Lower Manhattan is a diverse and exciting area with a variety of identities. The business-savvy Financial District has the hustle and bustle of Wall Street at its heart, while trendy Tribeca is a hip, fashionable neighbourhood that overlooks the Hudson River. By night, the Meatpacking District is immensely fashionable, with great shopping, chic restaurants and popular bars and clubs. Most importantly, it is home to The World Trade Center.

Here are our top five coffee shop picks.
 

 
Bluestone Lane
90 Walter Street
Situated blocks away from South Street Seaport, Bluestone Lane’s downtown venue might just be its cutest spot yet. It is not the largest of locations. However, what it lacks in square footage, it certainly makes up for in beauty – exposed brick and quartz counter tops add a premium touch to this venue. Bluestone Lane beans always hit the spot, and the full brunch menu is offered. Seating is limited, but it is also a perfect place to drop in for a flat white on your way to work.
 
Joe Coffee
185 Greenwich Street
On a first visit to the newest branch of Joe in the Westfield World Trade Center (also known as the Oculus), you may find yourself getting lost. Stick with it: this is a calm haven of good coffee in a shopping/transportation hub that’s pretty much always packed. The look is bright and slightly space-age modern, and if you’re not rushing off for work or taking a PATH train home, the seating is comfortable. Milky drinks are well presented, but drip brews are an equally big draw. As for the service, it couldn’t be more friendly or efficient.
 
Laughing Man
184 Duane Street
This tiny Tribeca café serves up an excellent cup of coffee for a great cause. Inspired by a trip to Ethiopia, Hugh Jackman opened The Laughing Man Café in order to provide a market for coffee farmers in developing countries. The café is quite crowded during peak hours, but it serves only as a testament to the quality of their roasts, and the wait is always worth i. The best part – 100% of Hugh Jackman’s proceeds are donated to The Laughing Man Foundation, supporting social entrepreneurs around the world.

 
Nobletree
185 Greenwich Street
Known for beans grown on their award-winning farms in Brazil, Nobletree Coffee opeed their first retail shop in Manhattan in May 2017. Located in the heart of the Financial District at the 4 World Trade Center building, the shop is designed for orders to-go. Nobletree is unique in that it is a roastery first, with beans being roasted fresh in the café, right in front of customers. Coffee offerings appear on a rotating menu of single-origins, along with coffee from Nobletree’s farms, of course. Whether you are in the mood for a refreshing cold brew or a skilfully pulled espresso, you can never go wrong with a delicious Nobletree brew. What this location lacks in size it more than makes up for in style and coffee quality. Be sure to try one of their specialty pour overs.

Irving Farm
Fulton Center
While most of Irving Farm’s early venues are very much ‘Old New York,’ this location is all about new, new, new. Plunked down in the heart of the Fulton Center transit hub, it is inevitably a place where commuters abound. But it’s also a good place to sit and watch the world go by, and to marvel at the shifting patterns of light cast down by the “sky-reflector net” in the building’s skylight. Irving’s coffee is outstanding, whether pour-over or espresso-based, and the latte art is a thing of true beauty.
 
If you enjoyed this, you can purchase The New York Coffee Guide here.