets much worse from here, brace yourselves.
We weren’t greeted when we walked in, I had to approach the guy working behind the counter, who clearly saw us already, to tell him we wanted to sit and eat. He said «sure, sit anywhere you’d like,» so I do, and I grab a couple menus myself too since I was now anticipating slow and/​or lackluster service.
Ordered food and coffee, coffee appeared much later than my food only after I had to remind my server about it. He just looked at me and half nodded when I requested my coffee as he was putting my entrée down… For some reason that really rubbed me the wrong way. If you’re so acutely aware about the coffee, so much that I’m boring you with my reminder, then why don’t I already have my coffee?
My food wasn’t bad, I got the breakfast platter and I was pretty full when I was done with it. Worth the $ 10. Coffee took forever to get to me and it wasn’t good, not worth the $ 2.
The owner or manager appears after about an hour and she almost immediately puts our check on our table upon her arrival. She said something along the lines of needing the table but honestly, we were so busy (I needed to finish a lab report) that we just paid and continued to sit and type away despite her trying to rush us out. I really wanted to like this place because it’s so close to my campus and I would have loved a neighborhood place to go everyday but that dream was not realized with this establishment.

I like this place a lot and tried it several times both for take-​out and eating there. Their turkey and regular burgers (think it’s called the deluxe?) are great and come with a good amount of sweet potato fries or a tasty salad.
Make sure to ask for a side of chipotle mayo! Good stuff. Oh, and the chai latte and coffee are good also. I’ll definitely be coming back.

Why would you lose a $ 40 table over a slice of pita bread??? We were there for lunch, wanted salads, drinks and burgers. I asked for a slice of pita bread with my salad. Waitress refused. I told her just charge me a price for the pita — no problem. She refused. I told her I had a taste for pita with my salad so if she wouldn’t sell me a slice we would have to find another restaurant. No pita. We left.
How can a business be run like this? Pathetic.

Food consistent with other store, which we have been going to for years. The food is great and the prices are right on. Service a little off, omlette order had to be re done, then confirmed multiple times. Just write it down ppl! If I could id give this location 3.5 stars.

After my second experience here, I will not be returning.
My boyfriend and I came here for brunch this morning and ordered coffee, omelettes, and a couple of sides.
The coffees NEVER came. The food arrived very late and the toast was already cold. Moreover, the staff didn’t respond to our complaints well.
I had wanted to return here because I was in love with their iced coffee, so it was a bit of a shame that I never got it. Also, my boo loves his pancakes, and this place has done him a huge disservice by serving sopping wet, gooey pancakes. Not cool.
Needless to say, I wouldn’t recommend for anyone to brunch here.

Cute place for a date warm up :) it’s 4:54 in the morning and here I am thinking on the Ham and Swiss croissant I had today… I mean, yesterday. Simple and delicious. Cute little place in Washington Heightst. It’s my first time and visited for a short time so I can’t say much. I didn’t even get to browse around. I will definitely go back for lunch as I work around the corner :)
…to be continued

My companion and I were strolling around Harlem and realized that it was already hours past lunch time. But we were hungry, so we decided to check out this place.
Since we were in between mealtimes, we just opted to get a large soup; I ordered the chicken curry soup, while he ordered the French onion soup. They were both delicious and great for the purpose they served. The serving size was large enough that we were both satisfied.
I probably would have given this place just 3 stars, but I opted to try a peanut butter cookie and loved it, so I am giving them an extra star. The staff was also very helpful and friendly, and explained to us what baked goods they had.
I don’t end up finding myself in this neighborhood too often, but if I do, I won’t mind stepping in again and getting myself another cookie.

Beautiful quant interior. This place definitely has a lot of character… As does the Owner, I love this lady and are frequent at both of her places. I often Go for the tilapia croissant or Salmon Burger on croissant with Sweet potato fries, its amazing.
The service can be a little slow at times only because the kitchen only has one chef and the staff has to service 2 floors. However if your not in a rush and just want a chill place to have brunch, a good meal or meat for convo visit this place.
Theere seems to be a alot of dismay @ the Owener/​Manager/​AsianLady. her Name is yung, she is super hipster and very unaware that she is being rude. the first time i met her i made the same mistake of misjudging her. She is like the Witty commenting Grandmother you never had. Her intentions are pure and sweet, and she will generally give you want you want or recommend something if you don’t like it. She wont hand hold you, or give you a fluff job just because your visiting, I am always greeted with smiles a joke and a good laugh when i take my friends and family.
Give it a try… the food is good the atmosphere is great.

Beautiful quant interior. This place definitely has a lot of character. However, the food is below average and the service isn’t consistent.
I’ve been there four times now. I had their French toast on my first visit. My plate was sloppy and didn’t have a good balance of fruit to French toast ratio. The bacon was way too greasy and tasted stale. Also, my waiter at the time seemed grumpy.
The second visit was with a friend. The service was definitely an improvement. I tried the pancakes. It was completely nasty. My pancakes were drowning in berry sauce. My meal was way too soggy.
The third visit was similar to the second. Mediocre service and awful food. Again, I tried the pancakes. However, I asked for the pancakes. To my dismay, it just didn’t taste good.
My last attempt at this place was an epic fail. Ordered coffee but never received it (even after an hour). My omelette was awful. It looked as nasty as it tasted. They did deliver my cold toast and they had no interest in providing butter. After asking for butter 2 times, I ended up going down stairs to request it from the cashier.
I spent too much time at this place to only end up disappointed and frustrated. I take it personal when one messes up another’s brunch. It’s suppose to be the happiest meal of the day!
I’m never going to this place again. In fact, I won’t even walk on their block anymore.

I have come here three times and unfortunately, it wasn’t a charm. We were here on a Sunday at 12:30. After standing there for 5 minutes while a couple of servers rushed back and forth, we were told to go upstairs. Ok, no problem. We walked upstairs and were seated rather quickly. There was a table of four to our left and another beyond them. And at the seprate room in the front, a larger party. We got the menus, placed our order, and waited THIRTY minutes to get coffee! I mean, seriously? I’m ok with the food taking a little while, but bring out of coffee!
The larger group in the front was a disaster, food being sent back, complaining, etc. the two other tables in our room were all looking around to snag their checks after sitting with a dirty table for a solid 15 – 20 minutes. I felt bad for the servers, the owner kept coming upstairs to berate them and tell at them in front of patrons! Our food arrived 40 minutes after we placed our order. 40 minutes!!! And all the while we got the lovely view of dirty, un bussed tables!
It was an absolutely ridiculous experience, and I will not return. Shame on this owner for treating her staff so poorly and obviously running this business in an awful manner.
Don’t go here, there are other places where the owners value their employees and patrons.
Ps the food isn’t that great either. I would give it average at best.

Pros:
(+) Key Lime is delish!
(+) Homemade desserts
(+) Inexpensive
(+) Coffee is good
(+) Small but comfy intimate spot
(+) Right off the A, B, C, D train
(+) They serve alcohol: beer, wine, mimosas, etc
(+) Art exhibits
Cons:
(-) $ 10 minimum purchase to use your card
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Their motto is, «serving good food in Harlem»
I’ve been to their original location on Malcom X & Lenox Blvd and was excited to see when they started building this location on 145^th a few months ago. I enjoyed my experience at the original place so I only expect the same experience here. You can read my review on the first spot here:

Whoever is the designer of this place has done a great job. I love all the DIY feel of the place repurposing old vintage fans, bottles, lamps, etc. I’m a sucker for antique pieces. The place is narrow but long… so you can sit way in the back for a more private seating.
The coffee is delicious. I usually come for their chai. Their key lime is fantastic! I did try their homemade brownie which was, just okay. I wasn’t a huge fan of it only because it had whole size walnuts making it a little difficult to bite into. I’d suggest that they crush their walnuts instead. But I’m not going to knock them over that since it’s easy to remedy.
You should know that there is a $ 10 minimum for using your card, so bring cash if you plan on just buying coffee and a pastry. It’s near the corner of 145^th & St. Nicholas right off the A, B, C, D train… perfect place to grab coffee on the way to work /​school.

I can’t believe I ventured this far uptown for my friend’s poetry reading. I don’t think I’ve ever been to Harlem, but it was definitely a fun adventure I won’t soon forget.
The poetry reading was held at this tiny café, and I’m glad I got to experience it. When my friend and I arrived, I was starving, and she really wanted a glass of wine. I was worried that the café wouldn’t have anything vegan friendly, but the waitress told me I could eat the black bean soup and a salad. I said, «sounds good to me!» My friend was able to get a glass of red wine.
We sat on the first floor to enjoy our food/​drink and enjoyed the bustling yet cozy atmosphere. My only complaint is that the space is really drafty, and I was freezing my buns off. Upstairs, where the reading was held, was even more chilly, and I never took my coat off.
The food was just okay. Mostly, I was just happy to be able to have SOMETHING to eat because I had been so hungry. The black bean soup was a little watery, and the salad wasn’t anything remarkable.
I really like the space upstairs. It’s filled with interesting and eye-​catching art. I don’t know the neighborhood very well, but it seems like a little gem within it. Probably if I lived nearby, I would frequent Il Caffe Latte.