Gramstand

Gramstand has an instant calming effect that takes hold upon entering. Everyone in the place seems to be in this kind of warm malaise as they sit glued to their laptops. I think it’s fairly unique to the place as even in many a laptop laden café, there’s not this eerie sense of calm. I’m not sure it’s always what I need, but it was a nice feeling to walk into when I found myself in the neighborhood with a few hours to kill.
I think I would appreciate Gramstand more if I were a tea guy, but I’m a coffee guy. And there’s is good. I lament their lack of menu beyond grilled cheese, but the one I ordered was cheap and tasty. Since the East Village is still teeming with us creative (read: unemployed) types, I imagine it can be hard to find a seat sometimes — I managed to snag one of the last ones in the middle of the day on a Tuesday.
Bottom line: a lively, bustling coffee shop it is not, but if you need a place to crash/​work for a while with good, free wi-​fi, it fits the bill. 3.5 stars, but I’ll round up for niceness.

As I continue my life unattached to a firm, I have been trekking about in search of great places outside of my apartment to work — and Gramstand is one of them (although oh so far from me in Chelsea).
This is really a tea place, where the tea selection outnumbers its coffee by a lot. I had the Super Green, a Japanese green tea made from the twiggy stuff. The tea timer is constantly going off in this place, as they do loose-​leaf infusions old school.
I’d normally give this kind of place 3 stars — the consumables are not bad, but overpriced (typical for NY, of course), and the chairs are not really all that comfortable (but fine), and apparently not enough cups for all, forcing me to enjoy my tea in a paper cup… but a great big fourth star for the following:
— friendly staff
— plenty of space with with the basement lounge area (although it was too musty smelling for my taste) complete with desk-​like seating
–power strips to plug your laptop in
— free wifi! yippee
— no time limit on seating and you can stay as long as you like with folksy hipster music on in the background
I definitely want to come back to check out the «Proper Chai» that is made the way your Indian momma would, allegedly. hm…

Love this place.
Delicious and creative tea concoctions, as well as great coffee, chai, and vegan cookies (try the pomegranate white tea cookie yum).
The basement is usually quiet and a good place to work/​read. I also like that its not air conditioned (I hate being cold). The best part: its CLEAN.
My only gripe is that the drinks are expensive. Expect to pay close to $ 5 for a drink (even an small iced tea, if you get one of the specials) and close to $ 3 for the same brand of cookies you can find elsewhere for $ 2. Iced drinks cost $.50 more for some reason. But I’d much rather pay $ 5 for delicious, quality chai than $ 2 bucks for shitty chai that I can barely finish at my other nabe café, Café Pick Me Up.

Went to study last Saturday afternoon due to all the great reviews from Unilocal.It was smaller than I expected, but I still found a table. The music was a bit on the loud side, but everyone was on their laptops or doing their own thing. so it was fairly quiet otherwise.
I didnt use the free internet, but my friend did. and it seemed to work fine.
The grilled cheese was eh, the turkey wrap was okay but $ 7!!!

The coffee was good but this place just wasn’t my cup o’ tea. I ventured in to catch my caffeine fix and some time to journal, but wasn’t comfortable enough to sit for a few hours like I would’ve wanted. The barista ignored me for a few minutes while she was doing some cleaning, then seemed irritated that I was only getting a cup of coffee. Everyone has their days, so I’ll just assume this was hers and forgive her.
The upstairs was full with laptop-​coffee-​campers, so I stumbled downstairs to sit in what I believe was Great Uncle Leonard’s basement. (Note: I do not have a Great Uncle Leonard, but all the furniture seemed aged and the environment seemed musty, as though it at one time belonged to someone’s Great Uncle Leonard… so I will now refer to this level of Gramstand as the GUL Basement). (Another Note: the upstairs and downstairs are entirely different atmospheres– so if you don’t like the clean-​n-​classy upstairs, perhaps you may enjoy the GUL).

PRO:
— clean
— free Internet
— great place to study
CON:
— the emo guy behind the counter was not friendly
— little on the pricey side

Gorilla Coffee and Think Coffee could really learn a thing or two from this place. The music was at the appropriate volume between awkward-​elevator-​level-​volumes and Gorilla/Think’s adrenaline-​pumping-​seemingly-​purposely-​getyouthehe­llout-​loud.
The music selection was relaxing (from Postal Service to Vampire Weekend to Frou Frou), and there’s plenty of seating downstairs. The iced coffee was pretty good and I had a bite of a chocolate pastry that wasn’t halfbad. Free wifi that is dependable (if a bit slow). The crowd is relaxed and everybody talks at a respectable level so you can still study. I’m not sure why people say this is a good place for groups because most of the places I saw couldn’t seat three or more people very comfortably.
Highly recommended. A coffee place that isn’t up in your face with insane volume (Gorilla) or hipster baristas (Think). Just a nice place where you can go, study, get free wifi, and a pretty good cup of iced coffee.

After needing a place to pick up some free Internet, I searched my handy dandy Unilocal App on my iPhone and this place came up with rave reviews. When I headed over, I must say I was pretty impressed. I chill crowd sipping on fruity and thirst quenching teas while using an endless supply of free Internet and listening to loungy and relaxed music. This place also had some great art up on the walls. Also, when I asked for a recommendation from the Batista, he went over a variety of teas with me to make sure I got something I really enjoyed, and he was spot on. The white lychee tea was kick-​ass!
Anyway, if you are looking for a good place to study or work in a casual and fun atmosphere, this is definitely the place to swing by.

Oooo I love this place! This is like the Espresso Royale of Boston. The atmosphere is very hip and down-wit’-it. My friend and I had the citrus berry tea and shared a pecan cake. Heaven! The top floor was completely silent. Every table was filled with people at their laptops! (Were they Unilocaling?) The basement is very very comfortable, it really feels like you are in someone’s living room. At first it was as awkwardly quiet as the top floor so my friend and I talked in hushed voices. Then another group came and we felt comfortable raising our voices. I can really see myself coming down here to work on my lesson planning while enjoying delicious tea and dessert =)
Oooh Free wi-​fi! No wonder! Ok yes I’m coming here!

My second home.
Recommendations:
When you’re sick: Dragon Honey Mint
When you’re thirsty: Hibiscus Pear, Iced
When you feel like being über healthy and suddenly antioxidants are very important to you: Kuchicha, super green
When you really need a strong caffeine buzz: Agito
When you want an aesthetically pleasing beverage to carry around with you on a hot day: Citrus Berry, Iced
Anytime drink, hot or iced: White tea (with lychee when you want it a bit sweeter)
The coffee = heaven. Black coffee drinkers will not be disappointed. When iced with milk and sugar it takes like ice cream.

I’m going to give this place a rare 5 stars because it provided me with everything I needed for this beautiful mid-​week day tragically spent indoors studying for law finals.
Citrus Berry tea was good. I’m more the coffee-​drinker but I heard this was good, and it was. Not amazing, but sweet enough to enhance the weird chemically taste of tea I usually don’t like so much.
Free WiFi is great. Without it, I’d have deserted my obligations and died of boredom about two hours ago. Oh, and they have tons of outlets available.
Love the cute comfy clean café feel. The girl barista in the morning was really nice and the boy barista who just walked in is super hot. Nice eye candy when your brain is tired from overexposure to useless information.
They also have a lounge downstairs, so plenty of space here. And generally really quiet with a chill mix of good music to enhance your focus.
FYI: They have coffee too.

It feels kind of stupid adding yet another 4 star review for this place. I am at Gramstand –right– now on their free Wi-​Fi. It is my first time here. I live about 10 blocks away, and lack of subway/​comfy walking shoes prevented me from ever visiting this place. But I was looking for a place where I could work on my laptop, and that wouldn’t be too crowded on a saturday evening.
I called Gramstand before walking over (I cannot count how many times I’ve walked over a mile with heavy books/​laptop looking for a place with any seating). The guy on the phone was really nice, and took the question as less stupid than I imagined it to be.
+Very nice staff.
+Lots of seating, and (so far) isn’t too crowded on a saturday night.
+Tons of outlets.
+Free Wi-​Fi
+Good food, coffee (I didn’t try the tea)
–Expensive coffee (2 $ for a small?)
–They are currently playing AWFUL music. I don’t know if they’re trying to be funny or something. (We built this city)
In conclusion. I recommend this place!

Chai made with cream? Tea with real fruit on the bottom? Luxurious, velvety vanilla tea chino? Yes, yes, yes! The significant length of time it takes to fix these drinks is so worth it. Don’t fuss, just sit back on a couch or chair and read, or color (they have crayons!)
The counter people/​baristas are laid back… maybe too laid back?
The chill vibe and eclectic music mix is exactly how I like to spend my lazy Sunday. And if you’re a student the free wi-​fi and relative quietness would be a plus for you.

What’s this orange substance at the bottom of my drink? REAL fruit in my tea! Not that powered or syrupy stuff you get at other places. I had the citrus berry iced tea and it was beyond amazing.
They have mastered the art of tea, steeping it perfectly with an egg timer. I guess I should head over to Barnes and Noble and pick up a copy of tea for dummies cause I usually just toss a tea bag and hot water in a mug.
The space is cozy with free WiFi. Space can be limited depending on the time of day and the weather outside. I just happen to stop by on a beautiful Spring day and I found a spot for 2 on the couch by the door.

As an avid tea drinker this place is great there are not many places near me that offer such a wide selection of teas and a comfy place to chill for a few hours. The free wifi is what puts this place at the top of my list.
The space could definitely use some renovations – but they’re currently entered in a contest to win 10,000 which they’d use to fix up the place a bit. Vote here if you’re a fan:
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I just wish they would stay open a bit later…

I was looking for a café with wireless so I could do some work (my apartment doesn’t have internet), and so I was pleasantly surprised when I found Gramstand was less than a block away from where I live.
First thing to notice on a cold day is the steaming window. You start to wonder what might be going on inside, but (perhaps to your disappointment) it’s just a lot of tea/​coffee making.
The simple oolong was pretty good, though not spectacular. The earl grey latte is quite heavy, but is very comforting on a cold night. The berry crush is awesome with it’s orange marmalade at the bottom and (if you get it iced) the block of frozen berry tea. Quite refreshing.
All teas seem to be available either hot or cold, which is always a great option. If you plan to stay, just remember it gets kinda hot in there when there’s a lot of people.
Service is great: the tea-​shakers are quite pleasant, if a little unorganized. But they always bring your drink to you once you’ve settled into a couch/​chair, and they don’t harass you if you’re cemented to said couch/​chair for hours, mooching off of their wireless (unless it’s closing time). Also, I kind of have a crush on the cute dirty-​blond guy that seems to always be there when I order something. Hopefully that isn’t influencing my review…

Came here for a writing date and totally fell in love. It has everything a laptop lugging freelance writer-​type loves: Free wifi, lots of plugs, plenty of seating/​table options, and decent drinks. yes, they’re a bit pricey, but where ISN’T the coffee and tea pricey in NYC these days? The food I had was decent as well.
Will definitely come back here for more writing, but I wish they were open longer on weekdays. I also have yet to scope out the weekend crowd and how crowd-​y they are.

This place is down the street from me and I think its pretty cool.
I like a drink place that when i walk in a get the feeling that its run by misfit inept college students with an aire of mishap and neglect. It reminds me of my youth and days of old.
The staff is really nice and the teas are sick, unusual blends with fruit concoctions that are made to order. and all the teas are mixed on site.
It’s always packed with the laptop crowd. but thats ok, i don’t need to stay. just take my overly hot tea to go.
I recommend the eucalyptus well and the earl grey and apple thing.

My best friend Nicole introduced me to this place. I wasn’t sure what to expect since I got a slightly «big, maybe a bit corporate» feel from the web site.
I was so pleasantly surprised when I walked in! Gramstand is the cutest little tea shop. Nicole and I went on the first snowfall of the winter, and the wonderful music paired with string lights & Christmas tree in the corner made it cozy. We both ordered vanilla velvet tea chinos and got a generous amount of delicious tea that tasted like clouds (?). The food was great too; they had one everything bagel left, which pretty much made my day. They didn’t put pounds of cream cheese on it either (like many other places do) — it was a very lovely and manageable amount.
The music kept fitting the weather and feel of everyone in there warming up and doing work /​reading /​writing. Van Morrison, Decemberists, Wilco, etc. I had a nice conversation with a European guy over our mobile phones (probably unrelated but it added to my pleasant Gramstand experience).
I mentioned to Nicole that it seemed like Gramstand should be somewhere like Portland and not New York… the girl behind the counter told me that one of them was from Portland and the rest were from Hawaii. cute.
I heard there is free WiFi too… I’ve had a hard time finding a great little place to read and do work in the East Village; I’ll definitely be returning multiple times.

I’d been dying to find a good coffee shop where I could do some reading for a long while now and I finally found one! Gramstand is a cute little tea/​coffee shop that offers free wi-​fi and has plenty of comfortable seating. I had a large, steaming cup of light white tea with lychee, very satisfying. Plus, you get to eat the lychee at the bottom after you finish drinking the tea!
The environment was great too, bright and warm. There were plenty of people working on their laptops, reading and catching up with friends. And you don’t have to worry about not finding a seat because they opened a lounge downstairs (although I prefer to sit upstarirs and see the sunlight).