New Yorkers love coffee. It’s a prime New York Cliché that there’s a Starbucks on every corner. In the busiest parts of NYC, you’ll see this is simply fact. At the Empire State Building last week, I realized there are two Starbucks’ both on the ground floor of the building! Sometimes it can feel really hard to avoid the Starbucks take over. And if you do avoid it, you end up paying $3 for a hipster brew or $1 for glorified dirty water from a street cart.

So where’s the happy coffee medium? Does such a thing even exist in pricey Manhattan?

Yes it does! In none other than Greenwich Village.

Visit Porto Rico Importing Co. on Bleecker Street for excellent coffee at unheard of New York prices (that means reasonable)!

The shop has a charming old school feel. You can see proudly embossed on the window, “Since 1907”. This Coffee and Tea shop has managed to stay afloat despite the siege of coffee chains.

Step inside and you’ll understand why.

Bags and bags of coffee beans line one wall. So many different kinds from traditional to bold flavors like Praline and French Cinnamon. On the other side are coffee accessories (mugs, kettles, gifts), spices by the pound, and even jars of candy, like an old fashioned general store!

In the back is the coffee bar where you can get the house blend or flavor of the week for $1.65 Small, $2 Large. In NYC that is a BARGIN for good coffee. My go-to is a cafe au lait (coffee with steamed milk) and here it’s the delightfully reasonable price of $2.

Also, fresh-made pastries for as cheap as 80 cents!? Rugelah are my weakness and it’s impossible ANYTHING in this town for less than a dollar!

If you don’t live in NYC, you’re probably scratching your head at this point. What’s the big deal? Well, the big deal is coffee and a pastry often costs $7 here. So any one used cafes in Manhattan is boggle eyed at these prices. That said, there isn’t any seating. Maybe the prices reflect inability to “rent” laptop space.

The hot cocoa is also very good. The little girl I baby sit swears by it.

On Bleecker just east of 6th Ave, this place is close enough to Washington Square Park that it’s perfect for grabbing a warm beverage before going and looking at the Christmas tree and Public Art statue there! Give Porto Rico Importing Co a try. If you don’t want to take my word for it, they have fantastic Yelp reviews!