I Am Coffee

Probably one of my favorite coffee spots in the East Village. It is basically a hole in the wall coffee shop that is very easy to miss. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the coffee bean sign hanging out in front.
Every time I’ve gotten coffee from I Am Coffee, it’s made with care and precision. These baristas turn coffee making into an art whether it’s a complex shakerato or a simple drip coffee.
There are no places to sit/​very little room to stand. This is more of a grab and go coffee place. Also, it takes time to make each drink, so if you are in a hurry, I wouldn’t recommend getting your morning coffee here. There is a McDonalds down the street if you’re REALLY in a rush :)

This is literally the only good coffee I found in the US. I was with an Italian on one long trip, we went all over the East coast, tried every 5-​starred coffee place on Unilocal,they were all terrible. Everything tasted over-​extracted or burnt or something.
Finally we heard about this one place run by an Italian with Italian machines and Italian beans, went there, and it was fantastic. This place is so much better than every other coffee place in NY that I tried, there is literally no competition. They should make a 6-​star rating for this place, because 5 stars are not enough. It is just excellent coffee and it has that great Italian coffee-​bar feeling, no chairs, just standing, drinking and chatting.

I will update this later. My cappuccino and my maroccchino are waiting. Hands down best coffee on the city. And don’t ask about how cute the baristas are !

The best coffee shop in the city. As we know the key point to make a good cup of coffee is the temperature. This is THE place. I always grab a cup of Café Latte and it makes my day. Girls, FYI, the shop owner is soooooo handsome, lol

This was the best coffee experience I’ve ever had. Seriously. Go here. I bet you’ll think the same.
I had the cold brew with apple, ginger, and star anise and it was DELICIOUS. I don’t know what kind of coffee genius it takes to dream up that combo, but I’m so glad they did. Ask for the specials, but stick around if you can! Mike, the barista, was super friendly and I had a great time chatting with him.

With all the reviews for the Marocchino indicating it could only be consumed there, I fully expected I Am Coffee to be a seated coffee spot. Wrong.
I walked up the stairs and found a nook dubbed «I Am Coffee». There’s a tiny counter, but I can’t imagine standing there and sipping my drink.
Otherwise, super cute. The barista was very friendly and very into what he was making, even if was just a simple iced coffee. He carefully measured and mixed in sugar syrup instead of straight up sugar. Definitely blends better.
The coffee was smooth and tasty, but it did taste watered down pretty quickly. For $ 3.50, I can’t complain too much.

First time, quick visit — I love the feeling of this little place, which is basically a cut-​out stand at the top of some stairs on St. Mark’s. There’s no seating, but you can get your coffee «for here» aka standing room or to-​go.
The coffee is good, the prices are reasonable and the guy making my coffee (a cortado with freshly grated chocolate over top) was helpful and friendly.
Overall, an experience good enough to make me want to come back!
I’m not one to really diverge from simple coffee/​espresso drinks, but apparently this place is known for some interesting offerings and I’m definitely intrigued to try some another time.

‘I am coffee’ is a must on Saint Marks. It’s a spot to patron –often– not simply visit once in a while. Thus, it deserves a review in the mothertongue =)
Il caffe’ fenomenale e’ frutto del loro approccio tradizionale, o quantomeno storico. E lo dico veramente: fanno il caffe’ come lo si faceva prima del boom del 1960, da li in poi l’industrializzazione di massa delle caffettiere ha reso il caffe più’ blando e acido. Provare per credere.
Giovanni e compagnia sono simpaticissimi, ed e’ sempre un piacere fermarsi a fare quattro chiacchere. Inoltre, l’atmosfera e’ proprio come un bar italiano e tutta la mobilia e’ ben curata nei particolari.
I miei preferiti sn il marrochino e lo shakerato.
E letteralmente, dulcis in fundus, la cioccolata calda fatta in casa e’ buonissima.
Ciao,
Vero

This cute little place is great. The guys that work behind the counters are incredibly friendly and the coffee is strong. It’s a block away from me and I know it’s going to be a great day when I get some of their coffee — it means that 1) I didn’t have to go into work so early that it wasn’t open (I’m a little saddened that it opens at 8AM) but 2) I am not running late and I have time to stop in.
I still like lost weekend better, although the vibe, clientele, and baristas are way less pretentious here and seem like dudes you want to hang with on weekends.
I’m all about the coffee though and this coffee isn’t the best that I’ve ever had. Also the milk they use is generic. I know. I seem like a coffee snob but I’m actually a dairy snob. It’s weird. But I can taste the difference.
I would say lost weekend is best I am coffee is second best, and abraco is third best with respect to coffee quality alone, but this place is the total package.

What a wonderful hidden gem to have a quick coffee fix! Loved the place, loved the coffee, loved the coffee guy. Highly recommended.

One of the best places for coffee in the city! Rivals Stumptown, imho. Each cup is crafted with care and expertise, whether it be the latte, hot chocolate, or shakerato. Absolutely no place to sit down as this place is so small that they can only use a sliding glass door, but it’s a great place to pick up a cup to go. Also frequently on PayPal offers, bonus!

Two brothers in a very small space serving good coffee and nice conversation. As others have mentioned, they are good looking and very charming. It’s a cute shop, though gets crowded easily. I stayed inside catching up with a friend and we had just enough space to stand by the heater. I ordered the marocchino, which is very strong.
Definitely a hit, will be back next time I’m in town.

$ 5 credit with PayPal.
I love this place! The establishment is just about THE SMALLEST PLACE you can possibly put a coffee shop in (only a small counter that fits about 3 people). The couple that owns this place is just straight up awesome. So, so friendly and so helpful and informative. They love telling customers how their process works and etc.
I’ve been a couple times now and had the chocolate croissant — delicious, and their latte. Damn, that was a good latte. I love how (if you eat in), they pour the espresso into a glass cup and show you the separation that occurs. They also have fancy presentation with not-​so-​fancy prices.
I am Coffee might have kicked Wayside off to the side (ha) in terms of my favorite East Village coffee spots.

What a cute, TINY coffee shop! Tiny yep real tiny — only fit «3 of me» tiny. Perhaps I was a little deceived by Unilocal pictures, I was expecting there to be at least minimal space to move around. No, here — u r either in or u r out.
Stopped by for a quick pick me up with my soon expiring paypal offer. Unfortunately by noon, there were no pastries in sight. Instead I asked for an iced coffee to go.
Coffee was strong and the service was friendly. The barista couldn’t help but teased me a little about how freezing cold it was outside and yet I still wanted my coffee iced (The power of never getting brain freeze!). Will definite come back a bit earlier next time to try their pastries!

This is definitely not a good place to go to when it’s freezing cold and snowing outside! The reason why is because it only fits about 4 people, standing. Yup, you go here to stand (as if it were a cramped bar), get your drink, and bounce.
Although, some drinks you have to eat there versus take it to go, like the marocchino I got! It came with tons of dark chocolate mix and an espresso, as well as a tiny can of sugar and a shot of water. I’m just not a coffee person, so it was too bitter for me, but the way they made it and its presentation was impressive!

I call it I Am [Hot Chocolate]* and have grown to love this place and the service there. It’s certainly not a traditional American café, as it lacks food most days/​times and there is no ‘seating’ in the traditional sense, though they have enjoy-​it-​here beverages.
If you’re looking for slightly more unorthodox gifts for coffee drinkers in your life, rather than loading an amount to a generic card, each I Am Coffee gift (drink) card is a transferable/​even-​exchange per-​drink gift (which helps because they sometimes don’t have cards to match the menu and can write on substitutions like the Shakerato or other favorites).
1÷9÷2014 Total ($ 3.50 raisin pastry and $ 1.75 chocolate ‘mini-​croissant’) 1 $ 5.25 $ 5.25
Total $ 5.25 USD
New (at least to me) staffmember is just as friendly as the owners; $ 1.75×3 for their ‘mini-​croissants)
1÷29÷2014 Total 1 $ 5.25 $ 5.25
Total $ 5.25 USD
Hot Chocolate $ 4 now — as good as always
03÷13÷14 re-​visit
Total (aka hot chocolate, which they mix for you now, and a $ 14 bag of beans) — Item #INV2-​Q45D-​AEAF-​NZF9-​SSS4
-$ 18.00
Shakerato quite good
PayPal — pastries -$ 1.75

JUST A COUNTER w/​o seating, except the steps leading up to this quaint shop
a nice couple runs this shop & can make you items based on how you’re feeling. just TRUST them! we even got to try some new drinks that weren’t on the menu yet
–espresso over ice w/​lime juice: for the refresher!
–shakerato: 2 CHILLED shots of espresso. i was never able to enjoy straight espresso in the past but when its cold & slightly sweetened the stuff is GOOD
–iced coffee w/​apple & ginger: interesting flavors. you’d never think to mix them but they work
the coffee flavors are mild but by no means are the drinks bland! they have their own unique flavor profiles & its yummy!
you can take it to go or get it served in glass cups to enjoy on the steps. i wish they expanded into a café w/​seating though
NOTE: they offer soy milk but it really wasn’t needed for any of our drinks!

Excellent coffee drinks in a very small space. Some are complaining that the space is too small, even a complaint that there’s no wifi. Seriously? Starbucks and Panera have your wifi, go camp there. Maybe I don’t mind the small space as much since it was empty when I came by, but I can see it getting too crowded too quickly. The drinks make up for that inconvenience. That, and the fact that this place is reminiscent of a classic stand-​up, in-​and-​out Italian espresso bar (not a free-​wifi, camp-​out-​with-​my-​Macbook-​while-​i-​nurse-​this-​one-​cup-​of-​coffee-​for-​hours coffee house — see above). I like the recommendations to sit on the stairs outside, not a bad idea.
What really lands five stars is the unique coffee drinks. When I first heard of a shakerato, I thought it was a gimmick — coffee in a cocktail shaker? But when shaken vigorously with ice (more than a standard martini, it seems), a frothy head is produced, and it is delicious. Never had anything like it.
Also had the star anise, apple, and ginger drink. The coffee used was light and floral, the flavor went well with the apple, ginger, and anise. Again, a unique drink.
The counter girls (I think one might be a partner) were friendly, conversational, knew their coffee. For what it’s worth, they were also Italian. I mention that b/​c during my visit, an obnoxious woman berated the girls for not making espresso the way Italians do. Which, in reality, makes no sense.
Places might be doing similar things here and there, but to my knowledge, there’s no coffee bar quite like I Am Coffee. The very best there is in NYC? No, but for what they’re doing? Yes.

TINY coffee place in St Marks Place that is run and owned by a friendly young Italian couple that offers pretty good coffee. The interior and décor of this place is very cute and nice. It definitely has that «Italian» or «European”-esque feel to it .
Since there are no seats or tables inside, you’ll mostly have your coffee to-​go or get it for here and sit on the stairs outside.
Their drink menu:
Espresso ($ 2.50)
Doppio ($ 3.50)
Macchiato ($ 3.00)
Americano ($ 3.50)
Drip ($ 2.50)
Cappuccino ($ 3.50)
Latte Macchiato ($ 4.00)
Marocchino ($ 3.50)
Caffe Freddo (Iced Coffee) ($ 3.00)
Ciocoolata Calda (Hot Chocolate) ($ 4.00)
On the Rocks ($ 3.50)
Shakerato ($ 4.00)
I ordered the Shakerato as it was something ‘new’ and saw it being prepared and handcrafted by the barista and poured onto a glass cup. I had a sip and it was delicious. Tasted sort of like an Slightly sweetened Iced Americano. Barista told me they use Espresso beans from Verona for their espresso-​based drinks while Iced Coffee uses multiple origins while their coffee is single origin. Prices can seem high but hey, at least it’s NOT a Starbucks for a change. Downside might be that there is no seats/​tables and no restrooms available.

Coffee not so great. Wins a star for cute. But all these reviews saying that the coffee is good? Hm. First of all, the machine they’re using is too small to pull a reliable espresso. Second, they burn both coffee and milk. There may be something ‘authentic’ about it, but given the selection in NYC, I can’t give the coffee more than 2 stars.
Recommended: get a hot chocolate here. Seems to be their thing.