Kuro Kuma Espresso & Coffee

New York, United States

4.3

Closed now

21 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

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Telephone:
Not provided
Address:
121 La Salle St, New York, NY, 10027
b/t Broadway & Claremont Ave
Harlem
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
780 ft125th Street
930 ftM5 Riverside Dr/w 122 St
970 ftM5 Broadway 122 St.
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Bussiness info

Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Apple Pay
No
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Good for Working
No

Today

Today 7:00 am – 7:30 pm
Closed now
Local time (New York) 8:39 PM Saturday, June 21, 2025

Business hours

Monday 7:00 am – 7:30 pm
Tuesday 7:00 am – 7:30 pm
Wednesday 7:00 am – 7:30 pm
Thursday 7:00 am – 7:30 pm
Friday 7:00 am – 7:30 pm
Saturday 7:00 am – 7:30 pm
Sunday 8:00 am – 7:30 pm

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21 reviews of Kuro Kuma Espresso & Coffee

No registration required
Place rating: 4
Berkeley, CA
I really like their coffee. I’ve had the iced coffee and the latte and I just dig whatever beans they’re using. Smooth, a little sweet. I wish their seating was more comfortable, but I suspect it’s the way it is to keep you from lingering all day. As a lingerer, I should know. The wifi works but it’s pretty slow.
Place rating: 4
New York, NY
Great café in Harlem! It’s amazing how much gentrification has changed this area over the last several years. I was in the neighborhood for a work event and wanted good espresso to start my morning. I thought I’d be screwed given the location but I found a few good options actually. Check them out if you’re in the area!
Place rating: 4
Dallas, TX
I was staying at Columbia with some friends while visiting NYC and wanted something other than the nearby Starbucks coffee to kick start my morning. Kuro Kuma was the perfect option: close by and well rated for their coffee. I stopped by and ordered a coffee for myself and a green tea for my friend. The coffee is solid as everyone mentions, but the green tea is what really surprised me. Although it came in a tea bag, it was delicious. The shop is really small so it isn’t the best place if you’re looking to sit and do some work, but it is perfect for grabbing coffee on the go.
Place rating: 5
Harlem, Manhattan, NY
Very good coffee and super friendly staff! Will def come back. I like the atmosphere there!
Place rating: 4
Washington, DC
Small coffeeshop with top notch espresso drinks. They have limited seating so it’s better for takeaway. The best coffeeshop around Columbia.
They also have baked goods from Balthazar bakery to complement your drink in the morning.
Place rating: 4
Manhattan, NY
best coffee in neighborhood
chai latte is also excellent if you’re not a big coffee person
Place rating: 5
Manhattan, NY
They have Balthazar bakery bread and great coffee! I love their soy cappuccino:) you can sometimes see famous professors having a morning coffee.
Place rating: 4
Manhattan, NY
The coffees are delicious, just a little pricier than your average coffee shop.
Place rating: 4
New York, NY
Great little place. Beats the pants off Starbucks (why do people go there?). Great coffee, amazing capuccinos. I’d give it 5 stars, but I’m penalizing it a star because it’s tiny and so not very comfortable – not the kind of place you want to hang out in for a long time, and definitely not an Internet café. Great in warm weather when you can take your coffee outside, maybe to Riverside Park.
Place rating: 4
Manhattan, NY
Good coffee but we went there a little bit late so they were run off balthazar’s goodies.
Make a note to ask for mugs. I didn’t like they serve you the coffee in carton cups because we were staying there and they do have ceramic mugs.
Anyway the coffee is very good. The place is quite small but since it was cold it wasn’t crowded.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Great local coffee shop. I only order Ice coffee, and the taste is smooth and never bitter (I actually transitioned from adding sugar or cream to drinking straight here). The owner and workers are extremely nice. The almond croissant pastry is on point and addicting. I bring my friends here as one of my favorite coffee shops. It is small, and its mostly «to –go». $ 10 min for credit. Price range $ 3-​$ 6 for drinks.
I forgot to mention… I don’t normally drink coffee. but I do from here!
Place rating: 4
Dollard-Des Ormeaux, Canada
I was in town to check out some hot spot. I believe i walked about 45 minutes from where I stayed, it was damn and cold.
Coffee is good if you’re in the area, but I wouldn’t walk 45 minutes to get a coffee.
Good enough but not enough to blow your mind.
Place rating: 4
Miami Beach, FL
Nice little coffee shop. $ 10 credit card minimum, but I saw them make an exception for a guy who didn’t have cash, which I thought was very nice of them
It’s decently pricey; $ 3 for a 16oz coffee and $ 6 for a 16oz mocha, but both were very good. It’s quality coffee from very nice people, which personally I’m willing to pay slightly more for. Definitely recommend this place.
Place rating: 5
Manhattan, NY
Best coffee in Morningside Heights! I love love love the latte — It’s strong, smooth, fragrant. Everything a good coffee should be! Pair that with one of their Balthazar Bakery pastries (the chocolate croissant and scones are HEAVEN) and there you have it, your perfect breakfast!
Keep in mind that the café itself is TINY. There are only ~8 seats inside, so be prepared to wait if you wanna stay. It’s also close to Columbia and MSM so there’s sometimes people working on their laptops or studying when they clearly don’t have a drink or pastry with them. Kinda annoying but can’t be helped I guess.
It can get pretty busy in the morning with the line sometimes going out the door, but the satisfying caffeine fix is something I really don’t mind lining up for at all! Must try!
Place rating: 5
Manhattan, NY
Three thousand and forty-​five years ago, the grand coffee master Kuro Kuma invented Chai Latte, and all you get from the rest of the world that bear the same name are sad attempts to replicate it.
There are two version of The Chai Latte: 1) The warm and foamy one that melts your soul into that cupful of silkiness. 2) The cool and sugary one that lights up your eyes like an ice-​cold horchata. Order the former if you prefer a more complex flavor profile and a perfectly balanced texture.
Their cappuccino converted me from a black coffee drinker into a milk enthusiast. Their espresso is phenomenal as well.
If you are in a mood for pastry, try the cinnamon bon.
The place has limited indoor and outdoor seating. There is free wifi and one power outlet on the left.
I’ve been around in terms of coffee. Kuro Kuma is definitely the best in the neighborhood.
Place rating: 4
Manhattan, NY
I love this place; it took me about two years to notice it and now that I have, I am so happy. I generally order a cappuccino or flat white (8 oz) and they’ve been great! I’d agree that the prices are high, but for a decent cup of coffee I think they are appropriate. Also – as others have mentioned, it is very small, but it might be nice for sitting down and reading a book or something. Enjoy.
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
Delightful and eccentric spot full of Mannes students. Personable and attentive service. A sense of community. And on the best cortados I’ve had in Morningside Heights.
Place rating: 4
New York, NY
Kuro Kuma is a hidden gem in the Columbia area since it’s a little farther than where most students go to but it is worth a visit.
I ordered a large chai latte and my friend ordered a large green tea. I’ve been pretty disappointed with chai lattes from different coffee shops lately but I really liked the chai latte here at Kuro Kuma! You actually taste the spice of the chai and is around the same price as most NYC coffeeshops. The price for drinks are similar to other small coffee shops (it was ~$ 4 for a large Chai latte).
My friend and I got a table (out of the three there) and stayed for an hour or so to catch up. I can see how the lack of space bothers others but it was fine for me. It seems like it would be a great place off campus to study and to stay caffeinated.
My only problem with Kuro Kuma is the $ 10 minimum for a credit card so make sure you come with cash!
Place rating: 5
Boston, MA
$ 10 credit card minimum. I almost walked out since I wasn’t carrying cash that day. However, the staff gave me an exception to pay with card after I told them I didn’t have cash on me. That was so nice of them since it was freezing out and I needed my daily dose of caffeine to get going. I ordered the mocha latte and it was heavenly. Very smooth with subtle taste of mocha flavor. It made my day.
Place rating: 4
Levittown, NY
Pros
Very good coffee
Friendly and fast service
Cons
Very small place, hardly any
Cash only
Place rating: 5
Offenbach am Main, Hessen
Schon bei meinen vergangenen NYC-​Besuch war mir in der Kaffee-​Wüste von NYC, die New York Times Interactive Coffee Wünschelruten App (
) sehr hilfreich, um Espresso und Cappuccino-​Oasen aufspüren.
So auch hier: Bei lausigem Wetter auf dem Weg zur Washington Bridge zum Little Red Lighthouse (
), bietet Kuro Kuma die letzte Möglichkeit um die Schläuche mit konzentriertem Koffein zu füllen.
Photo link:
Kuro Kuma benchi
Photo link:
Kuro Kuma zocco kafein oashin
Photo link:
Kuro Kuma shiro shinzō
Photo link:
Kuro Kuma wifi-​pasuwado: Idontknow