Cafe 26 — Restaurant in Bayonne

I run a very popular chess club, 'The Bayonne Chess Society & Club in Bayonne. We started the club in mid November of 2023. We currently have over 300 adult members. No idea how many kids, as many come with their parents, for the FREE group chess lessons we offer.

Jessica, the owner, reached out to us, hoping we could give the Cafe more exposure, since it's pretty obvious that we are 'a thing' in Bayonne. 300 members and growing like crazy, members joining from places like Jersey City, Hoboken, Paramus, Newark, and Oldbridge..yup, we're a thing. Smart move on her part.

Cafe 26 is very cozy. It's like a more laid back Starbucks. Nice atmosphere. You'll find people having a coffee, eating some sort of pastry...doing some work on their laptop. Very comfortable. Also the large windows allow it to be very well lit. It's a nice place. The female employees behind the register are always friendly and smiling. HIGHLY recommend.

Cafe 26 hosts our group on Saturday afternoons from 1 pm to 6pm. All are welcome. No experience necessary. All ages. Just patronize the business venue we are at. The chess is free. The venue isn't.

We also host events on Friday nights at Chubby's on 37th and Broadway..and Joe's Pizza on 41st and Broadway. Members have a choice. Chubby's is more of the adult atmosphere. Grab a drink, eat, chill..play chess. Joe's is where you can come grab a slice or sandwich, chill with adults, families, teens, who play chess. Members can go to both if they want. They're only four blocks apart.

Sunday's we have free group chess lessons at Chubby's. from 2 pm until 5 pm. That's RSVP only. Space is limited. We will add another day if we get too many RSVP.

Thursday nights we're at Bayown's Vendor Mart for Boardgame/cards night. Members bring whatever game they want to play. Bayown's has their share of games. We play from 6pm to 9pm. We have A BLAST !!!

We already have other venues in the pipeline. San Vito's, Hendrickson's, Kuhl's Tavern, Andrew's and Healthy Food. We're making sure we spread chess to all parts of Bayonne.

So, if you're young or old, Beginner or experienced...we have a few National Masters and a FIDE Master..feel free to join us. We're on Facebook and Meetup. Just answer the membership questions and agree to the group rules. Or you WILL BE DECLINED. We're over 300 members, and we've declined A LOT OF PEOPLE.

Highly recommend. If any wants to learn chess, or even play some D&D, reach out to me. I also run a Dungeons and Dragons club. So reach out if there's...

UPDATE It has been a month now and I have gone back to try out coffee 2 more times. Each time I was pleasantly surprised. Their current barista is hitting it out of the park! I am so happy to report that I was not disappointed each time I visited. I did the rounds again trying different specialty drinks as well as their regular coffee; hot and iced. I am so glad I can continue to support this family business while also selfishly enjoying the coffee. The decor is definitely different from Clutch Moto. I love that they continues to keep live plants, comfortable seating and the playlist is a good vibe. I didn’t know this spot was under new management. To the other reviewers that miss Clutch - I mourn with you.

I tried 3 different drinks while I sat and worked here. Each one didn’t go well. I tried an iced coffee, a latte and one of their specialty drinks. They were all way to sweet and I could not taste the coffee at all.

Even though the staff is super nice and goes above and beyond - it doesn’t make up for the state of the drinks.

I know I am rooting for them for selfish reasons, but Bayonne needs a coffee shop. Really hoping they can get one of the baristas from clutch or something cause I do not want to go back...

Are you in mid-town Bayonne and need some coffee or baked goods? This is the place to be!

Here’s my take on this local cafe:

The drink; I would say was up to my liking, I ordered a dirty iced matcha latte. Definitely got my moneys worth on the espresso shot added. Just my opinion but, could use a bit more dairy to dilute the bitterness of the espresso. On another note, they have seasonal drinks which is also a plus.

Baked goods; you have to get the custards ! It takes some effort to snag these things up so, they do it for you!

The setup; Need to study or get work done? They have plenty of seating a long table for a group and a couple nice high chairs along the windows. The other half feels like I’m in a newly renovated living room where you can gather with friends.

Cleanliness and service; this is a very well kept place and service was also fast. They did put effort in decorating which was cool.

Parking; well the parking is uncontrollable but it’s the downside that I found. You’re either paying for a meter or looking for an extra 10 min on residential parking. Let it be known, you can only park for two hours on residential and the local meter patrol/ “ticket people” are very active...