Long Island City Coffee Shop Ranked Among Best In NYC

ASTORIA, QUEENS -- If New York is the city that never sleeps, coffee is the fuel that keeps it awake. Luckily for us, a sea of cafes offers unfettered access to the best of it - unless, apparently, you live in Queens.

Eater New York recently released a guide of the city's best places to guzzle caffeine titled, "28 Outstanding Coffee Shops in NYC," and a Long Island City-based chain was the only spot in Queens that made the cut.

Sweetleaf, a growing coffee chain whose original spot is 10-93 Jackson Ave., ranked No. 9 on the food news site's "guide to New York's top coffee shops" and map of where to find them. It managed to wedge its way into a list dominated by 17 Manhattan honorees and 10 in Brooklyn.

"While New York is full of great coffee, the sea of cafes can be hard to navigate," Eater said. "This map shares where to find the brightest espresso, the best-made cappuccino, or just a really good drip coffee."

Sweetleaf opened in 2008 with a "simple" goal: Be the best espresso bar possible, its website states. Mission accomplished.

Eater lauded the coffee shop for its "lineup of high-quality espresso drinks." The article also praised the original shop's specialty iced coffee drinks, which are in stark contrast to the sugary cocktails offered at its two chains on Center Boulevard in Long Island City and Kent Avenue in Williamsburg.

"There’s the Rocket Fuel, cold brew spiked with chicory, maple syrup, and milk, and the Voodoo Child, a Vietnamese-style iced coffee made with sweetened condensed milk," the Eater review raved.

Sweetleaf's online menu lists the Rocket Fuel for $4.50 and the Voodoo Child for $4.75. Other coffee drinks range from $2.50 to $4.75. Bakery treats such as donuts, cookies, cakes and croissants are also available for $1 - $4.75.

The coffee shop claims its secret is buying "the best beans possible" and brewing them "on the most cutting edge equipment in the world." Scales, refractometers and computer software are used daily to measure the total dissolved solids and extraction percentages of each batch, according to its website.

But coffee was only part of what landed Sweetleaf a coveted spot in Eater's rankings. The cafe's atmosphere also played a role.

"Sweetleaf is also a great place to hang out for a while, with free Wifi up front and a record room that has a turntable and an extensive vinyl collection in the back," Eater said.

It fits with a goal the coffee shop boasts on its website to treat customers like family and make all who visit feel welcomed.

"Great coffee alone does not a great coffee bar make," the website states. "We put just as much thought and energy into the build-out of our shops as we do our coffee program."

(Lead image via Shutterstock)