Blackstone Coffee Roaster — Restaurant in New York

There's a line out the door for Blackstone while Starbucks sits empty down the block - and for good reason. The family run operation offers more than just great coffee, custom sandwiches and salads - they offer a bit of what we call crave...community. Sammy, the patriarch offers a hearty welcome to everyone who walks through his door "Hey cousin! How are you? What are you having today?" If you're lucky he knows you by name - he always asks about my wife Anna - you feel extra special when he calls you by your real name. He sons Ray and Alex are equally likable, albeit less gregarious as their pop, but they're learning. Tables and umbrellas set up outside with Sinatra music have made Blackstone the cool hang-out these days. The staff hustles orders out to those who've already ordered while in-line you'll find Wall Street brokers, a dad with kid in tow headed to PS3, New York's Finest from the 6th Precinct, an old-school Villager like me who's had a footprint here since the 60's. I miss the time where every shop in the Village was owned and operated by it's proprietors and made the Village... well more like a village. Thankfully we've got Blackstone that brings us all a little closer together one cup of...

It’s a quaint little coffee shop with tons of food options and really good coffee. It’s nestled in a nice clean safe part of nyc. It’s nice to grab a bite and people watch with outdoor seating. The service is very nice and accommodating. The egg salad is whipped and heavy at the same time and super delicious. The grilled/roasted veggies were delicious and they asked if I wanted them cold or hot. I also asked if I could get some feta on top as a flavor garnish and he said of course, it came with plenty sprinkled on. Not sure if they charged me for it or not but it was MUCH appreciated as that’s how it is served in Greece. It was a nice little taste of a good memory. When we ordered iced coffees with some sugar, the dude making the coffee looked at me and held up 2 raw sugars and asked if raw was ok. I said “sure, one in each coffee, please.” It’s nice to have them do that so it melts in the coffee before you get it cold and the sugar doesn’t dissolve. We don’t like syrup. Thanks we will be back when we come to nyc....

5 stars.

I had an interesting experience here. The worker, who may be the owner, seemed quite friendly, greeting regular customers by name and remembering their routines. Naturally, I expected a similar warm interaction when I greeted him, but our exchange didn’t go as I’d hoped. He was busy, didn’t make eye contact, and my order seemed to fall through the cracks. After waiting about 15 minutes, I noticed my order hadn’t been started, which was disappointing.

Ironically, I had gotten off the train one stop early to treat myself to a nice breakfast. Initially, it felt like a great idea, but things didn’t go as planned.

However, 5 stars for the team members who did step in—they made my coffee and food quickly and were quite efficient. Sometimes, we have to appreciate the good parts of an experience and move on from the less-than-ideal moments. I’ll definitely give this place...