Athom Café

Jerome’s food makes me feel human again.

We live around here and have been to Athom a few times to see if it would redeem itself.
The issue here isn’t that the food is bad– it’s the rude creepyish staff.
They seem rushed and to busy to bother with even glancing your way. You feel like you might get shot if you dare to ask a question about the menu. But not in a charming soup nazi sort of way.
The omelets with salad here are decent, but the cheese crisp bread that comes with them are inedible & too crunchy to even bite into.
Overall the space is clean, and offers wifi. I don’t love it and don’t hate it :)

Athom was the best to grab both a quick breakfast (croissant and coffee) or the sit down omlette.
I really love this place and i come here almost every weekend that and i’m just a block from it… it’s a hidden away gem.
Jerome is almost there every day and makes the best pastries, omelettes, paninis.
I guess they closed up their location on Broadway… I’m really sad about that.

I’ve been here with my girlfriend close to a dozen times. The food and coffee are consistently excellent, I wish they took card but an ATM is right by the front door.

My friend and I are lucky to live near this café, sandwiched between churches and autobody shops in Bushwick/​Bed-​stuy. We enjoy the fresh morning pastries and coffee, as well as the huge servings of omelets, salad and parmesan toast for brunch. The sandwiches are equally good for lunch or dinner. I ordered a smoked salmon avocado bacon and tomato (BATS) and my friend was satisfied with his turkey club. It is cash only with a casual atmosphere, attracting regulars and some neighborhood visitors. We are excited to explore more of the menu.

A little gem in a less then sunny area. The banana chocolate croissants are amazing! And the iced coffee cubes are genius!

I hate Mondays… not because I hate to go to work, but because Athom Café is closed on MONDAYS…
Jerome makes the best pastries, omelette, and salad, so whatever you see there are pretty awesome. I work 2 blocks from Athom Café and have known this place for over 4years. Their service and restraurant itself keep getting better and better. If you need a REAL cup of coffee, come here. Their coffee is strong (not overpowering) and great, which I haven’t been able to find in this neighborhood in the past 4years.
Myself and coworkers use Athom Café as if they are our living room…

I was lured in by the fantastic croissant reviews and pictures of the omelette platter. While I was completely underwhelmed by the croissants, I thought the omelette platter was overall okay.
The croissants are obviously fresh baked in house but they are just not the croissants I was expecting. Disclaimer: I can be a bit of a croissant snob. I like my croissants flaky on the outside and just a tad golden. The inside fleshy part should be soft, dense, a little bit springy, and feel kind of cold. I had a chocolate one and it was dry and seemed over baked. The chocolate also kept falling out with each bite in little particles like loosely clumped brown sugar. It lacked that rich buttery taste.
The omelette itself was really good — fluffy, light, but substantial. The sides left me feeling meh. The potatoes were soggy and greasy. I didn’t even finish the cheese-​crusted bread which surprised me because I LOVE CHEESE AND I LOVE BREAD. I ate the salad because I needed the greens but it wasn’t memorable.
The iced coffee was not bad, I did like the coffee ice cubes as other reviewers mentioned.
I came on a random weekday morning and it was completely empty inside. As you open the door you need to talk down a hall with a window (which looked like an ordering window) to the right and some chairs to the left. I was a bit confused by this set up but was promptly greeted by the owner I believe. Further in is the dining area and where you order. It was very spacious and clean though. And service was fine — efficient and simple.

Terrible customer service, to start. Walk in and a voice beckons you to come to the back to order. Seriously, thats what happened, in the back theres a girl behind a counter you cannot see who yells for you to come back there to order.
She has no social skills and obviously doesnt know what customer service means. After shes rude about the way we wanted our croissant (cut in half and toasted, and she didnt get it right) she then says
«It helps if you tip»
…
…
are you kidding me right now? Shes rude, screws up the order and has the nerve to tell us it helps if you tip?!
IT HELPS IF YOU ARE FRIENDLY.
She doesnt make the food, she doesnt serve it. She Yells when your croissant is ready so you can come back and get it!
Why would I tip you? Id rather deal with a robot who is programmed with nice sayings. All you did was press buttons and you want a tip?
The food was decent at best. potatoes with no seasonings and an omelet with no seasoning and some kind of toast that was so hard it broke and crumbled upon biting into it…
NEVER going here again. And theres so much competition popping up, they better get it together before they are forced to close their doors. which wouldnt upset me, it would make room for something much better.

I would have given them 5 stars, however my treatment today had made me demote them to 2 stars because the service (usually) is good as well as the coffee.
As a Bushwick resident I love having a small café with good coffee and food in the neighborhood. When I’m in town I go to Athom several times a week. I never complained when they raised the price of coffee without warning because, we are neighbors; we take care of each other.
To my dismay, I went into Athom today with a friend, who stayed outside first because she had her dog, to put honey in a coffee bought somewhere else. Keep in mind we planned on buying bagels there it made an earlier stop somewhere else. Jerome, the owner, without flinching begins to take in an aggressive tone with me as if he’d never seen me before, for using a little of his honey in my coffee from another place, but I hadn’t made my way to the twister yet to order my bagels because the line was long. I explained that I have all intentions of purchasing from his business but that made no difference to him. He acted like I was a common criminal and made a scene; so much so that I was embarrassed and walked out.
I have never been treated this way in a neighborhood café I frequent often. I have spent $ 20 on one breakfast without a second thought because the food is good and I know I am helping a small business and our neighborhood. Obviously, my business isn’t appreciated as much as the green in my wallet. When operating a business in a neighborhood such as this, it’s about the relationships you build with the community especially when the community supports you.
I cannot support this café anymore because of the tacky way I was treated today and will now walk the extra 4 blocks to Lil Skips, where they have more tact when dealing with regular customers.

Great little French café tucked away off of noisy Broadway. I came in on a Thursday afternoon and the place was empty. My boyfriend and I ordered two iced lattes an almond croissant and a pain au chocolat, and it came to $ 15, which I thought was pricey for the neighborhood.
The lattes had coffee cubes in them (!), which was a serious caffeine boost with the espresso (not for the faint of heart, literally). It was a nice place to spend an hour reading my book, but I agree with previous reviewers that there’s just something a litle off about this place. Perhaps that the front room is very bright and the back room is too dark. Ample tables and chairs though, and great oldies playing. I’m curious to try the food next time. Good coffee and lots of space, but nothing outstanding so far.

The good: delicious fresh pastries, great omlettes, really good coffee… and I LOVE the parmesan (i think) crusted toast! My husband doesn’t care for it, but it’s one of my favorite things…
The bad: the not so friendly, apathetic staff, the too-​quiet atmosphere lacks ambiance, the fresh squeezed orange juice just awful im talking about soUr! And finally, it’s cash only.
Despite all «the bad» though, the food and pastries keeps me coming back.

This is a great neighborhood coffee shop. Exceptionally good croissants and coffee. The omelettes are also excellent.
Note that it’s closed on Mondays and on other days closes kind of early (8pm).
UPDATE 2÷5÷14: Athom is apparently closed forever. A great loss to the neighborhood.

This is a cute little spot in the neighborhood. I stopped in here for breakfast after reading a few Unilocal reviews.
The menu is limited so I ordered the omelet since it got the best reviews from other Unilocalers. The omelet was a good size and pretty flavorful. Now the turkey bacon left a lot to be desired, it was over cooked and more like turkey jerky than bacon. There was some hard little flat bread thingy with what appeared to have cheese on it, that seemed to be reheated or needed to be heated, whatever… it was tough as hell! The hash browns were reheated as well with loads of black pepper on them. I hate black pepper, so I didn’t eat them plus they were kinda cold. I must say though the coffee was pretty doggone good!
All in all not a bad breakfast. I’d go back, if for nothing but the omelet.

Good coffee, some tasty croissants and sandwiches. Athom serves a need in a neighborhood that doesn’t have much beyond bodegas and fried chicken.
But yet. .. there is something off about the place. Everytime I’ve been there I feel ill at ease. Maybe it’s the odd and rather unfriendly girl who works there much of the time. Maybe it’s the dimness, or perennially unfinished décor in the back.
Last time I went I was told they no longer have wireless. The explanation about «piracy complaints» seemed nonsensical.
I would suggest it as a place to grab a take-​out coffee or pain au chocolat. But if you want a café to sit down, chat with friends or do some work, I would walk the 10 minutes up to Little Skips at Myrtle/​Bushwick.

This place is amazing, the food is superb. Its one of the only good places in the Bed-​Stuy area for coffee, food and pastries.
Don’t let the small façade fool you, inside is huge, and has a very laid back/​artsy vibe.
The only downer was that the head cook (presumably the owner) can be very moody. Sometimes he’s wonderful, and other times he is not so accommodating to food orders. If you read enough reviews you will see a trend here. I would give it five stars hands down if wasn’t factored in.

When I called on a Sunday morning, the person on the phone said they would be open until 8:00 pm, so I planned a meeting for 7:00 pm there.
When I arrived at 6:50 pm, the person at the counter seemed disappointed to see me and told me they were «actually…closing.» When I mentioned that the guy on the phone had told me 8:00, the tired-​looking person at the counter said there were only to-​go orders after 7:00 but the café itself was closed. It sounded made up.

I’m hesitant to write this review… that’s how torn Athom Café has left me feeling.
The Right:
–delicious strong coffee
–huge sandwhiches with fresh ingredients and a side salad
–located in an area where food options are slim
–decent prices for BK (breakfast for 2 ran us $ 20)
The Wrong:
–half-​hearted décor, including some type of drop cloth/​bed sheet covering eyesores in the back
–lethargic, uninterested staff
–crossed out items on the menu
–too quiet and I’m talking about the faint music coming from a speaker in the kitchen

Let’s all come back down to earth people. Just because there is a decent café in Bed-​Stuy doesn’t mean you have to give it 5 stars.
Personally, I’m getting a bit tired of schlepping through the ugly streets of no-​mans-​land Brooklyn only to find aloof employees, dingy atmospheres and ok food at somewhat unreasonable prices because of over elated Unilocal reviews.
That’s what this place is. It’s decent. If you live in this ‘hood, it may seem like a god-​send compared to the endless crappy bodegas but it is not a destination by any means. There is something in your neighborhood, that is just as good if not better than this, for the same prices.
If you find your self around here and need food and coffee, it’s a good place. If you don’t live anywhere around here, there is no reason to go.
It’s a 3 star place that I’m giving 2 because the 5 star reviews are completely unwarranted even by the own reviewers review.

I love the location of Athom. Lively section of Broadway with people working and talking and playing music and yelling to one another. Wakes you up and reintegrates you into the land of the living. Going inside has a slightly different effect, though.
Indeed our server was a little removed and aloof, but thanks to the reviews I was prepared for it. She definitely seemed like she was working the job because she had to and found little to no joy in it.
You know what did have joy in it, though? The omelet I had with goat cheese, fresh herbs, tomatos, with a side of the Moroccan sauce. I liked the dense texture of the omelet, for one, and didn’t find it to be too heavy. The sauce was so flavorful and added great spice to the meal. The goat cheese was creamy and the herbs didn’t overwhelm the mix.
The pastries are really delicious. The plain croissant in particular. The apricot mini-​danish was also good. As was the apple turnover. I wish they would’ve had the pear Nutella croissant the reviewers have mentioned.
The fresh-​squeezed orange juice was abysmal — really bitter — imagine drinking a glass of oj after brushing your teeth and that’s what this was like.
The space itself has a mellow atmosphere but the identity of the café was schizophrenic. We were in there when it was really quiet — only two other people were there, each working separately at different tables. It was empty and it also felt empty. Nothing else was there to fill in the void.
There was ‘90s hip hop and reggae playing on the radio. The front counter where you order feels really informal, almost college-town’ish. The back room has a pastry display case that is empty but looks like it would make for a great French’ish café feel. The tables and chairs are generic. I just couldn’t get my finger on the pulse of this place.
I would stop in for a to-​go coffee and pastry in a heartbeat. And although the omelet was good the vibe inside doesn’t entice me to come back and stay.

If you blink, you would miss it! Über mignon!
If you are in Brooklyn and looking for a slice of France. Stop by. I ordered an omelet with bacon and I am glad I did. The espressos are strong you better be prepared to run to Manhattan.
Thanks for breakfast.

Sippn’ on a cappuccino, eating an omelet w/​a toasted baguette, and listening to french rock music. Not a bad way to start our morning on our visit to Brooklyn.
Driving here we kept missing the café, it’s really easy to miss. You have really look for the signs and little red seat outside. Once we were inside this alternative little café we were a little concerned. We really didn’t know how to order or where to sit. There are tables in a dark back room that looks barely finished but the creative pictures on the walls and cool music playing drowned that all away. We made our orders with the chef, he had this really awesome french accent and was very friendly.
The food was really good and my cappucino was perfect and strong! I was amped for the rest of the day. If I wasn’t so full I would’ve ordered one of their amazing looking croissants. But I guess I’ll have to leave that for another trip back to Brooklyn.

Three words:
Banana
Nutella
Croissant

I
Only
Had breakfast
But this two
Table café while good seems overhyped,