Cafe Royal

Brooklyn, United States

2.6

20 reviews

Does not accept credit cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 718-349-8584
Website:
www.caferoyalbrooklyn.com
Address:
195 Nassau Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11222
b/t Humboldt St & Russell St
Greenpoint
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.3 miNassau Avenue (G)
0.6 miGreenpoint Avenue (G)
0.7 miB62, B32
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
No
Good For
Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch
Parking
Street
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
No
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Hipster, Casual
Noise Level
Quiet
Alcohol
No
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
No
Dogs Allowed
No
Waiter Service
No

Today

Today –
Local time (Brooklyn) 4:54 AM Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Café Royal is the latest venture from Chef Cody Utzman of Brooklyn Standard and Papacitos fame. It is happily situated at 195 Nassau Avenue, near celebrated McGorlick Park in the growing North Greenpoint community. The concept of Café Royal was inspired by the hours Cody spent at local bar tabacs in the Burgundy region of France, where as a foreigner, he was immediately embraced by the local staff and patrons.

With no waited table service, the informal communal atmosphere at Café Royal allows patrons to seat themselves, drink self-​serve triple filtered water from a glass charming bottle, and order menu items directly from the multi-​lingual bar staff. All of this encourages coterie between neighbors, both new and longstanding.

Our 40 seat garden will be delightfully sun-​drenched and ready to transport you to your very own France in Brooklyn. Until then we invite you to come by and enjoy our free Wi-​Fi access, expertly brewed Stumptown Coffee.

History

Established in 2010.

Café Royal is the latest venture from Chef Cody Utzman of Brooklyn Standard and Papacitos fame. It is happily situated at 195 Nassau Avenue, near celebrated McGorlick Park in the growing North Greenpoint community. The concept of Café Royal was inspired by the hours Cody spent at local bar tabacs in the Burgundy region of France, where as a foreigner, he was immediately embraced by the local staff and patrons.

Meet the Business Owner

Cody U.

Business Owner

Local Restaurant Dude…

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20 reviews of Cafe Royal

No registration required
Place rating: 1
Brooklyn, NY
This place could be great except for the baristas/​cashiers are EXTREMELY rude & pretentious and the coffee is NOT worth the attitude when you can go to, oh I don’t know, any of the other dozens of coffee shops in Greenpoint right up the street (Variety Café, Grumpy, Upright Coffee, CUP, Van Leeuwens to name a few).
My mom went in when she was visiting from Georgia not too long ago and she was grabbing coffees for us. She ordered the coffees and then said «and I need a nutella cookie please.» The rude barista on duty said «Oh, you NEED one?»
I don’t know what the deal is in Brooklyn with baristas thinking that they are rockstars or something, but I can tell you that Café Royal is the absolute WORST about this, and I’ve been to a number of Brooklyn coffee establishments.
Also, I’ve been a barista before, and I know that customers don’t always treat you very well, but if you don’t even give someone like MY MOM the chance to be nice to you, you deserve the crappy treatment that you get. And if you hate your job so much, then QUIT.
Naturally, as my luck would have it, this is the closest coffee shop to me on my morning route, but I’d rather get to work hungry and drowsy and drink the terrible K-​Cup coffee from my office then stop at this place.
Place rating: 3
ASTORIA, NY
See section 2A: We’re Brooklyn Standard 2.0 with seating and an espresso machine.
Seriously, this place is owned by the Standard or vice versa. It’s the same story across the street from one another. I think they built one to attempt to suit the pseudo-​intellectual hip crown and the other I prefer my kombucha on the go crowd.
No real difference in the two it seems.
Place rating: 4
Philadelphia, PA
This is my spot. Great coffee of course, but also excellent juices, great (GREAT) breakfasts (either for eating in or to go with the amazing breakfast burritos,) really incredibly prepared lunch, and super friendly staff (especially Sam the manager.) And I actually love the stuff that they play on the satellite radio! I’m here several times a week because it feels like an extension of my own home. If you make in north of McGuinness Blvd make sure you stop in here for an iced coffee!
Place rating: 4
New York, NY
Love this place… but the music, seriously??? Turn off that radio, itunes, or whatever it is! Always need to put earphones on to listen to something decent, but often times since it’s kind of loud the outside odd noise trespasses ending up in my cochlea and… damn! Ruins the experience.
Backyard is cute, interiors are cozy, bartenders are nice and the food is AWESOME! Artichoke & avocado salad is my favorite.
I really want to come here more often, so PLEASE: CHANGE THE MUSIC!
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
I am a fan. The oatmeal is fantastic. Topped w maple roasted walnuts and cranberries and any milk option. I had almond milk. Oh there is kombucha on tap while you work on yr computer in the room full of a random assortment of tables and chairs.
Place rating: 2
Brooklyn, NY
Friendly staff, good coffee and food, comfortable… if you have headphones. All through 2012 and into 2013 they play consistently bad mainstream radio top hits over and over, which makes for a bad place to meet up with people and talk, or work unless you have headphones. Even the kitchen staff complains of the wonderbread-​like music. I feel their pain.
Unilocal and foursquare mentions all have references to the bad music here. This café could be great cool local place if the complete experience of being there was attended to.
Place rating: 2
Brooklyn, NY
I love the food here, location is perfect, great environment… but the redheaded chick that works there is SO rude and unhelpful. If I see she is working I will usually just turn around.
Place rating: 1
Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY
This is horrible… It’s the day after the blizzard and we stop in here for breakfast and coffee. The server taking the order has the most sour and unpleasant attitude we have experienced anywhere in New York!(it’s the redhead) The attitude is colder and frostier than the snow outside! We place an order and are «ordered» to take our number: coffee is lukewarm and mediocre, everyone points at signs if you have any questions!
A smiled thank you as we leave is met with the same frigid response as we enter.
Prices are not cheap. Food is edible, but we can’t wait to finish so we can leave. Stay warm and better coffee at Café Grumpy, give this place a miss.
Place rating: 3
Brooklyn, NY
I live down the block, and I really want to love this place. All I have is a lukewarm like.
Their coffee is not for me. Bitter. Strong. I also dislike their iced coffee. BUT, they do make a delicious hot chocolate. So good. Worth $ 4 if you have it to stay. If you get it to go, still paying $ 4, you get about half as much. Annoying. Their cappuccinos are also good. Well made.
Food is tasty. I enjoy the breakfast burrito every now and then. The salads and sandwiches are also tasty. Fresh, and made to order. I like their menu better than Standard.
The staff is hit or miss. Usually a miss. Some will gladly start your drink while you head back to the ATM. Others will request you to have cash in hand first. During busy times I’ve waited for a beverage to never come, and am given an eye roll when I inquire about its’ status.
I find the cooks to be very friendly and nice. (More so than the baristas).
Overall, OK. The potential is amazing, just hire some friendly people! I also don’t get why Brooklyn Standard accepts credit cards and they don’t… Couldn’t they somehow share a credit card account?
Place rating: 2
Brooklyn, NY
Um… this place is owned by the same people as the Brooklyn Standard? What happened?
Chai lattes are downright revolting. Breakfast burritos are ok — good in size, but I’m not a fan of sweet peppers (and lots of them…) in my burritos. Jalapenos or GTFO. Also, prices are unreasonable for the quality.
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
I have been here several times now so i feel a review is needed. I live down the block. I ll try to make this short and sweet. The décor is amazing. Its cozy and comfortable. Great place to read, go online etc. What i like is the size… bigger than the other places around the area. Food is great with a nice selection to choose from. Why does it lose a star? being a coffee drinker… there medium cup is wayyyy overpriced. And the food, although good, is overpriced compared to other areas close by. But like i said, i enjoy this venue and will most likely make myself a regular here. cheers.
Place rating: 4
New York, NY
I have been here a few times and never had an even remotely bad experience. The staff has always been super-​friendly and fun, the food (although a tad expensive) has been WELL worth it (i.e., LARGE PORTIONS, WELL-​PREPARED, & DELICIOUS!), and the décor itself is charming & eclectic.
Also: they brew their own kombucha. This may be a growing fad, but not many places serve it on tap. The last time I tried Café Royal’s (although being leary of the flavour/​title at first), it was amazing! Do try it if you are a fan.
Sure, the music they play there isn’t my taste, admittedly. Regardless, the employees should have choice over the customer– anyone who has worked in the service industry can not dispute that.
I have recommended this café & will again.
Place rating: 2
Brooklyn, NY
I live right down the street from Café Royal and often try to get work done at cafes, so I was predisposed to like the place. I really want to like it. On the plus side, décor is great, there are plenty of tables with outlets, and the back area is really nice. French press coffee isn’t bad either.
But a place like Café Royal is offering more than coffee. What they’re selling is a convenient place to get things done, and unfortunately, if those things require Internet access, chances are you’re out of luck. This is an odd problem, since Café Royal seems to value reliable Internet access enough to have set up two different wi-​fi hotspots. Unfortunately, more often than not neither works. More than a few times I’ve bought a cup and set up my things only to realize that I wasn’t going to get online at all. Grumpy’s down the street and their wireless works fine. Until Royal gets their act together, I’ll pay a bit extra for coffee.
And what they say about the music is true. Bad, bad, bad!
Place rating: 1
Brooklyn, NY
Part of a conspiracy to induce massive heart failure in Greenpoint by over salting everything on the menu.
Seriously, I am surprised they don’t over salt the coffee. I went to brunch here and it was basically inedible. I made some heroic attempts to eat mine, but my boyfriend wouldn’t even touch his. And I had some regrets about that salty side salad.
Oh, and then I got sick because they put milk in my soy latte.
This place is seriously like two blocks from my apartment so I honestly wish that I could say it is awesome, but no, it sucks.
Place rating: 3
Brooklyn, NY
Meanest. Barista. Ever.
Save your «hellos», «how are yas» and «good mornings» for another place, because Café Royal has the meanest barista I’ve seen since I began drinking coffee thirty years ago. The short masculine woman who works here may be the most impersonable customer service employee in all of Brooklyn, NY.
The coffee, breakfast wraps, pastries and overall ambiance of this place is really great and I go here all the time. Everything is top notch, provided you don’t have to interact with the Ice Queen of Greenpoint. Brrrrrrrrrrr!
Place rating: 3
Brooklyn, NY
I like coming to Café Royal to do my freelance work because you can always find a seat and there is free wi-​fi. They don’t play the best music… okay, it’s terrible, so I’m not too distracted, and everyone there is respectful and quiet.
As for the coffee… well, it’s a disappointment. I know they brew stumptown but my Americano’s have always been watery and the regular coffee is just not good.
As for the food… I was actually impressed by a huge plate of tofu scramble that I ordered. It was packed with vegetables and came with four pieces of sunflower bread, a side salad, and potatoes. I was pleasantly surprised. So one star for the poor music selection, four stars for the food, one star for the coffee, and four stars for the open seats which brings us to three stars overall.
Place rating: 1
Frederick, MD
Let me start by saying that I want this place to be great. Why? Because I live three blocks from it.
Alas it is really terrible. Firstly, I once came in in the morning for a soy cappuccino. They put milk in it. I got really sick and had to leave work early. Good job guys.
I wont even talk about how bad the layout of the place is. Okay I will… it’s bad. The whole place is a U shape which is inconvenient and it drives me crazy. You have to double all the way back around to bus your coffee cup AND the whole place claims to be one way.
The food is horrific.
I tried to give it another shot because Bone Shakers is gone and I am vegan and brunch is scarce in my neighborhood, but this was just bad. I took my boyfriend and he wouldn’t even eat his. Everything was completely over salted… including the salad. Why are you doing that? Did you only hire smokers in the kitchen? Or are you secretly the lair of a super villain trying to give us all heart disease?
The nail in the coffin: I can’t get my fancy drinks at the Standard anymore because they want me to get them over here. But I refuse.
So, instead, I commute into the city and buy my coffee at Pret A Manger. Now, that is just sad.
Place rating: 1
Sunnyside, NY
On the upside the coffee is fine. The space itself is really nice and I want badly to like it… also it has Wifi which is always a plus.
Now to the downsides:
1. The worst thing about this place is the people that work there. I am a coffee addict but the people that work there are such a turn off that I just can’t see myself going back. For example, they had a sign on their door that said something to the effect of «Starbucks baristas need not apply.» Really?
2. The music is a close second in why I won’t come back here. Showed up here on a hot, weekend at 11am and the place should have been packed. Instead it was almost completely empty with the most terrible café music. I like a wide range of music but the stuff they play is just not very café conducive.
3. We ordered a vegetarian (maybe vegan?) breakfast burrito, it was so bad it was inedible. When we bussed our table we put the dishes on the counter and the woman working there just scowled at us for improperly bussing our tables. No «was there something wrong with the food that you have obviously not eaten.» Just a scowl.
I will be taking my coffee buying over to Variety around the corner where the service is friendly and the coffee is better.
Place rating: 4
Cambridge, MA
From the outside, it seems like the average over-​priced hipster joint, proclaiming a menu awash with vegan/​gluten-​free/​organic/​farm-​raised hullabaloo, and with a seating area populated by quaint desk-​chair units from school days of yore. It’s the kind of place where you slide on your thick black framed glasses with no prescription lenses before you settle into writing your witty blogposts on your Mac.
So I didn’t have very high expectations. But the food here blew me out of the water. I ordered the eggplant panini ($ 9) and had a vegan gluten-​free chocolate chip cookies ($ 1.50) while I waited. My friend had one of their fresh juices, a combo of apple, grapefruit, ginger, and other fruits ($ 6.50). I tasted the juice, which was incredibly fresh and complex in a large pint glass filled to the brim. When my panini came out, I was shocked at the size of it. It was a huge triple-​decker of sunflower bread stuffed with thinly sliced eggplant, tomatoes, cucumber, greens and aioli, with a bountiful salad of greens and veggies on the side. It was more than enough, and more than amazingly delicious.
Maybe there’s something to this hullabaloo after all…
Place rating: 1
Lancaster, PA
As a local we call this place the cock, not bc of the rooster in their window but bc the people that work there are dicks.
If you don’t fit into their opinion of cool you are not welcomed. Not to mention that their coffee is overpriced & made on a used machine. Oh, didn’t they tell you? They got their machine from Standard across the street. They sold it so they could charge more bc they are own by the same people. Bullsh*t I say.
I moved to greenpoint so I wouldn’t have to deal with this pretentious crap and I honestly can’t wait for them to move over to billyburg where they obviously would rather be.