Tillie’s of Brooklyn

Ended up in Brooklyn by complete accident and Unilocal!mobile let me know that I was oh so close to Tillie’s.
You don’t understand. After I read weeks ago that they had gooey, vegan grilled cheese, I’ve been dreaming about it. First off, Brooklyn is so underrated. It’s scenic and the atmosphere is easy, esp. Dekalb Ave. Tons of places to visit on a rainy day.
Order: Both vegan, grilled cheese + red velvet cupcake = $ 7.00
Arrived around 3 pm and it was packed, but I was destined to find a table. The music is quiet, but the people are so loud. I had the misfortune of sitting between a couple on their first date (so, obvi) and a bunch of bohemians, having «artsy,» abstract conversation with plenty profanity. There’s something in the air that makes you wanna lounge around here. It was the first time I’ve gotten school work done in a long time, believe me. I’d say the place is split in two: dining and studying/​loitering areas etc.
NEGS: Lack of plugs in one section (the dining side) of the joint, in front of the counter) and the staff is timid and uninviting. I still tipped, because the guy who made my sandwich at least tried communicating about my order.
The V grilled cheese was buttery and light, the cheese nice ‘n creamy. It lacked that grilled cheese meltiness I was aching for. However, it was tastey and the bread didn’t get crumbly as I left half of it sitting for at least 1 hour. The portion size is very generous. Two square 4″ sandwiches, basically.
Mmmm. THE RED VELVET CUPCAKE was TDF! I had it much later, when I arrived back on Manhattan and I had to stray from the sidewalk to stuff it down my throat. So good. I should’ve bought a dozen.
All in all, I really loved the place and can’t wait to get more studying done away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. Good food, affordable.

The coffee is pretty bad, which is why the two starts. For just hanging out and typing on your laptop with the free wifi, it’s pretty good, so it would be a higher rating.
But the coffee is awful!
So two stars for Tillie’s.

Okay coffee. Intense and $ 2 for a small.
I HATE the staff.
Stuffy and harshly-​lit space.
Coffee shop. That’s all. Not a ‘third place’, not a great place to meet with friends or to kill time on your laptop. A good-​old coffee shop.

Have known about this place for a long time, but only the other day I came in for a drink and to spend a little time while reading. The employees were nice and I got my drink really fast. But unfortunately the iced chai was just not good, it tasted more like cold milk. I like to taste the spices!
The place is large enough so it wasn’t a problem to find a table. The vibe was alright, nothing special. The temperature was pleasant but the light a bit too bright. It’s alright, but I will not make it my go-​to coffee place in the area. Maybe I should try their coffee instead of a chai, because it was just not good.

Summer solstice for a weekday poetry Open-​Mike where I ventured to hear inspiring words.
Tillie’s of Brooklyn is your local coffee, tea café. Service is efficient though not the friendliest yet surely with closed hearts and inattentive. An assortment of pastries, cakes and beverages are available which I’ve seemly lost my mood for food as the toilet poisoned my inner happiness. A medium bland, cold iced tea at $ 2.20 and one cinnamon bun at $ 2.75 was my awful dinner of the evening. Yet the company of prolific poets’ power of spoken word recharged my inner happiness, amid I would not recommend a spontaneous trek to Tillie’s of Brooklyn. There are newspapers for patrons to read life’s agonizing daily deal while slowly drinking tea or coffee. Their business card also serves as a loyalty card where patrons ten stamps can receive, I believe, a discount for the next purchase.
One facility is accessible through a sliding door.

Okie dokie — um, I don’t really get it — doesn’t really have a vibe to speak of. Everything inside seems to have just been put together over time, no real flow to the décor, layout.
I normally step into a coffee shop and get hit by some facet of passion — not at Tillie’s unfortunately.
That all said — the woman serving was really nice, really friendly, and the coffee tasted reasonable. Just not sure what the compelling story is that would bring me back here.

This is the closest coffee shop to me. And I am grateful that it isn’t a Starbucks. I am also grateful that they let me loiter here for hours.
This place is always packed with people and I like that. It feels like life is buzzing. It feels like a community. People come in with friends. They share stories, share laughs, share desserts, but most importantly, they are sharing life.
I don’t order anything special. Sometimes an iced coffee, sometimes a café au lait, sometimes a slice of cake, sometimes a bagel. Everything here is decent, but nothing to write about.
But I will write about how I enjoy coming here to study. Studying is dreadful to begin with. You endure the pain alone. But somehow, when I come to Tillies, I feel less alone. Tillie’s is by my side and helps me through difficult times. It makes studying just that much easier. Thanks.

I was there for the first time on a Monday afternoon so finding a spot was simple. Seemed like a great place to bring a friend but not a group. I would recommend showing up on your own.
I enjoyed the green tea latte.
Free wifi with creative password. (I love getting in on the password it makes me feel like I know the secret pass into the super cool internet club.
I will be back.

If I didnt live 4 blocks away, I wouldnt go out of my way to get to Tillie’s. But since I DO live so close, I have a soft spot for it. The obvious pros:
— free wi-​fi
— some outdoor seating (enough for 8 – 10 people)
— very mellow atmosphere and a hipster-​free zone
— lots of indoor seating
— god options for vegetarians and vegans
— staff very friendly, and of the ‘crunchy-​granola’ breed
— many solo patrons, so if you are alone, its great and also very rarely are two people conversing loudly nearby.
The cons Id actually say «neutrals» since the cons arent awful ones:
— at the mercy of the staff’s music selection (it’s sometimes quite surprising: Stevie Wonder, Velvet Underground, recently an entire George Harrison album which was great)
— coffee is eh. Works fine for me, but Im not a coffee connoisseur
— just one comfy couch :-(
— I think only one or two outlets for computer plugs. Be fully charged before you arrive
— nothing in the food selection that has made me go WOW
In sum: If you are in the area, why not stop by?

Loved it!
I had a piece of zucchini leek goat cheese quiche and a mint tea. The quiche was SO deliciousssss! Normally I would have tried the coffee but I’ll have to report on that next time.
Very cute, chill enough to read my book and not be distracted, but still pleasant soul music from the 70s wafting from the kitchen area. Very cute, friendly staff, I’m coming back. I want to try one of those cookies!

Cool place!
Vegetarian, Vegan and local foods/​drinks available!
Great, liberal hang out, particularly for creative types. When I went in there were a lot of people working on their laptops.
But if you don’t have work in mind, pick out one of the free newspapers– you’ll find copies of the Indypendent and The Onion.
Look on the wall and amidst a plethora of print-​outs you can find out who’s giving yoga lessons or guitar lessons.
And on the wall in the bathroom, don’t miss the big Green Peace poster, it warms the heart.
The owner, Patricia, seemed nice. I wanted a tea and she recommended the (organic, herbal) tangerine ginger. It’s super flavorful!
I don’t like it too hot and she offered to get me an ice cube.
Wasn’t that nice?
Definitely a stop worth making.

All of my higher education has been of the art school variety, and even I find the patrons/​staff here ridiculous.
Service ranges from spotty to weird, the coffee is average, and you might have to wait until someone dies to get a seat. Or, as the extremely important gentleman screaming into his cell phone at the table next to me declared, «Yeah, I’ve got 2 tables all to myself now, so I’m going to camp out here and read some Poe until my screenplay just comes to me.»
Nice.
I’d rather pay 75 cents for deli coffee and not deal with the douche parade.

Tillie’s played The Smiths for 2+ hours once while I was hanging out, drinking a very good soy café au lait ($ 2.75), and editing a book. Two hours of The Smiths without commercial interruption.
(Well, minus one for the sincere lack of electrical outlets. It is very difficult to do work here unless you arrive supremely early or with a seriously charged laptop battery. Just considered yourself warned.)
There are a plethora of vegan goods (the a cookies n’ cream vegan cupcake ($ 2.50) has approximately three inches of frosting, and is amazing), ranging from peanut-​butter cheesecake to muffins to moon pies. VEGAN MOON PIES. The staff is 100% nice. And Tillie’s is spacious, well-​lit, and you’re left alone (though helped when you want it, obviously). All around, a badass community café that is a good place to work (with the exception of the subpar quantity of outlets). Exactly what I was looking for when I found the place. Cash only is kind of a bummer (I like to just fork over the plastic and pretend I just didn’t pay what I just paid for a piece of pie or whatever) but c’est la vie.
But really… they had me at two-​hour The Smiths rock block. THE SMITHS.

I really want them to do something about the coffee. It’s definitely watered down, bland. PLEASE! Maybe that new espresso machine will help?
On the other hand I like to work here and the staff is pretty nice… albeit some more than others. The vegan sandwiches are pretty good… esp if you get to them earlier in the day and the bagels and pasteries are top notch. Esp a bagel toasted with Buttah! mmmm. Mostly I just like that you can hang out here comfortably as long as you want.

Tillie’s has been, for at least a year now, my «go-​to» coffee shop in Ft. Greene/​Clinton Hill. It’s a great (albeit scruffy) neighborhood place to meet and talk, get a little work done on your own, or do a little people-​watching in relative comfort and quiet. The coffee is decent (although you should avoid the iced decaf if that’s your particular poison… it really does taste like poison) the Wi-​Fi free and reliable, the counter folks friendly, and there’s a nice selection of vegan and other really tasty muffins. (Plum, wild-​berry, et. al.)
Cons? It can get incredibly crowded, esp. on the weekends or when the weather is lousy, the prepared foods can be awful (I had a tuna sandwich that I still have nightmares about), it’s cash only, and in the evenings they invariably have some sort of «open-​mic» or entertainment that will put the brakes on any work related endeavor right quick. And if the music from the stereo is mostly unobtrusive, occasionally the good folks at Tillie’s will play Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music for a few hours at at time, you know, ’cause they can. (OK, that’s a joke – but it’s not too far from the truth.) Also, up until recently, the art exhibited on the walls was downright terrible, which is an embarrassment in the borough of Brooklyn, where a gifted, struggling artist resides every ten feet. Thankfully, things are better with the last few shows, which were pretty impressive.

Seriously, people. The coffee here is not good. The only way you can get good coffee is to not buy bad coffee. Can’t say I really like the employees’ attitudes, either, but — again — a coffeehouse should have good coffee.
The location is great. The free wifi is great if you can get it it to work. But other than that Tillie’s is a pretty mediocre coffeehouse. One star for location. One star for the future.

I worked out of Tillie’s most of last winter– and began to appreciate the vegan delights and delicious soy green tea lattes. The place in general has such a great neighborhood/​community feel. families, artists, students, neighbors with adorable dogs sharing a table and the news around the hood. Plus free wifi. (but not enough outlets during the busy times grrr)
The staff is slow in the mornings– which is sometimes annoying. But it’s acceptable as you’re not at some coffee truck rushing to a train. That bus on Dekalb certainly likes to take its pretty little time.

This place has saved me from the most disgusting iced coffees in the world (CONNECTICUT MUFFIN).
Because I am a dolt, I never thought to stop on DeKalb for coffee as opposed to Myrtle on my way to Flushing Avenue from the G Train. Thank god I finally did. The coffee here is SO so SO much better than that otha shit. The staff is very pleasant, and the prices are very reasonable.
Side note: The negative reviews here are reminding me why I hate at least ¾ of the people on Unilocal.Get lives. Stop bitching about your coffee being too hot. Or complaining because other people like you want to use Wifi! There are a lot of tables here… guess «great minds» think alike.

Tillie’s does not have good coffee.
They also have bad service.
The food is mediocre.
However, its a neighborhood joint, has great décor, free wi-​fi and I love it. This really is an awesome place to waste 3 hours doing nothing on a rainy day. But I can’t justify anything more than a 3-​star with the lack of anything decent to consume.

I am saddened lately by Tillie’s.
Twice now I have gone for internet and not been able to use it. This I find out of course after I buy my coffee and treats.
Also, (and this may be the buffalo in me) but whatever happened to customer appreciation! If ½ the staff can remember me and say hi on the street, why have I NEVER gotten a free cup of coffee! If you go somewhere consistently for 4 months — don’t you think once you’d get a comped coffee. It has forced me to stop buying my morning coffee… I am not wasting $ 2.50 with no appreciation!