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    Lately Cafe

    3.8 (86 reviews)
    ModerateCoffee & Tea, Cafes
    Open 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    Business Info

    LATELY CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Lately Cafe

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    Reviews With Photos

    Matcha Latte
    Beryce G.

    Food (4/5) - Matcha latte was decent - Spam and pork floss sandwich was yummy. Definitely heavy, rich, and filling Service (5/5) - Had no issues with service at this cafe Ambiance (5/5) - Casual - Better for smaller groups, but had tables that accommodated 4+ parties

    Winni Z.

    Cute cafe with a surprisingly large selection of food and drinks. The shakshuka was spicier than expected but very flavorful, and the black pepper steak was also quite good. I found the matcha a bit gritty. Ordering was inconvenient...because the counter is separate from the dining area, we had to keep going to the front to get someone to take our order or check out.

    Shrimp pasta
    Esther R.

    I really enjoy coming here for drinks! I recommend grabbing their matcha strawberry drink which is sweet & refreshing! I typically ask for light ice and less of the strawberry base since I'm not a big sweets person, but this one is delicious! I also tried their dishes for lunch, but I'd come back more for the drinks! It's also a great work from him spot with a good amount of outlets and seating.

    Eddy G.

    Lately Cafe is a bit of a strange place. Me and my girlfriend stopped by late one evening when we needed a bit of a pick-me-up before heading back home. We ordered some coffee, and a little plate of food The latte wasn't particularly great, and took them AGES to actually make it. It seemed like maybe they were having a latte art night or something at the time? There were a lot of people who seemed like friends of the staff just playing around with the espresso machines and stuff. A positive is that there is a lot of seating here. So, we had no trouble finding a cozy spot to sit and eat. The food and drinks were okay, but I just don't think it would be a place I'd go again, unfortunately. Maybe it was just an off night, but it wasn't a great experience.

    Rina D.

    Not as wfh friendly anymore as they are more restaurant like but I think the food got better! Would love coming here for brunch take out. I love that the drinks are so unique here, like the grape tonic espresso that they have. At first these are so unique I do a double take on whether I like it or not, but after couple sips I am hooked and start craving it in couple days!

    Shay
    Meryam A.

    My SIL and I were heading to Manhattan for volunteer work and stopped by The Lately since we ran into a couple walking out who said it was great. We went around 10 on a Saturday and got seated right away. We shared the shakshuka which was flavorful but a little watery (wish the sauce was thicker). I got a hazelnut mocha, she got a matcha latte, both with oat milk which is an additional charge. My drink was good, but hers was the winner because actually tasted like real matcha, not the usual watered-down stuff. Cute spot overall and so close to our place still go back for their specialty drinks!

    Samantha C.

    Super cute cafe with ample amount of seating and fun beverage options. My mistake was I ordered a butter beer latte, thinking there wouldn't be coffee/espresso in it, which there was. That was on me and I should have tried their chai which was probably very good. I do have to says I had a vanilla donut and it was incredible. I scarfed that down before doing a call in the back seating area where others were also working. Great spot to work from and loved that I found this spot right next to the Target.

    Avocado & Smoked Salmon Toast
    Samantha W.

    Really cute cafe with some super unique sandwiches. The pork floss sando definitely caught my eye, because I grew up eating pork floss but almost never see it used in restaurants. The burger itself was not my favorite thing ever, but I think the uniqueness to it definitely gave it some more points. The salmon toast was really yummy.

    Fried rib appetizer
    Jennifer N.

    Wow wow!! This place is Amazing!! I came to LIC for a dance class and came out super hungry. I was not dressed up for a fancy place. My dress was casual, so that was the reason I chose Lately Cafe. They originally were a coffee shop, and now serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Well the fried pork ribs were juicy and super flavorful, I had the spicy seafood salad, that was beyond amazing as well. And lastly I had the Firey Ribs Hot Pot. My friends and I shared, 4 of us. It was a perfect portion. Don't sleep on Lately Cafe. This is a hidden gem. Also they had oatmilk and almond milk for my cappuccino so I finished with a lovey perfectly steeped Cappuccino. Love love this spot.

    Cold Brew and Ube Latte
    Becky C.

    Drinks: we only tried the cold brew and ube latte on our first visit. The latte was yummy and you can really taste the ube flavor. The cold brew wasn't that good though so probably wouldn't get it again. Their food looks pretty good and we'd definitely go back to try it. Service: quick service, staffed well Ambiance: played good throwback music, decoration was nice, had a lot of seating inside.

    Annie L.

    My friend and I are on an ongoing journey to find cafes in NYC, especially in Queens, to work at. We came in on an early Monday afternoon, a little before 1 pm, to see all the seats were taken, so we put in our drink orders and sat at the bench to chat and wait. It seems like people tend to come in and out, so we were able to get a seat rather quickly! After 1-2 hours of being there, the majority of the buzz that we saw around lunchtime was practically gone. I ordered an Iced Pistachio Latte with Oat Milk (~$7) and I loved it. It was my first time having a Pistachio Latte so I'm not sure how it fares against other cafes, but I liked the slight, nutty sweetness of the drink that complemented the coffee itself. It seems like there are a lot of food options too, which I plan on trying at a future visit! If you're looking for WFH cafes, this is a great option. There are a lot of outlets for laptops and devices, although you do have to choose a table or bench by the wall. When we first came in, these tables were filled so come early or wait it out. It's also a nice cafe for grabbing lunch with a friend! They play great music inside, plus there's also an outdoors seating area in the back.

    Iced oat matcha latte

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    4.2(109 reviews)
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    It pays to have a loyalty card because today I was able to get an iced cappuccino free! FREE is the…read moreoperative and a happy word. Normally, I frequent the Union Square location where I got the loyalty card and finally was able to have this iced drink on such a hot day. David, the barista, made my coffee and I am sitting inside an air conditioned space enjoying the Java treat!

    Breads Bakery does a fab job with holiday preorders. The process was seamless and so much better…read morethan stressing out and running to multiple locations to try to get doughnuts. They have a table to pickup preorders so you don't have to wait in the main line. I ordered a dozen for $39. You can select your assortment. Here's my review in order from the best to the least desirable, according to our group. Vanilla custard- the filling was thick and speckled with vanilla beans. It wasn't too sweet. This was the best according to our group. Strawberry filled- this is most traditional and Breads Bakery does a nice job. The jam is homemade. Pistachio- this doughnut was filled with smooth pistachio cream and was topped with a few pieces of pistachio. Not traditional, but they did a good job. Chocolate- the filling tasted like a semisweet or bittersweet cream/custard. Like the others, it was smooth. The vanilla was more popular among our group and I personally didn't love this doughnut. Mango- this was the one that those in my group felt missed the mark. It wasn't cloyingly sweet, so that was good, but the filling didn't do anything for us either. If you're looking for a mango dessert the one at Lysée is a real winner.

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    Breads Bakery - Upper East Side - Mocha

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    Oslo Coffee Roasters

    Oslo Coffee Roasters

    4.3(299 reviews)
    1.6 miUpper East Side, Yorkville
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    This is not a sit down and yap/sit down and work kind of coffee spot. It's small and there's only…read moreone table in the tiny corner of the shop where it's mainly people sitting to quickly drink their coffee or wait for their friends to get coffee. Most people are in and out. The coffee is rich and flavorful. The pastries are not bad either. Definitely a good neighborhood spot for those that aren't looking to spend their whole day in a coffee spot but instead are looking to grab and go.

    Let me tell you why this coffee shop stands above the rest:…read more 1. They use quality beans. I'm a home barista and use Oslo's beans for my americanos. When I moved to the UES, I was worried finding a new local roaster. I've had bad experiences where the beans are too oily or something is off that messes with my usually grind size/extraction time. No issues with Oslo's beans. 2. They actually know how to make a proper americano. Every coffee shop takes a standard cup, puts in the espresso shot, and then fills hot water to the brim of the cup. This destroys the flavor of the espresso. You end up with hot water that tastes slightly like coffee. Oslo chooses quality over quantity. They don't fill the water up to the brim, so you have a cup with 2/3 of liquid; however, this is a proper americano. You can taste the difference. At other shops, I just get drip coffee because they don't know what they're doing. Oslo knows what they're doing. That's why I come here.

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    Oslo Coffee Roasters - Cappuccino

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    San Babila

    San Babila

    4.4(59 reviews)
    1.6 miUpper East Side

    Place looks nice, service was good but unfortunately, food was fair. Started with the burrata…read more Visually appealing and looked like a large portion with all of the accoutrements. Unfortunately, it was totally bland and not large at all. The side sauce added nothing and over 30$ with tax/tip. For entrees, we shared the lobster pasta and the guazzetto di Pesci. The pasta was good. Reasonable amount of pasta but we would have liked some more chunks of lobster for the price. I thought the sauce was only ok but my girlfriend liked it. The guazzetto di Pesci was only fair. The sauce was lacking flavor. Also a very small bowl of broth with maybe 3 small shrimp and muscles, a few small chunks of fish. and two sad, tiny pieces of bread on the side. Since we were still quite hungry after the meal, we ordered the lotus chocolate caramel dessert. This was the only dish we really liked. kinda hard to mess up gelato though. It came with a hard outer candy shell and a very small cookie center that was sweet and delicious. Overall, an average meal at best that we both felt was lacking in taste and size. Won't return.

    We came here for brunch on a Saturday afternoon as a group of six. Overall, the food was pretty…read moregood and the service was fine, but both the service and food were noticeably slow. They did bring out complimentary bread, which was appreciated, though it felt like something that should be standard rather than a highlight. One item someone in our group wanted -- the octopus burger -- was unfortunately unavailable, which was disappointing, especially given that it was brunch and still relatively early in the day. That said, the dishes we did order were good and well prepared. The space itself is nice: the front functions as a cute coffee shop, while the back has tables for sit-down dining. Because of that setup, the vibe feels more casual, but the menu offers solid options. Overall, it was a good experience, just not a great one -- a decent brunch spot, but nothing that blew us away.

    Photos
    San Babila - Front bar area

    Front bar area

    San Babila
    San Babila - Dining room area

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    Dining room area

    Lately Cafe - coffee - Updated June 2026

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