Second Stop Cafe

Posthumous 5-​star ratings are a weak ode to this joint. At its peak, a Cordon Bleu-​trained baker would make my breakfast and a stealth perky Vince would find me wandering around outside and put that granola and a cup of coffee in my bewildered mug.
At its worst, a sign cut from paper grocery bags read «ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BLDG[sic].» And so, my mail redirected from the café back to my apartment, I’m camped out at Champs (craving butter and/​or bacon) or The (Mae) West, found in either direction down Ainslie.

Finally dead. Surprised they lasted so long because they really made the space (used to be tax accounting, thats now just down the block) the illest coffee shop off of the lorimer L stop.
But its all about service, i don’t need to wait 10 minutes for a cup of ice coffee (What the F…) and i definitely don’t care for the hipster attitude.
GIMME COFFEE, take this space FAST!

Second stop is definitely closed now:

The iced coffee is so-​so. It’s a bit over priced and the service is spotty. I have encountered really nice and really not so nice.

Undoubtedly my new favorite coffee joint in the neighborhood (well at least it’s new to me!). The prices are reasonable, the coffee brews are smooth, and the bakery options are way too enticing (vegan chocolate chip cookies, sandwiches and homemade granola, oh my!).
I love that you can pay with credit card via their iPad app (despite being a Brooklyn inhabitant, I am terrible at keeping cash on hand), and that the baristas are super friendly. The store is quaint, with WiFi, plenty of seating, fun antique flea market décor, and even a few outdoor benches so you and Fido can enjoy caffeine together!

My favorite coffee shop in Williamsburg. This is definitely a bring your laptops and book and work kind of place. The Wi-​Fi is pretty steady though it occasionally drops you but it’s no big deal. There isn’t a one hour expiration on your Internet usage like a lot of the coffee shops in Manhattan. This spot is also vegan and carnivore friendly (the Ingrid sandwich with ham, Brie, apples, and honey mustard is a tasty one) and they’ve recently opened a smoothie shop next door that you can also order from inside the café. Second Stop is also decently sized with two large rooms – the front room is brighter and more airy while the back room is darker and give kind of a library stacks kind of feel. Anyhow, I love this café!

This will be my new hideaway in Williamsburg. I think I’m crazy. I literally walked all the way from Lower East Side to here (Yes I even crossed the Williamsburg Bridge!!) despite the sub-​zero cold weather today.
Most of the staff here are hipsters or hipster-​like. I got the Americano here and headed towards the small «back room» where it was less crowded and much more inviting and quiet. The coffee here was good, just right and not acidic. I wonder which roast they use? They had wooden tables and the atmosphere is great, this is no Starbucks or some minimalistic chain but seemed like a real coffeeshop.
This place made me think that I wasn’t in NYC which can be a good thing because sometimes I need to get away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. I’ll definitely come back here for coffee and next time will try the goodies that they offer as well.
TIP: Try to bring cash with you cuz there is a sign that says «SORRY OUR CREDIT CARD MACHINE IS BROKEN» but I’m sure it’s a way for them to skip on the CC charges lol

Okay, so maybe I don’t hate EVERYWHERE in Brooklyn.
This place is a hop and a skip from the Lorimer stop on the L train, so it tends to give me less of a panic attack than anywhere else in Brooklyn would. It’s right near that Metropolitan gay bar place, and I’m pretty sure it’s not that far away from either Barcade or that Mexican place I went to with Alex P. that time. The point of this narrative? It’s not only easy to find, it’s relatively easy to get to, too.
I actually wandered back here while waiting for a table at Champs down the street with sister Megan D. She was also waiting for her friends, and I had my nook and was bored as well as uncaffinated, so this place caught my eye. I wandered back her during the wait, found that they had free wireless, and had lots of Brooklyn hipsters going over filming projects and reading various zines. Not usually a type of atmosphere I would get into, but I dunno… I actually kind of liked it.
There was a 10 – 15 minute line for coffee. Initially, I thought this ridiculous. I mean, they weren’t busy. Then you have some of the coffee and you understand. It was THAT good actually. Strong enough to wake you up, but not completely overpowering. I had also been used to some of my sister’s organic-​type coffee she made the morning before, but if you like strong & good coffee… this is the place for you.

Second Stop, how I love thee.
main reason?
atmosphere baby.
I searched high and low in the williamsburg/​greenpoint area for a coffee shop which actually felt like a coffee shop. not sterile not minimalist not elite not disposable, but just homey and comfotable, with quirk.
second stop is that place. it is finally a coffee shop which feels like «your» coffee shop. ya feel me?
sometimes Second Stop gets flack for being hipstery or packed with «coffice”-ers, but heres the deal: the staff are genuine and kind, the coffee is stellar, the smoothies are delish and reasonably priced, and YOU GET A FREE COOKIE ON YOUR BIRTHDAY. this is not important so much for the 10-​year-​old-​sheer-​glee initial response, but for what it symbolizes. That there is still a coffee shop with HEART. you heard me.
oh and also the baker here is amazing, APPLE CINNAMON CAKEEEEE.

For me, this place is mostly about the donut muffins! I don’t even live near here, and I will trek 15 – 20 minutes over here just for that. They’re covered in cinnamon sugar that gets all over you and taste like cider donuts with a crispy muffin top.
Try some of their «real» food too — the Norwegian Lizy (sp?) with brie and blackcurrant jam is goopy and delicious, the hummus sandwich comes on fresh baked grainy bread. And the coffee is top notch, of course; the iced Stumptown can be a meal on its own.
The mismatched chairs and inside-​out décor make it all work. I like that they’ve designated the two big tables in the front as computer-​free spaces, but I still prefer to hole up at one of the little tables in the back to do my reading.
The service at the counter can be slow when it’s busy, so I usually aim for an off-​time or just plan to read a bunch of emails while I wait. Given how long I hang out here, it’s worth it.

At Second Stop, the atmosphere is very comfortable and roomy, with lots of natural light. The décor has an eclectic, vintage vibe, with the hardwood floors and pressed tin ceiling and wall panels. There are lots of nice tables, and very friendly staff. Also, it usually is very clean.
The coffee tastes great, and is just $ 1.50 to stay, and .50c refills. Wot a deal! The self serve water pitcher is convenient. The lox bagel I had was tasty, and the Marsupial Lion beet, ginger, pineapple juice was amazing. It even had a bendy straw! Can’t beat that!
2 snaps up, for real.

Thank you, Second Stop, for making my birthday complete.
For the longest time, there was a picture of Richard Simmons near the cash register saying, «Ya get a free coffee and a cookie if it’s ya birthday!» so today I made a special trip there. They didn’t have any vegan cookies, so I got a little mocha loaf, and they didn’t have any brewed decaf (it was late in the day) so I got a bag of Earl Grey in my travel mug. (Memo to self: drink more tea.)
I tipped. Happy birthday to me.

Do I like patronizing this place, ordering an iced chai, doing my homework without the pressure to move along? Yes I do. However here is my open letter anyway because this is where my missing star is.
Dear Cute and Angsty Barista,
I say angsty because no one gets a tattoo of a gun on their neck if they are not trying to convey some sort of «woe is me» syndrome. Why though, why do you need to express this in my ear drums via your loud punk/​rockabilly/​cool guy shuffle on your ipod? You play your music twice as loud as any other counter person here and its seriously distracting. I was at least one of three people who put their headphones ON when you started your shift today. Please for the love of coffee and homework turn that sh*t down. Thanks.
p. s. you’re actually pretty cute to look at, so no hard feelings, but really…

Yo, people complaining about iced coffee costing more than hot coffee — read and learn:
Cold-​brewed iced coffee, which is what Second Stop serves, uses way more coffee grounds per oz of water to make the coffee. In addition to requiring more beans, it also takes 12+ hours to make.
The cold brewing process also makes coffee with lower acidity, so it gives a different dynamic to the flavor, removing that weird ash-​tray aftertaste you get with coffee that has been hot-​brewed then poured over ice.
While more expensive than hot coffee, the cold-​brewed coffee at Second Stop is delicious, and a bargain when compared with Blue Bottle’s $ 4.25 cold-​brewed kyoto.

*REVIEW FOR THE JUICE BAR LADY CUSTOMER MANNERS*
I was ready to enjoy a smoothie at the recommendation of a friend. I had my sleepy 2 year old in an umbrella stroller. As I am making my way in, using the backwards technique where you open the door with your back as you pull a stroller up the stairs, the juicer lady loudly says with a very rude, no patience tone, «it’s really small in here don’t come in with a stroller, wait outside. You can see the menu from the window. I’ll take your order once I’m done here.»
It would have been perfectly OK with me if she had used a courteous tone of voice and manner. It clearly wasn’t as the 2 other people in there noted, as they glorified her for telling me how it is, how New Yorker of her.
If she had taken a minute to say that, I would have noted my surroundings and come to the conclusion it was a tiny place and figured out a different way to order. It was my first time there and I had no idea it was a tiny place.
I have no desire in tasting anything they offer or recommending any my my friends to this place.
Sounds like another establishment in line with the «no-​kids-​allowed movement».

Let me start off by saying, I LOVE coffee. I drink coffee almost everyday. Often times, coffee shops act like my second home. Give me free wifi, and good luck getting me out of there.
With that being said, Second Stop– I am so disappointed in you.
I ordered an iced coffee (which is a very typical order of mine).
I took my first sip and it tasted very sour, so I added soy milk so I could drink it more easily. MISTAKE. Some weird science experiment was happening with my drink. After a few more sips, I could not take it anymore – I talked to the gentleman serving the drinks and asked him what was going on with my drink. Full disclosure, the gentleman was kind– but he explained to me that adding soy milk to my iced coffee would make it more sour because of the Colombian beans they used. He added, nothing was wrong with the iced coffee and that it’s just a taste that I should get used to and that he drinks this sour coffee everyday. So basically my tastes are not up to Second Stop Café standards. No offer of a different beverage was offered and I was left feeling like I was a rookie coffee drinker. To add insult to injury, it cost my $ 3.25
Additionally, my gal pal and I ordered the same thing. She did not add soy milk to her iced coffee– and guess what, she thought it was terrible too.
NEVER AGAIN.

I just had a $ 3 cup of coffee at Second Stop. That’s too much.
Some people will like the interior, finding it «cozy» or «eclectic» but I found it cluttered and disjointed.

A coffee and honey amalgam sounds strange, but the Bee’s Knees proves otherwise. It is beyond delicious, definitely my favorite coffee drink.
Vegan sweets, and sandwiches abound, the latter being made to order –AND announced on a loudspeaker!
The barista is chatty, in a really good way, and super fast. She definitely knows her way around an espresso machine.
The décor is super cute, and they’re pet friendly!
The wifi is free and super fast, and you never feel as if you’re intruding by spending hours here. I use this place as my «coffice», and tend to get a lot of work done here. There is something about communal tables and friendly faces that is conducive to getting work done. Productivity through camaraderie?
Excellent coffee, great vibe, awesome snacks, and free wifi — what more could you ask for?

finally made it here today. Nice break from the city… Lorimer is soooo mellow.
Cute café, ample seating, awesome espresso, and delicious lemon pound cake. wow!

This place makes the neighborhood for me. Restful, antique-​vibe décor for slowly imbibing a Stumptown roast or a mug of artfully swirled, honey-​infused cappuccino. Lots of love went into Second Stop. Tunes range from Bessie Smith to Iggy Pop. Awesome.
Food specials are surprisingly quality for the small coffeeshop kitchen – especially the winter potato soup and bacon, egg and cheddar sandwich (including Edwards of Surry, VA hickory-​smoked bacon).
Best part, though, is the warm welcome their staff always gives to regulars. I have frequented Second Stop since week one. Always end up here in my leisure time – usually with a friend, sometimes just for an artisanal soda (try the Sprecher Brewery cream!) and homemade donut muffin.