In recent months, New York City’s coffee scene has expanded beyond traditional offerings to include diverse culinary pairings that reflect the city’s rich multicultural landscape. Several new cafes and coffee shops have emerged, integrating global flavors with artisanal coffee.
One notable addition is Phe, a new coffee shop in Chinatown operated by the same team behind Mam, a restaurant previously recognized on Ligaya Mishan’s list of New York’s 100 best restaurants. Located next door to Mam, Phe offers a unique take on the traditional Vietnamese bánh mì with its signature bánh mì chao, a sautéed version featuring pickled vegetables, pâté, aioli, and an over-easy egg served in a personal skillet alongside freshly baked house baguettes. This dish is accompanied by house specialty fish sauce caramel coffee. While a full food menu is anticipated in the future, patrons currently enjoy the available offerings alongside unlimited servings of the café’s distinctive light, demi-loaf baguettes.
Brooklyn has also seen innovation in breakfast fare with Olas Coffee Company, founded by Jeremiah Borrego. Starting as a wholesale coffee business in 2018, Borrego expanded into retail by taking over a café in Williamsburg in 2022, where he introduced breakfast tacos featuring soft tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, chorizo, and refried beans. Olas Coffee Company sources its beans from producers in Nicaragua, Colombia, and Guatemala, roasting them at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The café also produces coffee kombucha and fermented beverages crafted from unroasted coffee husks, a byproduct of coffee production. These mildly caffeinated drinks offer an alternative to conventional coffee and have been described as stimulating similarly to commercial caffeinated refreshers.
In Downtown Brooklyn, Filter Kaapi, founded by Swetha and Venkat Raju of Brooklyn Curry Project, brings South Indian coffee traditions and cuisine to a permanent space. The café specializes in filter coffee brewed through an aluminum sieve and diluted slightly with chicory, using beans imported from India. Pairing with the coffee are traditional steamed South Indian breakfast items such as idli sambar—steamed cakes made of lentil, tapioca, and rice—and thatte idli, a savory pancake served with coconut and tomato chutneys. The Rajus emphasize broadening patrons' experience beyond the city’s typical tea options to explore Indian coffee culture.
These establishments illustrate a growing trend in New York to reimagine the morning coffee experience by combining international culinary traditions with high-quality coffee, reflecting the evolving tastes of the city’s diverse population. Whether through Vietnamese-inspired dishes, Mexican-style breakfast tacos, or South Indian coffee and steamed fare, the city’s café offerings continue to diversify, providing new choices for coffee lovers seeking both flavor and cultural depth.