My targets are always cheap and high-rated, and TriBeCa fails miserably to deliver. There are a places worth checking out, if you can find them. Cosmopolitan Cafe is hidden under the shadow of Starbucks, and despite my four years at Stuyvesant, I failed to notice it. Inside there’s a kayak suspended on the ceiling and a stained glass panel with “ICE CREAM” emblazoned on it. I grabbed a seat at the bar, and declined a menu.
I was here for a Red Eye ($3.30). The charming quaintness of the place was overwhelming. They had more old-fashioned knickknacks than they knew what do do with. My coffee was fantastic though. It was dark (no, not Starbucks burnt), strong, and relaxing at every sip. I lost my headache immediately.
The clientele here is obnoxiously loud. I was seated behind two yuppie women who had trouble using their indoor voice. On the far side were two men whose laughter was deafeningly annoying. All of this noise was drowning out the beautiful French music I failed to Shazam. There was another family whose bratty child caused a scene because he wanted a bar seat near me, but his mother wouldn’t let him. You get the picture. Great coffee, awful customers. In a cafe, atmosphere counts.
Cosmopolitan Cafe ★★★★☆
95 W Broadway (between Chambers and Reade St) map
New York, NY 10079
Neighborhood: TriBeCa
