Velvet Peach Café

A down-​to-​earth café with out-​of-​this-​world soup & sammies. The curry chicken & Italian-​style tuna are delicious.

My roommate and I ventured over here when I bought a Groupon for half off brunch. We were instantly pleased at how cute and homey the atmosphere was. We also had great service, which is always a huge plus in my book. It’s honestly a tiny bit pricey for me… but the food was good enough that I would definitely be back in spite of that. The peanut butter/​Bourbon/​chocolate stuffed French toast is delicious! We will be back for sure…

Where should I start. It’s complicated. The night before me & my husband came in knowing it used to be a coffee shop but wanted to try the dinner menu anyway. To our surprise the food was good. The salmon over green beans with potatoes was very flavorful but the angel pasta with the shrimp scampi was tasteless. So thank god my husband was there with his flavorful salmon because I had to put it with my tasteless angel hair pasta. But glanced at the brunch menu and noticed the chubby biscuits & a few other items of comfort that would make me feel better after my husband left for the holidays. WRONG. Everything about this choice was wrong. From the terrible, slow & unprofessional serve to the manager telling me why I didn’t get waited on for the first 15 minutes was because I was on the computer and she wasn’t sure I was going to order anything to eat. Really. Don’t don’t have wifi on the weekends. How and why would I sit here on the computer & not order anything? She replied with, you wouldn’t believe how many people would do that. Well, I’m not one of them!

Very unprofessional and unpredictable. I have tried to go there twice and even though I arrived around 7pm – ll before their posted close time at 9pm, they’ve been closed. We even called the 2^nd time before we headed over and they told us the kitchen closes at 8pm so we needed to be there before then. We arrived at 7 and they had the door locked and would not open the door to tell is why they closed early. I support local establishments but when they one gives out such false information that wastes my time, it’s tough to want to try it again.

The sandwiches are fine, but I used to come here when I need somewhere with wifi during lunch — and the wifi has become unusable, so I never bother trying this place anymore.

A nice big space with eclectic and comfortable chairs, wifi (with a minimum purchase of $ 5), bathroom, big front window, and «chubby biscuit» selection that looks fabulous.
Staff are friendly enough. Décor oddly reminds me of over-​fancied midtown gourmet grocery store — dark wood panelling and ugly signage. Good for studying, although I could spot no outlets.
Oh, and the ventilation in the kitchen must be broken or entirely ineffective. After the cook grilled one lamb burger, the entire place reeked of meat for the rest of the night. Thanks, said the vegetarian.
But here’s the main problem: the owner has decided for some incomprehensible reason that this nice-​enough café will transform to a dimly-​lit, music-​filled, classy nightspot after 5pm. And, unlike the Tea Lounge, this forced vibe does not help the café’s atmosphere. First of all, if you want to become an evening candlelit locale, maybe 5pm isn’t your transformation time of choice? There were several other laptop and newspaper readers struggling in vain against the dimming light. But there is no hope for the Unilocaler; the internet is turned off at 5:00 on the dot.

This was a godsend place to find as we had to spend the day in an area with no decent coffee. Found this on a desperate search off the train in hopes to find a Starbucks or SOMETHING. This was way better than Starbucks! They had delicious pastry items too. We will definitely remember this place for next time we are out this way. Found this near the 7^th St station off the Q line.

I LOVE THIS PLACE! Service is awesome (Michelle is super friendly and helpful when selecting what’s on the menu), very laid back and relaxing atmosphere… I’ve gone there for brunch 3 times and have yet to have a complaint. I’ve had the stuffed french toast which is OUT OF THIS WORLD and the velvet peach salad which is on point. My boyfriend had the shrimp scampi which he loved and the salmon sandwich. I would absolutely recommend eating here! Especially for brunch.

Total disappointment.
When this was Heights Café, it was a comfortable, neighborhood place that you could count on for great affordable snacks, coffee/​espresso, free wifi and amazing sandwiches. There were also a ton of vegan options.
Now, there is impatient wait staff (raising the price of each visit, there is no wifi on the weekend (??), and the sandwiches have been reduced to some open-​faced dinky offerings. The vegan options have dried up too (though I’m not vegan, I appreciated the effort).
I won’t return.

Just had brunch here for the first time, and wouldn’t recommend it. It still feels the same as when it was the Heights Café, only like the owners got the idea to add $ 12 brunch options in an attempt to make some more cash (not out of any particular interest in food or cooking well). I got the spinach & caramelized onion omelet, which, although the onions were not actually caramelized, was fine. My wife got the gravy and sausage on a biscuit, and the gravy was so salty it was almost completely inedible. Iced coffee tasted like it had been hot-​brewed days earlier and left in the fridge for a long, long time, as did their iced tea. Overall, it was serviceable, but, I wouldn’t go back on purpose.

Came here today because a live jazz band playing so I was curious to see where it was coming from. I had such a time by myself on a Sunday early afternoon. I had scrambled eggs, hot chocolate and french toast with fruit and it came out to $ 10.75; I was very satisfied. The waitress was very nice and the staff seemed nice as well. This is a cute little place for when you want to come in, relax and drink some coffee.

I stumbled upon this place by accident and couldn’t have been more pleased that I did! I loved the cozy and welcoming feeling (beautiful day, open windows and a table by the breeze, what else could I ask for?)… I decided to order the two sunrise eggs with gorganzola and crumbled bacon… HOLY DELICIOUS! I enjoyed it so much, I almost closed my eyes with every bite. So good! The coffee was hot and tasty as well!

In my quest for new morning coffee venues, I stopped at Velvet Peach Café (formerly Heights Coffee) this morning and ordered a small coffee. The woman poured a coffee and then poured skim milk into it. Surprised, I said, «I’m sorry, I just said ‘small coffee,’ I didn’t realize you were going to add milk for me, and actually I prefer Half and Half.» She said «We only have fat free half and half» (what is the point of fat free half and half?). I said, «Ok, I guess,» at which point, she poured some of the coffee out and added the fat free half and half to the already skim milked coffee. At this point I felt bad for being a pain, so I paid, took one sip and threw it out.
Disclaimer: This was my first and only attempt at getting coffee here, and I’ve never had the ostensibly amazing chubby biscuits. All I want is a good cup of coffee on my way to the train and I prefer to have a little control over what and how much gets added to it. Maybe they’ll work it out eventually.

I miss the old Heights Coffee and the old staff. The vegan muffins for one thing were great and now gone. Get a clue! I found the new cashier to be rude, the coffee overpriced and the brunch for $ 16.95 to be well ridiculous. While the cook on staff wanted to please his surly colleague lost the sale. I’d sooner walk over to MILK where service is friendly, coffee is excellent and brunch can be had for under $ 12 with wifi and outdoor seating. Who needs the ‘tude? Lady this is our neighborhood. Get over yourself. I won’t be back.

Not only is the coffee and the vibe here still great but the food is fantastic. If you’re looking for something other than a chubby biscuit, try the oatmeal raisin cookie. It’s HUGE and may actually be the best oatmeal raisin cookie I’ve ever tasted!

Went here with my family for Saturday morning breakfast. Coffee was still great, food was awesome, prices were good, and service was very well-​meaning, although the new system is being streamlined. For $ 7 – 12, you can get a anything from eggs and grits to French toast to biscuits and gravy, all delicious and filling! Plus, the chef even cake out to make sure everything was the way we wanted it.
I just moved into the neighborhood, so I’m not overly sentimental about the old heights coffee. Velvet peach is great for sit-​down breakfast, and ill try lunch and dinner soon.

I will have to «Ditto» what Carmen said.
The chubby biscuits are DELICIOUS! I had some kind with jalapeño and sausage that was drool worthy. They are pretty enormous and filling, so a great deal with the free coffee. The service was prompt and incredibly friendly. One of the counter staff even pre-​emptively came over to our table with napkins when she saw us digging into the biscuits — now how often in NY does a waitstaff actually anticipate your needs?
The big this is — I think this café needs to decide whether it wants to be a sit down café or more of a coffee shop. Personally, it seems that the space and location are more suited for a coffee shop with some take away lunch options, rather than a full menu… But based on how delicious those biscuits were, I’m pretty curious to come back and try some of their other dishes out.
Curious to see how this place evolves!

I love the Chubby Biscuit! It is by far the best biscuit I have ever had and I have had lots of southern biscuits. I tried the Cheddar and Bacon. Delicious! It has significant (but not overwhelming) pieces of bacon baked right in. Can be a meal in itself. I also think pairing it with a salad and mimosas would be a great brunch. Yum, Yum, Yummy!

I was introduce to the Velvet Peach Café because I had a business meeting at this restaurant. On my first visit I only had a double expresso. Today, I had another business meeting and enjoyed a regular cup of coffee and the unveiling and tasting of a new chocolate and pecan chubby biscuit. It was delicious!
I also had the shrimp scampi with pasta for lunch. The meal was freshly prepared and it was excellent. I loved the taste of the fresh roasted garlic, olive oil, the angel hair pasta and the unique dish the pasta was served in. The only thing missing in my meal this afternoon was a spinach salad which I did not order and a slice of garlic bread or a hard roll to dip in the olive oil which the café does not serve.
After I ate I enjoyed another cup of coffee and a warm blueberry and peach cobbler dish with rolled oats as the crust. The meal and the dessert was well prepared. I had to compliment the Velvet Peach Café chef, the baker and the kitchen staff and thank them for an enjoyable meal.

Pretty solid, guys!
This place used to be Heights Coffee but I’m glad to see that a new café took over instead because I’m totally digging this joint.
They currently have a special promo going on — buy any chubby biscuit (what a cute name) of your choice and you get a free large coffee (hot or cold). The chubby biscuits range from $ 5-​$ 7 and it’s quite filling. My personal favorite is the salami gorgonzola. Even the staff knows that by now! :)
I had to work remotely this past week after the long holiday and I found myself at Velvet Peach 3x in the past 3 straight days! Not only is this my new favorite neighborhood café, but the overall vibe is just very pleasing. The food and drinks are good. Reasonable prices. Super friendly staff. Sufficient seating and tables. Free wifi. Super plus — a total convenience for me altogether!
I’m definitely a fan and what quickly appears to be also a regular at Velvet Peach Café. Keep up the good work, guys!
Oh and one more thing — get the chocolate chip cookie fresh baked from the oven. I promise you won’t regret it. Damn, it was so good. Just thinking about it, I’m wanting one now…