11's: Iced Coffees That'll Have You Flying
Palms are sweaty, there's cold brew on his sweater already
On a leisurely Thursday morning in Saigon, Vietnam, I hopped on the back of my friend Sam’s motorbike and we rode at the fastest speed its 50cc engine allowed beside a canal toward The Town Café in District 3. Sam parked the bike, and just as we were walking into the café, he turned to me with a final word of warning: “Remember, it’s really strong.”
No matter how carefully I sipped, the iced coffee at The Town was going to fuck me up. It was, I’m convinced, a nearly lethal dose of caffeine. 15 minutes post consumption I was sweating. At the 1 hour mark, I was past the point of tingles into full-blown shakes. Four hours in, I saw the other side. And shortly thereafter, I took the most legendary caffeine nap of all time — out like a light. I woke up a changed man.
I’m a year-round iced coffee fan. Even on frigid days, I crave a cold, crisp, strong caffeinated beverage. Maybe not The Town strong, but potent enough to get me feeling feisty. If the Vietnamese iced coffee at The Town is a 10 out of 10 on the strength scale, my ideal cup sits around a 7.
I’m a big believer that drinking iced coffee should be fun, even a little silly. A proper glass should alter your state of being to a certain degree — eyes wide, talking fast, and hands being used for emphasis. It should get your mind churning — contemplating your next meal, pondering your existence, or some topical ground between. Iced coffee should make the music sound better, and the sun shine brighter. If it’s not juicing you up, it’s not strong enough.
Taste-wise, a great iced coffee should teeter right on the line of “damn I should dilute this with milk.” From first sip to last, “watery” should not be an adjective that comes to mind. If served in a clear glass, I don’t want to see through the liquid to the other side.
One note before the coffee nerds come for my head: When I’m talking iced coffee, I’m talking both cold brew and iced flash brew (hot coffee chilled over ice). Much like the classic rectangle/square conversation, not all iced coffees are cold brews, but all cold brews are iced coffees. For the purposes of today’s 11s, we’re broadly talking iced coffee — so, cold brew and iced flash brew, but not espresso drinks. Got it? Good.
I’ve had a lot of iced coffee in New York City. I’ve traversed neighborhoods near and far seeking the finest, the smoothest, the strongest. Some of them are sorry, weak excuses. Others could launch you to the moon.
Here are 11 iced coffees that’ll have you flying. And as a bonus… my favorite nearby post-coffee bites for each.
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11's: Iced Coffees That'll Have You Flying
11] Café Integral Nolita, New York
Integral’s cold brew is what I consider an excellent daily driver, like a Volkswagen Golf GTI. It’s more functional than it is sexy, but it’s also not something you’ll ever get tired of. Nicaraguan beans create a balanced, refreshing coffee with a touch of brightness. Back when I was living in the East Village, this was my “back-to-life” cold brew — the one I reached for when I needed a lift after a night out.
Post-Coffee Bite: Egg sandwich at Thai Diner
10] SEY Coffee Bushwick, Brooklyn
Light roast beans, no acidity, perfectly smooth. SEY’s iced coffee is like being at cruising altitude with Wedding Crashers on the Delta in-flight entertainment system — no turbulence, easy drinking. Even though it goes down easy, SEY’s coffee is sneaky strong — quite ideal for an afternoon of record hunting and vintage shopping in Bushwick.
Post-Coffee Bite: Huevos rancheros at Sobre Masa
09] Rita & Maria Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn
The rustic chic, euro-feeling neighborhood café is the city’s prime proprietor of Parlor coffee beans. Their ratio seems to run a bit stronger than nearby For All Things Good who use the same input. The result is a rich, smooth, and subtly sweet cold brew. It’s best sipped on the sidewalk out front with the wind blowing through the trees that line Halsey Street.
Post-Coffee Bite: Carne adovada breakfast burrito at Ursula
08] La Cabra Roastery Bushwick, Brooklyn
There’s some variability at play here — La Cabra lets you choose between a few varieties for their iced flash brews. No matter the selection, expect a pot of expertly crafted coffee — balanced flavor profile, perfect temperature, and plenty of volume. It’s a calculated dosage of caffiene that pairs well with the ambient beats and Japanese-inspired interior.
Post-Coffee Bite: Keep it at La Cabra for a cardamom bun, or a seeded roll with butter and cheese
07] hamlet coffee Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn
The pride and joy cafe of PLG rotates through its cold brew beans, but I’ve never encountered a miss. Their coffee is pretty bright, but still silky and smooth. It’s the perfect coffee to procure before a sunny afternoon Prospect Park hang.
Post-Coffee Bite: Shrimp doubles at De Hot Pot
06] Secret Coffee Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Tucked away in a god-awful strip mall at the Broadway Triangle, Secret is a surprising oasis from eyebrow shops and fast food outposts. Their cold brew is equally unexpected — fruity and bright, an enjoyable sipper.
Post-Coffee Bite: Fan tuan and a mochi donut at Win Son Bakery
05] Loveless Coffees Bushwick, Brooklyn
Loveless has one of the all-round best-tasting cold brews on the market, I’ll stand by it. It’s a rich, dark iced coffee without any overwhelming, dominant tasting notes — pretty down the middle, but in a great way. If I lived closer, I’d be here all the damn time. One of the most underrated cafés in the city.
Post-Coffee Bite: Turkey de la club sandwich at Foster Sundry
04] Abraço East Village, New York
I often refer to Abraço’s iced coffee as “jet fuel.” It’s deep, dark, and unapologetically strong. It’s an intense beverage, although served in a rather manageable quantity (I’d imagine for liability reasons). Just 8oz of this diesel will have you feeling it.
Post-Coffee Bite: Keep it at Abraço for olive oil cake or a scone
03] Yanni’s Coffee Chelsea, New York
Yanni’s gives you both strength and volume — a rare commodity. A big ‘ol 20oz cup of high-octane fuel, powered by SEY beans. It’s by far my favorite café on the west side of town.
Post-Coffee Bite: Tomato + CC on sesame at Apollo Bagels
02] Larry's Cà Phê East Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Larry’s honors Vietnamese coffee tradition by blitzing you with their cold brew. It’s a powerful concoction that should be approached cautiously. Despite how strong Larry’s cold brew is, there’s so much depth and subtlety that makes this an enjoyable slow sipper.
Post-Coffee Bite: Soul food plate at Taste of Heaven
01] Villager Crown Heights, Brooklyn
The cold brew that flows from the tap at Villager is liquid gold. It’s a glass of crisp, velvety coffee that goes straight to your dome. They rotate through beans seasonally — often a rich, chocolatey flavor profile in the colder months that transitions to brighter, floral notes when temps rise. Villager’s cold brew has never missed — it lights me up, gets me buzzing, and kicks a slow day into motion.
Post-Coffee Bite: Curry chicken patty at Little Miss Muffin ‘N’ Her Stuffin’
Up Next
Places I want to get an iced coffee next:
St Kilda Coffee Midtown, New York
Cholita Ridgewood, Queens
Little Flower Cafe Astoria, Queens
I would add Devocion to this perfect list!
The way I knew Villager was going to be #1 🥹