Jittery Joe’s

I like this shop but its not a regular stop. Coffee is good but it’s really a takeout place which is fine by me. Frequent purchase card is a plus and not too crowded. Worth checking out.

Meh. The iced coffee was not great for me – I threw mine away after drinking half. Maybe I should’ve gotten a hot drink instead or maybe it was an off day? Will visit again and give another chance due to the stellar reviews.

For those who prefer their 3-​splenda-​soy milk-​extra-​foam-​cinnamon-​drizzle with a teardrop of coffee flavoring, keep walking. Actually, cross the f*king road. I’m sure in just a couple of more steps, your precious Starsucks should be within reach.
This is my kind of coffee joint, because these guys actually give a crap where the beans come from. Not only that, but they stay true to the intended taste of the bean by using the French Press to brew their non-​espresso coffee. This maintains the bean’s true flavor, as with this method, the oil from it does not get lost in a paper filter or a drip machine.
They can also brew up a pretty mean espresso. Just mean enough for you to get jittery and develop a passionate hate for Fivebucks and that other Donut coffee that tastes like it was run through a paper bag.
Also, for those who associate hipster joints with pretentiousness, these guys are actually not pretentious at all. If you ask, they will tell you about their methods and coffee.
5 stars all around.

Coffee was much better than I expected. In fact, it’s very good. (I had a cortado.) Great service.
Décor is simple, nothing special, almost depressing since it’s shoved into the front of a school, which was barren when I visited. Reminds me a bit of grad school.
Prices are excellent, so if that’s important to you, and you don’t mind the rough interior. go.

Solid coffee joint and a nice change from the usual chains.
Looks a little sketchy/​hipster from the outside but coffee is strong, employees are friendly, and the price is right.
My iced coffee was delicious — and at $ 2.50 or so for a medium (16 oz I think), right in line with the Starbucks and Dunkins.
There are a couple tables if you want to sit, I had no trouble scoring one when meeting a friend before work.

The coffee wasn’t bad, I prefer mine a bit stronger and darker but it did the trick for a caffiene fix.
I also had a pinapple/​coconut muffin, unfortunately this was a let down. The muffin itself was dry and there really wasnt any flavor. There were some sliced pinapples on the top but no notice (visual or taste) of coconut.
I’d definitely go back for a quick cup of coffee but will probably skip the pastries next time.

Just as expensive but definitely preferable over the big chain spots.
I wouldn’t go out too far out of my for this spot. but living in midtown I would definitely walk a couple streets over to stop here rather than starbucks/​pret.

LOVE the coffee! Love that after 10 drinks I get a freebie! Love that the baristos know my order when I walk in!
Don’t love the syrups — would prefer calorieless flavored brews but hey, you can’t have everything now can ya?
I’m a french press believer now. Thanks JJ.

Good coffee in a pop-​up shop. Nothing too exciting, but decently priced good coffee.
The atmosphere isn’t very conducive to business meetings or anything formal as the shop seems to be a partition of a warehouse. The shop is better situated for students studying by themselves versus businessmen networking over a cup of joe.

Great coffee and nice staff at a good price. Hard to beat… especially in midtown.
I’d like to support the guys in the carts on the corner but the coffee here is much tastier.

Nice strong coffee. Awesome muffins. Really super yummy hot chocolate creations.

YES! Yes!
Very strong and rich iced coffee.
Totally the real deal.
Great service, true baristas.
I love supporting a smaller coffee shop.
This is a nice boost to Midtown East.
The atmosphere isn’t too quaint, but I forgot about that as I was sipping my delicious coffee.

I’m also really liking their coffee with a shot of espresso in it. Very nice, strong non-​bitter espresso. Another winner!

I went to several different coffeehouses on my week-​long trip to New York. Most of them sucked.
Sorry, New York, but you have terrible coffee!
This place was actually pretty good, and had strong, tasty coffee.

I’m updating my review again because they got rid of the taxes. They are now charging the exact prices that are on their menu boards.
The coffee is still amazing and better than the rest. The Shot in the Dark is a great pick me up for my afternoon day, and their Japanese cold-​pressed iced’ coffee is the BOMB. It’s the best ice coffee in the area. Two thumbs up!

The iced coffee here (Japanese cold brew process) is the best I’ve ever had. I’ve been to Gimmie Coffee, Blue Bottle Coffee, Second Stop, etc and tried all of their iced coffee– none compares to Jittery Joes. Get it without Ice (as it is cold already) add a little whole milk and voila– perfection in a compostable cup.
Their hot drip coffee though is awful — very weak and it has absolutely no flavor. Each time I’ve gotten it I was close to returning it but because I am not a complainer and the girls who work here are the sweetest ever, I decided not to. The cappuccino and espresso are heavenly. The baked goods are OK but the real keeper here is the Iced Coffee

LOVE this place! Yummy coffee. Finally a great alternative to the long lines and weak shots at Joes Coffee, and definitely a beacon in Midtown chain coffee. Their French press coffee is two bucks, and I got a 16oz very strong Americano for $ 2.30. It can’t be beat. The place has a nice, «Oh, there’s an empty space, let’s rig up a make-​shift coffeehouse» vibe.
The barristas are experts and a little grungy, but super friendly, which is exactly what you want from a coffeehouse.

I just finished drinking a cappuccino there and it is still fueling my review.
Let me give you a run down:
espresso = superb, dark — but not too smokey, smooth, and rich
milk = tasty without tasting like butter (no good in coffee, I’ve tried), local, non homogenized, and awesome
staff = kickass
overall combination = wicked
I heard about Joe’s from the NYT’s best coffee in Manhattan map and decided to check it out. I work in Times Sq, so it was a bit of a hike and a lot of tourist dodging in the meantime, but it was worth it. During lunch the place was quiet and bright and there maybe a couple people sitting and using their laptops at the two tables inside. Ordered a capp and had a great chat with the owner, who not only knows a lot about coffee as a beverage, but also all the other awesome places in the area and just about every barista that has won an award lately.
And as for the prices, they aren’t prohibitively high. Taxes are taxes, take that out on the government, not local coffee.
(PS: they have glasses and mugs now too if you order to stay)

I’ve passed by here on the way to Amish Market many times and a couple of months back I finally tried it. At first I wasn’t so impressed, though this place theoretically hits all of my bonus buttons: high quality beans; organic, locally sourced milk (from Ronnybrook Farms); hip; and it’s an independent chain based in Georgia. The coffee itself was very smooth but for a regular small coffee it was $ 2 when I could have gotten something similar at Amish for $ 1.50. So there’s that.
Today I decided to give Jittery Joe’s another shot and I’m glad I did.
A regular coffee is now $ 1.75 according to the menu behind the counter (so I guess it changed?) and now I noticed that they don’t do drip, only french press coffee, so extra fancy points for that. Something else new: they now offer local goodies by DUMBO Muffins –
— as well as other sweet snacks.
In addition, they have phenomenal looseleaf tea! I’m not a huge tea person but I do enjoy it from time to time. They even have pu-​erh! Wow. A small will cost you $ 2. I had something pineapple flavored — it was very good. I didn’t notice this before either but they have something called the *crackichino* which has count ‘em FOUR shots of espresso. Hot damn.
Perhaps what I was not thrilled by initially was the crappy layout. It’s located on the ground floor of LIM College, so there isn’t even a wall that goes all the way up to the ceiling, though Jittery Joe’s is its own separate storefront. They may have stepped up the décor a bit too, so now it feels more like a proper grab ‘n go café rather than a rent-​a-​room. There are a couple of tables and chairs if you are so inclined to stay a moment.
Final note: they have a punch card. Buy 10 get one free! Love it.

An excellent coffee place.
I always order an extra dry, non-​fat cappuccino. This place exceeded nearly all the nearby joints for the following reasons:
1) it was only $ 2.5 (as opposed to the $ 3.5 I am accustomed to paying)
2) it was extra dry i.e. it contained mostly foam and not much milk
3) they coffee tasted really good
4) the staff were really friendly and polite (not rushed off their feet and rude)
My only dissapointment was that even though I had the coffee to stay it came in a paper cup.