Hello! Welcome back to another NYC food post. In this post, I will be sharing with you some of the best cafes to get the prettiest coffee and tea in NYC. In order to be included on this list, these coffee and tea drinks not only need to be pretty, but they also need to taste good! All of these drinks are both beautiful and yummy!
LRoom Cafe
LRoom Cafe is an Instagram dream. Not only is the cafe itself beautiful, but all of the food and drinks are gorgeous. Each item is so creative, and honestly almost too pretty to eat. LRoom Cafe has so many drinks to choose from, and it was almost impossible to chose which ones I wanted to try. I ended up deciding on the Rose Ice Cafe Latte ($10), and the Bling Bling Rose Hot Milk ($7.50). At LRoom Cafe you are definitely paying a premium for how beautiful everything is, but it’s a fun experience.
The Rose Ice Cafe Latte was phenomenal. It was so pretty and also SO delicious. I loved the different colored layers, and the flavors were incredible. The Bling Bling Rose Hot Milk isn’t on the menu, but I saw it on Instagram and the waiter offered to make it for me. This drink has no coffee in it, but it is super yummy. It has a light floral flavor and I love the pink edible glitter. I highly recommend both of these drinks. If you’re looking for a fun spot to come with friends – and to take nice photos – this is the place for you!
Bling Bling Rose Hot Milk 
Rose Ice Cafe Latte 
Remi Flower & Coffee
Remi Flower & Coffee is a super cute florist and coffee shop located in Midtown East. They have delicious drinks, that also happen to be beautiful! I highly recommend both the iced lavender latte and the iced rose latte – both were so good! I don’t always love floral flavors, as they can be overpowering, but the rose and lavender were perfect. Definitely check this place out; it’s a wonderful spot to sit outside and enjoy a coffee.
Alimama
Alimama has some of the most intricate and beautiful drinks I’ve ever seen. I tried the Yuzu Detox Lemonade as well as the Lychee Rose, and both were so, so pretty. The drinks came with dried flowers and gold glitter dust on top, and the flavors and swirls in the drinks were incredibly intricate. The iced drinks are $3-$6 each, which for the amount of detail and work is a great price.
Finally, Alimama has also delicious mochi donuts! I tried the cereal donut and it was amazing. I can’t wait to go back so I can try their mochi cream puffs! For those with dietary restrictions, they also have gluten free and vegan options!
Yuzu Detox Lemonade 
Lychee Rose 
All mixed together!
Sweet Moment
Located in Chinatown, Sweet Moment is known for their cute, colorful lattes as well as their shaved ice desserts. The cafe is huge, and there is tons of space to sit and enjoy coffee and treats with friends. I visited on a Sunday afternoon, before Covid, and although the cafe was busy, I was able to find a table quickly.
At Sweet Moment, I chose to try the Red Velvet Kremee drink, which came beautifully decorated with an animal design. These drinks are served cold, and you can chose to have them made with coffee or milk tea. I tried the milk tea and it was good! These cute drinks come in many other flavors, such as Taro, Thai, Matcha and Chocolate. At $5 each they are a little expensive, but a ton of work goes into making each one, so they are definitely worth the price. Go with friends and try them all!
Red Velvet 
Kitty at Sweet Moment 
Chocolate and Red Velvet
Grace Street
Grace Street is a large coffee shop and dessert restaurant located in Koreatown. The cafe offers a wide variety of beautiful drinks, all of which look delicious. I visited on a Monday around 4pm, and the place was packed – pre-Covid. Luckily, the space is huge and you will likely not have trouble finding a seat.
At Grace Street I tried the Sunset Lemonade ($6) and the Rose Petal Milk Tea ($6). All of their drinks are beautiful, and it was super hard to decide which ones to get. The sunset lemonade is the perfect spring/summer drink. The flavors are delicious and I especially enjoyed the strawberry syrup. The Rose Petal Milk Tea was also great. I loved the flavors, it was rich and delicious without being too florally. I highly recommend both of these drinks, and I can’t wait to try the others!
Sunset Lemonade 
Rose Petal Milk Tea
Cup & Cup
Cup & Cup is cute coffee and lunch spot located in Koreatown. The cafe is known for their delicious, and beautiful, lattes, and they did not disappoint! I tried the red velvet latte ($5), and it is quite possibly one of the best coffee drinks I’ve ever had. I normally don’t like sweetened coffees, but this latte was incredible. It was rich and delicious, and not too sweet. The red velvet flavor was delicate, and it was definitely made amazingly well. In addition to the delicious flavors, the latte art was so beautiful. You have to give it a try!
Keep in mind, this cafe is cash only. I highly recommend taking a trip to Cup & Cup!
Red Velvet Latte 
Cha Cha Matcha
This adorable, tropical chain has locations across NYC and LA. The decor is amazing, and I love the happy and bright vibes of the shop. They have tons of matcha drinks to choose from, as well as baked goods and fro-yo. All of the drinks are colorful and fun, and the chain as a whole is definitely popular. I tried the Blue Drink, which, in addition to matcha, contains collagen, blue algae, lavender honey and milk. The drink was yummy, and different than anything I’ve ever had. It did take me a little while to get used to the flavor, but it is good! Additionally, the drink is supposed to have tons of health benefits – so that’s exciting! At $8, the blue drink is quite expensive, but there are less expensive options, like a matcha latte for $4.75.
In addition to the pretty drinks and adorable decor, I also appreciate Cha Cha Matcha’s commitment to sustainability. All of their cups and lids are 100% recyclable and compostable, and the straws are plant based and compostable. They also donate 1% of their profits to 1% for the Planet, an organization that funds environmental programs and initiatives.
Blue Drink 
Idea Coffee
Idea Coffee, on 28th and 5th, has delicious lattes and food options. I tried the rose latte and it was wonderful! In addition to being beautiful, it is really delicious. I love that the rose flavor was subtle and not overpowering. The pink color of the drink was also delightful!
There is lots of seating inside the rustic cafe, and you can definitely sit down and enjoy your coffee and treats. One thing I did notice is that there was no visible recycling available in the cafe, which is a huge con for me. They also provide plastic silverware with all food ordered, which is also pretty bad for the environment. Come for the coffee and stay for a while so that you can enjoy your drink in a glass, washable cup.
Rose Latte 
Interior of Idea Coffee
Urban Backyard
This cafe wins for being my favorite coffee shop that I visited. Once you step inside you feel like you’re in a calm, back porch in a little cottage in Vermont. There are tons of plants and macrame, and the wicker furniture is inviting. I also love, love, love the cafe’s commitment to sustainability. There are no plastic straws, and you receive a 15% discount for bringing your own reusable cup.
Originally, I chose to visit Urban Backyard because of their beautiful drinks on Instagram. I visited on the first real Spring day in NYC, and decided to try the Honey Rose Tea ($5) that looked beautiful in Instagram photos. The tea was definitely yummy, and I loved that it was served in a mason jar with little floating flowers. The colors weren’t quite as bright as in photos I’d seen, but the tea was still beautiful. The cafe has tons of yummy flavors of teas and lattes, which all looked great – so definitely give them a try!
cutest cupcakes
Honey Rose Tea 
Matcha Bar
Matcha, as a drink, is lucky because it’s pretty on its own. However, MatchaBar goes way beyond typical matcha and creates beautiful and delicious specialty drinks. I’ve been super into matcha recently, and my Rose Matcha Latte ($6) was delicious. It wasn’t too bitter, and I really enjoyed both the rose and the matcha flavors. I loved the little flower petals in the drink, and the pink rose syrup and the green matcha made a wonderful combination.
This cute shop is literally a hole in the wall next to a Dig Inn in Soho – so there isn’t any seating. But it’s a fantastic location to grab a matcha to go! On the day I visited I had forgotten my reusable cup at home, so unfortunately I had to use a plastic cup and straw. If you’re looking for a quick, yummy place to grab a matcha to go – this is a great place for you! You can also find their canned matcha energy drinks in stores nation wide, or for delivery on their website. Click here to learn more.
mad about my plastic cup + straw 
Honorable Mention
Besfren
Besfren is already on one of our *best food lists* – cookies! But in addition to yummy baked goods, they also have pretty, and tasty, drink options. I tried the Pink Grapefuit Yuja drink ($4.75), as it looked super pretty on Instagram and on their menu board. The drink was nice to look at. I liked the pastel pink and yellow, but it was definitely not as a pretty as on their Instagram or on the menu. I wish that the colors had been brighter, and also that there had been a clearer definition between the two separate parts of the drink – the pink grapefruit and the yellow citrus.
The taste of the drink was enjoyable, it was very citrusy and tasted fresh. I definitely recommend it on a warm day! Besfren has other drink options that also looked quite nice. Go in for the cookies and ice cream, and, if you’re in the mood, also try one of their specialty drinks!
Pink Grapefruit Yuja
Thanks so much for reading! For more NYC food posts: click here for the Best Donuts in NYC, click here for Must Try Cookie Spots, and here for the Best Cafes in Long Island City.
Oh my! My New York trio was postponed this year but I cannot wait to go next Spring. I absolutely love coffee and these are all sooo beautiful! I cannot wait to try these spots
This is such a fun blog! Who knew all those drinks could be that pretty 😍
All of these spots look so amazing! I totally have to check them out. Urban Backyard looks so adorable. Great article! 🙂
That rose ice cafe latte looks so so good! All of these places are definitely Insta-worthy and I can’t wait to try some of them out when I got to NYC again!
I need to visit some of these places on my next trip to New York! So cute!!
I am hoping to be in NYC in the next 6 months. Looking forward to checking some of these out!
They really do have the prettiest coffee and teas I’ve ever seen!
I spent a week in NYC last Feb for work and wish I had seen this post before then as I would have LOVED to try out some of these spots. I made it to Cha Cha Matcha so at least I could check one off the list, but I will def have to try the rest of these places one day 🙂
So many gorgeous places! I’ve been to NYC twice and have never heard about any of these places, I’d love to check some of them out whenever I get to go back!
It’s definitely more fun to have tea and coffee in a pretty space! I miss my days in San Francisco when I could hang out in some cool coffee shops. Doesn’t surprise me that NYC has amazing spots like this!
You have NO IDEA how jealous I am that you get to try all these amazing teas. I am a tea fanatic, but we don’t have nearly the same options here in AZ (no surprise there). I would honestly wander all the streets of NYC to try all of these.
These look so pretty. wish i went to NYC more often.
Love NYC and coffee def saving this for our next trip out there hopefully next year! Thanks so much girl friends!
I seriously can’t wait to go to New York and I’m a big lover of coffee and tea so it is fantastic to know where the best spots are.
All of these places look so cute! And the drinks are so pretty 😍 definitely checking some of these out when I make it to NYC!