787 Coffee — Restaurant in New York

his store is an aesthetic gem. There is some artist behind this operation that turns this space into an oasis. Also the coffee is fine but to my taste it is the ambience that is special. The whiskey coffee is "pushed" but of course it has no alcohol and I can't taste the difference just the price, . The store presents themselves as positive agents for a Puerto Rican coffee farm. I same here because I thought I was endorsing a "Green" shop helping poor people in PR but lately I wonder if I have been fooled.I go there a lot and talk to the Baristas. In my conversations with the Barista's I am told - and I have no way of verifying this - that the company hires undocumented immigrants who are afraid to report problematic work conditions, including unhealthily cold temperatures in the store and a pressure to sell customers sweets. The 58th store for example is often sub zero on sub zero days and when I asked the Barista if they could turn up they heat they say they asked and their bosses says "Wait until Spring" Whenever I hear a customer ask I hear the Baristas say "the pipes need to be fixed" - but weeks go by and the upstairs heater today, for example, is cold as ice, What worries me too is that I have personal knowledge of a person whose chair broke and when the company was informed that this was a danger for the customers and they should investigate the integrity of the chairs and fix them there has been no response as of yet. It saddens me as I really felt good thinking I was helping the poor PR coffee growers. I don't want to report the company to the Department of Health but keep hoping the company will show more care for the health of their Baristas,. I do think us customers should inquire of the hard working Barista's if there working conditions are safe and encourage them to see what their rights are, even if they are...

I came in to do some work, knowing that they had a good seating area upstairs and strong wifi with outlets — however, my experience today was subpar for a couple reasons.

Starting with the pros — Great coffee, cute atmosphere / building. Wifi, outlets, and seating area are great for doing work, as already mentioned (but with issues, see below). Air conditioning upstairs which I think is somewhat new.

Cons:

1. No prices on the chalkboard menu, and if drinks can be $10+ the customer should know before they order. It feels shady/dishonest any time a business isn’t transparent about prices upfront. I was taken aback when my latte (served in a bag, which was… interesting) came out to over $10.50, perhaps because I took the barista’s recommendation for the kind of espresso shot in my latte? In any case, all I can do is guess because the reality is I just don’t know and the prices weren’t communicated clearly at any point. Also, I get that it’s NYC but upwards of $10 for a latte is just absurd.
2. Loads of flies upstairs, and I seriously mean everywhere. There was one as big as my thumb, so big that I even wondered if it was some kind of beetle. A fly landed on my straw and I was constantly waving flies away from my face and laptop screen. I really planned to stay a few hours to grind through some work, but I couldn’t bear the fly situation and left in an hour. I’ve never counted so many flies in a room (that wasn’t a trash room). The good thing is that this is perfectly fixable (so please...

TL:DR - great food, cozy space, beverages are hit or miss depends what you get. 4 stars. David the barista is great! 58th st location.

Details: Service 5/5 - shoutout to David for the exceptional customer service.

Atmosphere: 3/5 super cramped in here but it's kind of cozy. They have wifi but it's super intimately spaced and I feel like I'm going to break my neck on those stairs, this place is short people friendly.

Food: tastiest chicken Empanada I've had in awhile that isn't from the Criollos chain. It was juicy without being wet and flavorful. Wepa!!!!

Drinks: my buddy got the Tres Leche and I had fomo because that thing was GOOOD. Drank half of hers lol. I got an iced Coquito latte because I'm a sweaty human even in winter and it helped regulate my temp but the taste was just OK. Her drink was hot and I was happy to sweat for it. Note: the iced drinks come in those clear bags with a straw like when Covid started allowing people to drink out of plastic bags from bars. We went to pick her kid up from tennis and I looked like an unhinged day drinker trying to relive spring break.

Misc: Stopped by with a buddy to wait for tennis to let out over on 1st ave. Got a chicken Empanada, a Tres leche coffee and a coquito flavored latte. ( they have actual spirit infused stuff but i...