Some say Sweetleaf reminds them of cafés in Paris. The café is located in a 19th century building at the corner of Jackson Avenue and 11th Street in Long Island City New York.
Décor and ambience
A small door will lead you immediately to the counter. On the left is a cozy sitting area with a sofa and 4 comfy chairs. The laptop room, the only place for laptops is on the right. The long table in the laptop room has four swivel seats attached on each side. Definitely the most attractive piece of furniture in the entire shop.
After the main room is a sign marked “banos” on the right and another sitting area with antique décor. Here is where you can select the old records and play your favorite music on the turntable.
Old photos of Black Sabbath, Kiss, Guns N Roses, Bon Jovi and records line the pink wallpapered room. This is the original Sweetleaf. The company has since opened two more coffee shops in New York City.
According to the company’s website, the walls and ceilings are the original tin from the late 1800s. The shop started out with only 300 square feet of space.
Coffee: Type, price and taste
The cappuccino is $3.75 and beautifully made in a black cup.
The popular iced coffee aptly named Rocket Fuel is $4.50. Rocket Fuel will definitely ‘send you to the moon’ with their thick cold-brewed coffee with chicory, maple and milk. The French concocted coffee with chicory since the 19th century when coffee was scarce and expensive. Today the most famous coffee with chicory is from New Orleans’ Café du Monde.
Every room in the shop was filled with customers on a Saturday afternoon except the record room.
How to get there
The G train is the closest to the shop. Get off at 21st Street. Or take the 7 train to Court Square.
Nearest tourist/fascinating attractions
The nearest tourist attraction is MOMAPS1.
Our ratings
Cappuccino 4/5 stars
Rocket Fuel (iced coffee) 4/5 stars
Ambience, concept and décor 5/5 stars
Sweetleaf Coffee: A unique place to hang out with friends while enjoying a cup of real #coffee in LIC #NYC
Information: Sweetleaf
I <3 Sweetleaf, best coffee in queens. I should note the closest subway stop is actually Vernon/Jackson. Exit at the back of the cars (heading toward Manhattan)
Thanks Matthew for the insight! Appreciate it and welcome to the CoffeeSphere community. 🙂 – Claudia