Kosmic Community Anti Bar & Coffee Shop — Restaurant in New York

I am so disappointed. My friend - who knew i didn't drink alcohol for 6 years now - kept inviting me to come here for weeks. The thing is, I barely go out at night because I also don't drink sugary drinks etc so I don't like mocktails or fake wine or fake beer, I don't like anything that tastes remotely like alcohol. I am also a personal trainer and I only like really fresh juices, I am super healthy, I don't drink sodas etc. So one day I caved and went with him except they were closing.

So finally, it was Saturday night tonight and I wanted to give it a try, except my friend was out of town and I had just left work and I remembered he said he would work from there, so I thought it would be less awkward for me to go alone if I showed up with my laptop but I wanted to be at the bar so I could meet people, because I was alone and it was Saturday night.

When I asked around for the Wifi password, an older man showed up, perhaps the owner or the husband of the owner (I met her the day with my friend), I really don't know who this guy was and he was extremely rude, I was so shocked. He looked me up and down and asked me if I was "even a customer". What the hell, why would I be sitting down with a laptop and I had the bottle of water I bought there next to my laptop - if I were not a customer? He told me a lot of people do that. Well, that's not my fault and I am a new face and I should be treated with respect, don't unleash other issues with other people onto me. It was so extremely rude, I don't leave bad reviews ever but I was so shocked the way he confronted me as if he was ready to kick me out. I couldn't believe it! I live in an extraordinary place in NYC this is honestly exactly the type or reasons I barely go out, I don't need to come to your bar to use your wifi from my laptop lmao, I just wanted to meet people.

It took so much courage to go out alone and I thought I'd just finish up some work stuff on my laptop while hopefully I met cool people. I hate bad vibes, so 5 minutes later of course they told me no laptops allowed at the bar after 9:30pm so I just left. I don't know why I let my friend convince me to go out to this place, I hate going out in NYC at night because it's drunk people everywhere and bad vibes I thought I could make an exception and start coming here as a non-drinker. Bad unwelcoming vibes anyway.

also, I literally never leave bad reviews. If you look through my review history all places I have gone to and reviewed I've left 5 stars. Usually, when I don't like the food somewhere I just don't go back, but they were so extremely rude and offputting to me here that I went out of my way to leave this review so no other person makes the same mistake as I did...

Honesty it’s a great place with great staff. Their oatmeal banana chocolate chip cookie Is one of the best cookies I’ve ever had. I was welcomed so warmly by the male owner, and told I was always welcome. I enjoyed it for a month I’m a kratom drinker and I have to drink it very slow(it takes me 5 hours). I love it though because it’s like this slow burn euphoria and I was grateful to have a place that had good vibes and could hold space for me (so I thought). By week three I noticed weird vibes from the owners. Names aren’t important but the woman main manager kept pestering me about ordering more. Now for me it’s the inconsistency. There was none of this the first few times I came and to receive such a warm welcome, if there is a time limit that should have been communicated from the start. Today I go in and I’m relaxing like usual and my friend comes and says she wants to do a shoot. I did not expect them to save my seat I was trying to communicate that I wanted my drink saved at the bar for about 15 min 30 min tops while I go out and do the shoot. I go out for a smoke all the time so I didn’t think it was a problem especially since it was a one time thing. The way I was cut off and shut down immediately really hurt me especially after the good rapport of being a regular at that point and tipping well. They basically told me I had to pack all my stuff and leave and to come back after because they don’t have space because it was busy. Thus insinuating that I would have to pay again for another drink inorder to use the space. The thing was I was literally asking for minuscule counter space for the drinks, the counter was clear by the way. I decided not to do the shoot because my kratom drinking time is very sacred to me. It ended up working out though because it was getting too dark anyway and my friend got some nice shots at the cafe. That’s not the part that up set me though. It was the energy behind it , like they didn’t want me there for some reason, it could have been in my head but gone are the days of me gaslighting myself when I feel something. Here’s the kicker, the male owner comes to me and says that their policy has suddenly changed and I have to order a drink every hour even if I’m still consuming a drink. I practically had to beg him to get 30-45 minutes more to finish my drink. That’s why I’m writing this post. This is oppressive and I can’t abuse myself any longer so I will not...

This is one of my favorite places in the city!! Whether you want to get some work done, socialize with the other patrons and baristas, grab coffee before work, or just grab a refreshing drink and ponder life while you enjoy the fish tank - this place has it all. Not to mention, the interior is a work of art all by itself. Every time you visit you find some cool new addition. Whether it’s the addition of a rhino figurine stuck to the ceiling upside down, a standing lamp filled with plants, or a brick in a fishtank - you’ll never be bored.

Special shoutout to the baristas - they provide attentive service and are always super friendly and helpful!!

Note: for the workaholics among us, there is a laptop rule for the bar where socialization is prioritized after 7pm and people on laptops are kindly asked to find a seat in the back. The rule extends to no laptops at all in the space after 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays. As a workaholic myself, it’s not my favorite rule, but I think it’s a healthy and reasonable boundary that the owners set in order to promote time to unplug, meet someone new, have an interesting conversation, and practice...