Demitasse Coffee & Tea/The Calaveras NYC — Restaurant in New York

Good coffee, really good food, great place to work.

For several months, this has been my #1 coffee shop to sit and work in. It is a rare thing, at least in this part of Manhattan, but here you have a place with good coffee, working internet, power outlets that are usually available when you need them, plenty of seating (in spite of the storefront's narrow allotment) and a bathroom. There are tons of coffee shops/cafés in Manhattanville, Morningside Heights, South Harlem and the Upper West Side that have some of these things, but I cannot think of another that has them all. I often camp out here for the morning. I feel like writing this review is spilling the beans on a little known secret.

The espresso and cappuccino here are great. There is a nice selection of teas, and the ones I have tried are lovely. I like the matcha green tea and order it often. I tried the mate once, but thought it a little weak.

The food here is great. They have vegetarian options. You can get everything from nice croissants and other pastries to meat-filled or vegetarian empanadas to a full menu with breakfast platters and sandwiches. I would say the prices on the menu are $$, slightly higher, but that higher price is going into the quality of the food (the pastry and drink prices, on the other hand are inexpensive, or at least typical of coffee shops in the area). They make their own potato chips right there. I have been there sometimes when they are prep-cooking a bunch of bacon and the smell is heavenly.

In the summertime they make the drip coffee stronger so that they can serve it iced as well. I like their summertime coffee best. The regular drip coffee, outside of summer, is good, but I do think that it could be better, though perhaps it is just my preference for darker, bolder brews.

The decor and ambience are nice - I like the look of the tables, chairs and countertops they chose. The music is not particularly trendy or interesting - usually some kind of John Mayer, Adele, Bob Marley hits, pop rock mix that will replay songs if you stay longer than an hour, but it is easy-going and quiet enough not to distract. Some of the employees will choose a more interesting mix at times.

The owner, Angel, is often there, and he is a really nice guy. It's a nice vibe, with a lot of his regular customers chatting with him friendlily. One time, when my travel mug was getting a little ratty in spite of baking soda soaks, he gave me a little pack of coffee machine cleaner to use on it that made it as good as new. It's little things like that that make this place special. You can tell some thought went into choosing the menu, the decor, the layout, and the preparation of the fancier coffee drinks. He's only been open about a year, so go check it out if you are looking for a nice breakfast, good coffee or a place to work or...

May2025 update Now moved 1 block down and known as CALAVERAS CAFÉ, same offerings as Demitasse and taco shop downstairs by night. Very little seating upstairs in coffee area but great staff and pastries and coffee!

July 2020 update Demitasse is still open for takeout during Phase 2 and I am thankful! They don’t have outdoor seating but you can order online or at the counter and then take your breakfast burrito to go. Highly recommend!

2017 Finally got to check out this little neighborhood spot (opened around summer 2017 I think), met Angel, and had one of the best breakfast burritos I’ve found in New York. Opens at 8am on weekdays for breakfast and I highly recommend it for pre-work breakfast and coffee- you can get an omelette breakfast or breakfast burrito with hash browns or a Colombian breakfast plate or other similar sized items for about $12-13, or smaller sized pastry type items. Also had a drip coffee and it was fantastic, but there are plenty more coffee/espresso options.

There are probably 5-6 small high top tables for 2 and a small bar you can eat at, so I’d recommend it for solo eating or meeting up with one other person. Not super crowded on weekday mornings before 10am.

Go try this spot and get a loyalty punch card because you’ll want...

UPDATE: I changed my rating to 5 stars because I continued to order from Demitasse and I felt that my review should not reflect one negative experience. Also, nearly a year later and by complete coincidence, I saw the manager's response and I greatly appreciate it when a manager is responsive and courteous. Out of myncountless orders from Demitasse, I had one negative experience in which a staff member took my order then stopped answering the phone and closed the cafe (to be fair, it was during the first month of the COVID shutdown mayhem). All of my subsequent orders were excellent and I became obsessed with their croissants and their extraordinary croquet madame sandwich. (Try those!) My orders were consistently excellent every single time, and delivery was always prompt to the minute! I highly, very highly, recommend Demitasse. The food is absolutely amazing!

-- Angel, I wish I saw your reply earlier! I would have happily taken you up on...