As a part of Snack Shop series, Annie Arriaga investigates the latest and greatest viral snack shops in New York City to see if the hype is real, if the snacks are yummy, and if the spot is underrated, overrated, or perfectly rated.
You’ve heard of a bar crawl, but what about a coffee crawl? One of the many beautiful things about New York City is that there are coffee shops on every corner, each one with its own specific vibe, specialty drink, and ambiance. When I heard Audrey Finnochario was coming from Rhode Island to shoot with us, I proposed we go on a coffee crawl through some of Manhattan’s most internet-popular coffee creations (with the Nitro Bar queen herself) to make the most of her visit to the Big Apple.
I curated a list of the three coffee shops I see most on TikTok that were walking distance from each other: ENLY, Hungry Llama, and Aimé Leon Dore. Here’s a recap of the crawl and our thoughts on all the different coffees we tried.
The Snacks
We first started at ENLY in Nolita. ENLY is known for their tiramisu latte: an iced latte topped with a thick cold foam layer made with mascarpone and cinnamon. It was a rainy day and the cozy atmosphere inside of the coffee shop was perfect. We ordered two tiramisu lattes and watched as the barista, Andrew (who is a big Nitro Bar fan), piped the creamy cold foam on top of the lattes. The best way to start the day.
Audrey and I both loved this one. It’s very decadent, thick, and full of flavor that perfectly encapsulates the taste of tiramisu. The coffee flavor was a bit overshadowed by the mascarpone, but who doesn’t like a coffee that tastes like dessert? This one was a 10/10 and Audrey said it was perfectly rated.
Next, we made our way west to Hungry Llama, a huge coffee shop with tons of seating and people co-working. They had a full lunch menu and the place was packed, but we were there for one thing: their whipped honey fluff latte. Visually similar to ENLY’s tiramisu latte, it’s clear that a good, flavored cold foam plays some role in going viral (or at least getting customers to take videos of baristas making the fancy drinks). The whipped honey is, obviously, much lighter than the thickness of the mascarpone tiramisu topping.
Audrey and I agreed this was a drink we’d both reach for more regularly, though it lacked the exciting flavor intensity of the other. The espresso also came through more, which is always good.
Our third and final stop was supposed to be Rhythm Zero for their coconut americano, but they were closed, so we headed to Aimé Leon Dore (which is just as good). Aimé Leon Dore is a luxury fashion store with a gorgeous exterior and a tiny, chic coffee shop attached through a separate door. They’re known for their Freddo cappuccino, which is essentially a Greek iced coffee. I’ve always wanted to try this and it was a welcome change from the cold foam frenzy of the other stops on the crawl. The fluffy, light milk being poured on top of dark roast espresso was still aesthetically pleasing, and looked promising. The barista told us to swirl the drink in a certain way to get the milk fluff and espresso to mix for the full experience.
This was the most espresso-forward drink of the crawl. Audrey talked about the specific roast of the espresso having fruity, tangy notes—a differentiation we couldn’t make on the first two. The drink was strong and fluffy, light, something I’d want to make at home in the dead of summer to cool off but still get some caffeine. I think I am officially a fan of Greek coffee!
Our crawl was such a blast and now I’m tempted to design more to find the other “best-ofs” in the city like chocolate chip cookies, matcha, maybe even tiramisu (not coffee flavored like tiramisu though).
If you’re reading this and you have a suggestion for a Snack Shop in the city that I must visit and (honestly) rate, leave a comment here or on our Snack Shop TikTok video. I love suggestions!
