Sweetleaf — Center Blvd.

Editor's Review

Sweatleaf has been the go-to espresso joint in Long Island City since this neighborhood was just a cheap place to live with a lightening-fast commute to midtown. But that beloved cafe, sitting at the foot of the Pulaski Bridge, is just a l'il old thing compared to this gorgeous spot that Sweetleaf opened on the Long Island City waterfront a few years back.

Nestled inside one of the luxury high-rises that now line Gantry Plaza State Park, just behind that giant historic Pepsi sign that you can see from Manhattan, the proprietors have filled this Center Blvd. location with reclaimed wood, a massive old bar, and lots of antique fittings, to give the impression of a classic waterfront hideaway somehow secluded in a glassy apartment tower. This spot serves as both a cafe and a full-service bar, and while weekday food options are limited to the same homemade pastries and Balthazar croissants that they serve at their other locations, they do a full brunch on weekends, as well as oysters and other light snacks in the evenings for the bar crowd. They roast their own beans as well. No espresso after 7 though!

Review: Josh Madell

Cafe Features

Wifi

Loose Leaf Tea

Table Seating

Toilets

Buy Beans

Licensed

Coffee + Drinks

Filter Coffee

Cold Brew

Iced Coffee

Decaf

Non Dairy