Early Yves Cafe — Restaurant in New York

Yves Café, located on the corner of Macon and Patchen, had always caught my eye with its beautiful, rustic atmosphere. Living nearby, I often passed by and admired the warm, inviting vibe that seemed to radiate from the café. However, my experiences there have been consistently disappointing. My birthday visit on October 1st marked my third time at the café, and unfortunately, like my two previous visits, it was far from pleasant.

As a vegan with specific dietary needs, I enjoy coffee but need to limit my caffeine intake due to medical reasons. For this reason, I typically order half coffee, half oat milk. However, each time I’ve made this request at Yves Café, I’ve noticed a clear hesitation or frustration from the staff. Oat milk, I understand, has become a pricier option in many cafes, but at $4 per cup, I expect to receive what I order without feeling like I’m inconveniencing anyone. On previous visits, baristas have attempted to steam the oat milk, which dilutes it, seemingly to cut back on the amount used.

On my birthday, when I visited for the third time, I had a particularly negative interaction. As the barista was preparing my drink, I pointed out that she wasn’t pouring half oat milk as I had requested. Instead of addressing it politely, she responded loudly, "Do you want me to take out more coffee?" in a condescending tone, startling another customer nearby. I felt embarrassed and uncomfortable, but I simply replied, "Sure, no problem." She adjusted the drink and handed it to me without any acknowledgment—no smile, no thank you, nothing.

This experience, on what was supposed to be a special day, left me feeling unwelcome. While I understand that businesses have their own practices, as a paying customer, I expect to be treated with respect and professionalism. Unfortunately, this has not been my experience at Yves Café, and after three unpleasant visits, I feel compelled to share...

Hey friends! This review is about sustainability only. ☺️

By 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Over 95% of the plastics that we “recycle” do not actually get recycled, but rather end up in landfills, get burned in incinerators, or discarded into the ocean. Each of these pathways results in the breakdown of plastics into micro plastics that we consume and get sick from. And plastics, of course, are made from fossil fuels.

I am so glad that your lovely café offers real, reusable mugs. But I was a bit disheartened to see how many people (enjoying their meals in the shop) were drinking out of throwaway plastic cups.

This seems like an easily-remedied problem. Perhaps your baristas could ask explicitly if people are enjoying their meal to stay? Or also put up a sign by the register, encouraging folks to order their coffee in a mug, for here? You could also communicate about this on your social media accounts, and feature customers who are drinking their beverages from your mugs, or their own reusable mugs that they bring in.

It feels a shame to create so much trash while enjoying such a warm ambience, especially as Brooklyn is a waterfront city. There is no need to trash these local waters, and our global water is, more than they already are.

Thank you for considering stronger communications about your readily available reusable dishware.

I really loved my experience here, and will certainly be returning. Excellent coffee, kind service, cozy atmosphere. Would improve tenfold with a bit more mindfulness about...

I seriously am so sad to be writing this review because I live so close and I really wanted to love this place. Unfortunately I’ve now had two bad experiences here and can’t bring myself to ever return.

First experience- came in to get some coffee and get a bit of work done. Staff seemed rather unfriendly (crossed arms, no smiles or welcomes, etc.) Not a big deal but I was immediately a bit intimidated and turned off. I went ahead and ordered a coffee and it came in a TINY cup for like $5. I asked if there were refills and was told “yeah…” in a condescending tone. Super unfriendly and odd behavior.

Second experience - I figured my first bad experience was a fluke and decided to give it another try. I stopped by to grab a cold brew to go. I was told they had no more and only could do iced americano. I said that was no problem. The cashier rang me up… it was nearly $8!! I asked the cashier what was going on and they said “oh yeah we do 4 shots of espresso in our iced americanos”. I was aghast! Not only was there no price for iced americanos on the menu, that’s an insane price for a simple drink! It’s literally espresso in some cold water with ice. This was the last straw for me (no pun intended). I really hope they can figure out their issues because I want to support local, black owned businesses but I simply can endorse this degree of...