Latte Art

I read the reviews and saw the photos. It was quite a mistake on my account not to go to one of my regular spots in the area. «Art» — the latte i got was starbucks quality, with a very unaesthetic foam and the coffee itself was pretty bad — i drank a few sips and threw it away.

Super cute hole in the wall that I’ve passed on several occasions but finally checked out today with a coworker. The waiting room allows for basically 2 people at a time and you’ll normally see people standing outside. Not much of a wait time though so have a little patience :)
I got the large dulce de leche, it’s fairly strong and tastes great! Came out to slightly under $ 5 and we’ll worth it! Cute designs on the foam but it was your basic leaf. I want to go back and request a dragon or unicorn next time lmao — I’m going to be THAT person.
I’ll probably be back soon (tomorrow) to try another flavor and the empanadas! They also offer a breakfast combo… probably will try that too LOL
Tip: get the punch card or app if you plan on coming back ;)

We thought this small little hole in the wall would be a great place to try for good coffee. The place is probably half the size of a hallway to compare size. In our experience small places like this normally have great food and drinks, and fly under the radar. I posted a photo of the sandwich I purchased, we ordered a bacon egg and cheese on a croissant and a bacon egg and cheese on a bagel. We even confirmed as he made both sandwiches that they were bacon egg and cheese. The croissant was delicious, however the HAM EGG AND CHEESE bagel they gave us was just short of mediocre. The ham was one slice of deli ham, and the cheese wasn’t even melted– as if we weren’t already disappointed because it was supposed to be bacon! The coffee has the burnt taste that cheap coffee has, so we had to Doctor it up with lots of cream and sugar. If you are looking for breakfast, find one of the other places in the area, even Dunkin donuts would have been better, and you know what to expect.

Leider nichts zum gemütlich Hinsetzen. Auf der Karte kann man aus über 10 verschiedenen Mustern wählen. Trotz, dass ich der einzige Gast war, wurde ich nicht gefragt, welches «Kunstwerk» ich mir wünsche — schade, deshalb ging ich ja extra dahin.
Der Latte macchiato schmeckte gut — das nächste mal sage ich wohl besser direkt was ich möchte…

Great lattes! The best I had in the city. The empanadas are small but tasty. The breakfast bagel is a better deal but other locations offer more options in this regard. For $ 5 you can start your day with a small latte and a flaky crusted empanada.

Empanadas and a latte for breakfast = Feels like i’m back in the motherland. He surprised me with the art!

All the coffees I’ve got from this place tastes like pure chemical. Maybe they are good at making traditional plain latte but don’t get their flavored lattes unless you chug cough syrup as a hobby.

Quick, great coffee and they also take the Cups app! They have some treats as well as homemade empanadas even though they are a small store!

I love Latte Art! The Financial District is awash with chain coffee shops — DD, Au Bön Pain, S’bucks etc. There’s also some local spots or mini chainlets — Gregory’s, La Colombe, Bluestone Lane, FIKA. But all of these places are fancy, pricey and in many cases brand-​new to the neighborhood. Latte Art feels like a holdout from a previous version of lower, lower Manhattan — the tiny storefront is hidden from scaffolding and a bit out of sight, but the line moves fast and the coffee is dark and strong. Instead of an app, they have a classic punch card that seems pretty generous — buy five coffees, get the sixth free (I feel like most places make you buy 10). It’s a bit hard to find but very near the Whitehall R and Bowling Green ⁴⁄₅ — I strongly encourage you to shake up your coffee routing and give it a shot.

Cute coffee spot in downtown Manhattan. Came here as suggested by my friend that they do good latte art (just as its name implies). They really did — with a butterfly on mine and a rose on my friend’s. Guess no girls could say no to such a tiny yet lovely coffee shop!
Be mindful that it was extremely small though.

I’ve only become a coffee drinker in the past year or so and am very adverse to the bitter Starbucks coffees or other «fast food» type options. I discovered this place when I started a new job in the area and I’ve started to frequent it almost every day!
It’s great quality coffee, always the perfect temperature and the guys that work in there are so friendly! It’s a tiny little place but they don’t need a lot of room to serve great coffee. It’s absolutely just a take out place though as there is NO seating. Also, if you go a lot they will give you a punch card for your 6^th coffee free (and it’s not limited to basic coffee, I got a mocha as my free option)!

Yes this place is super tiny! I came at 10am on a weekday hoping to come after rush hour, and luckily, no one was there! My friend and I took our time writing out what we wanted to have for our lattes (the guy gives you a small slip of paper for you to draw/​write out what you want)-I loved that!
He was super nice and chill, and you can only get the art when you have the specific «latte art» drink, FYI (so even though I’ve had art on my hot cocoa drinks at other places, that’s not the case here).

I’m not coffee drinker, so get your opinions about the quality of the Joe somewhere. I have, however, been to Argentina and eaten quite a few empanadas in my day. I feel qualified to weigh in on what’s being offered here.
The good news is that the pockets of dough are relatively small (overly large empanadas are a plague run wild in this city) and fill of flavor. The beef variety is the best, filled with onion and spices.
I wished they were even smaller — in Argentina a table usually gets a whole basket as appetizer — and spicier, but they are definitely the best option in FiDi.
Not bad a for a place narrower than an arm-​span.

Done! Just began working in this area of the City, and while Gregory’s and other spots can suffice, if you have an extra five minutes, enjoy a good cup of coffee. Perfectly balanced drip coffee, not funky soy milk, and what looks like a ridiculous array of treats and morning foods. Good vibrant tunes playing and smiles all around.
Also noted, a $ 5 deal for a cappuccino/​latte and an egg and cheese empanada. Deal of the century.
For now, though, I’m happy to have a cup of coffee that makes me smile.

Nothing special… too expensive for the quantity
the empanadas. small and bland
Latte comes in probably smallest size cup
Not worth the $ 5

So much for latte art. This place serves decent espresso but doesn’t deliver with the latte art. What they gave me was disappointing.

This place is hard to find! Super small.
Staff is friendly.
I used the app CUPS for this and got a large cappuccino. It was okay. Kind of bitter tasting. I like cappuccinos where you don’t have to do anything else to it, you can drink as is. For this one, I felt like I need to add some sugar.
I also got the chicken empanada which was actually really delicious! However, it was served cold, which, is that normal? I thought they were supposed to be hot. If it had been hot, I feel it would have been tastier. It was also kind of pricey, I think $ 2.50 or $ 3 an empanada. Again, I’m not sure how much empanadas normally cost, but it was kind of small so I’m not sure if I would buy it again.
Oh, also. No latte art on my drink :(

After some 3.5yrs, I’ve found a local coffee spot I happily stand by. Welcome Latte Art. The name is generic and their typeface is painfully bland (sorry), but they’re a quality, humble business. I guess this is where I feel torn — I’m happy it’s under the radar but I want it to deservingly thrive.
The beans are sourced from the local micro-​roasters of Stone Street Coffee Company.
At $ 2.75, this is the most affordable small cappuccino I’ve encountered in this city (please don’t change on me after this review). On top of that, the barista/​owner doodled little Riley into my milk froth. Latte Art obviously prides themselves on presenting personalized… latte art.
«I don’t think I should add whiskers because it will make her look like a cat.» PLUS POINTS?!
It’s common sense to not expect something fancyschmancy in the milk froth if there’s a line out the door. Btw, the place is hella hole-​in-​wall and really is meant for take-​out.
They offer some sweet bites. There’s a glass case that features a variety of imported alfajores (! rejoice!) and their own homemade alfajores de maizena (rejoice more!!). I got a container of the latter; 9 of their homemade alfajores for $ 15, or $ 2ea. Sooo goooood. There’s also a neat selection of empanadas and sandwiches.
I’ll be back for more. The area is lucky to have this gem of a character.

Since I don’t drink coffee, I can’t comment on Latte Art’s main staple, but I have had all three of its empanadas (beef, chicken, and spinach) and they just tasted okay to me.
The empanadas are baked, not fried, so they are thankfully not greasy. However, the dough is super flaky and buttery, almost like croissant. When you bite into it, you can see the layers where they brushed butter. I didn’t really like the pastry-​like texture and flavor of these empanadas’ exterior.
The inside had three different fillings, either beef, chicken, or spinach. The beef one had ground beef, the chicken one had chunks of chicken breasts and a little bit of vegetables, and the spinach one was just your regular spinach. The chicken tasted kind of bland and needed more seasoning, but the beef and the spinach fillings were fine.

Not only do they have fantastic coffee and espresso, but they also are super nice! I have had their cappuccino and latte, both with almond milk, and they were excellent. The espresso was not very bitter but had the slight sweetness, nuttiness, and cream you expect from a great shot of espresso. Just the right amount of foam as well. The organic oatmeal is $ 3 and you get a pretty big cup of it with some dried fruit and almonds. Honestly this was some of the best oatmeal I’ve had and I don’t think they added any sugar; just almond milk (you can also get it with regular milk or water) and the fruits and nuts.
As mentioned both the employees (they could also be owners; I have no idea) were super nice and inviting. I strongly suggest using the CUPS app and the Level Up app. CUPS has a few different plans– if you want the regular plan (brewed coffee or tea) it comes out to about $ 2 a cup. If you get the monthly plan for ANY coffee or espresso then it’s $ 60 so if you actually use it every day, about $ 2 a cup also. I personally like the 16 cup plan for $ 48 where you can get any drink (the plan is valid for 3 months). Basically this means you can get a large espresso/​latte/​macchiato/​whatever with any kind of milk for about $ 3 a cup. This is well below anything you would pay elsewhere in Manhattan (really most places in general). They also give you an additional free cup when you first sign up.
You can use LevelUp to pay for whatever else you need to buy. They have various breakfast pastries and sandwiches and empresses., plus similar items for lunch. Spend $ 50 at Latte Art and you get a $ 3 credit so it’s definitely the way to go.
It’s a tiny place with no seating but I will definitely continue to support them and highly recommend them.

So tiny, so good. The place is smaller than an elevator, but why does it need to be any bigger than it is? They turn out some excellent quality cappuccinos, on par with or exceeding anything else I’ve had in Manhattan, but how does that get them that coveted fifth star?
The secret’s in the name. Went there for the first time and was looking at the examples of barista art they have on the walls while waiting for my drink, then the guy asked if I wanted my name in the foam! Kinda beats the pants off of Starbucks writing your name on the cup, not to mention the quality difference IN the cup!
Absolutely will be back, frequently!