SpaHa Café El Barrio

I stopped in this little place after finding nothing else to capture my appetite for lunch this afternoon. I wasn’t expecting much but I wanted to sit, relax and have just a simple lunch. I ordered the pesto chicken half sandwich and it was tasty. Tastier than I’ve had at fancier places. The staff was friendly. I will definitely keep this spot in mind when I want a quick bite in east Harlem and I’m not in the mood for Spanish or Mexican food.

FYI, looks like they are gone for good. Been closed for about a month or so now. Really a shame. I really liked the products here, but I often regretfully had to walk out because the counter service was so slow.

So it’s summer and they seem to be closed, but have no signage or other indicator of what’s going on. I think this happened last summer too. Frustrating.
Would get my iced coffee from here if I could, as an iced coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts costs about the same for me (I need two shots of espresso for their iced latte to taste strong enough for me, which drives up the price). Have been making my own but would be happy to find a non-​chain place near the 116^th stop to get an iced espresso drink. Will start trying each diner around and maybe I can find one. Sorry SpaHa. I’ll meet my caffeine needs elsewhere from now on.

Good Food! Vegan baked goods. Quinoa always on the menu. The only reason its not 5 stars is that the music is consistently too loud, but then again I was trying to work from there so I’m biased :-/

This is truly one of the most overpriced cafes I have ever seen. There are now some establishments around Harlem that think because they are «cute and chic,» that they ought to charge prices such as this. A salad for $ 1.00 per topping and then only one type of dressing? Not the frendliest people in the world, I will not return.

4 stars for the carrot soufflé. The crust was really yummy, but a bit mushy all around. The entire menu is decently priced with half portions for most orders.

Hours aren’t right. Attempted to go today (Fri) Ah 715.

over priced for not that great of coffee… next time i will go to dunkin donuts around the corner

SpaHa has been a hit or miss for me. I appreciate the convenience of it next to the 116^th 6 train, and the option of even having a coffee shop/​bakery in this neighborhood that’s not a Dunkin Donuts. However, I’ve gotten really watered down and lukewarm coffee here, made even more disappointing since they enticingly advertised «$ 1 organic coffee all sizes» on the sidewalk. During the summer, they have iced chai lattes which are decent and refreshing.
Wouldn’t go out of my way to visit this café but it’s nice to have in the neighborhood for a quick coffee or snack coming in or out of the metro station.

I stopped in here closer to when it opened and I wasn’t really impressed with the menu. However, I stopped in recently and the menu had really expanded and now includes lots of vegan options. This made me happy, but I was disappointed to find out that many of the vegan options on the board weren’t actually being served yet. I hope they will soon fill out the menu, but I understand that may take some time.

Not a bad little café to pick up a hot coffee drink or snack. Right near 116^th street subway stop. Dropped in last night for a cappuccino before heading over to Costco. In an area devoid of coffee nooks like this it’s a nice find.
Not much seating with a few tables and chairs, and a scruffy kind of décor, but it looks fairly clean. Lots of snacks to choose from along with gluten free and vegan options. Full menu of hot and cold drinks. Breakfast and lunch served here with vegan and healthy choices too. Same for dinner and dessert choices. Seems like they pack a lot into this small shop.
College students also get 10% off. Free wifi too!

SpaHa has tasty healthy sandwiches. However, if you order a sandwich that needs to be cooked, like an egg and cheese sandwich, you will be stuck with getting it from the display. I mean they are still tasty but I have been spoiled and expect my eggs to be cooked when I order them. If you order something else that needs to be cooked and it is not in the display, you are out of luck.
The reason I still like this place is because, like I said before, the food is tasty. Their bread pudding is so delicious! I would also recommend their chicken curry sandwich.

Definitely the worst iced coffee I’ve ever had.
Decoration is a hot mess and not in a «this is cool» hot mess but instead a WTF hot mess.
Tsk, tsk.
The iced coffee isn’t worth it’s $ 2.15 price AT ALL but I do give them one star for having packets of Truvia available so I didn’t have to use one of mine (because of course I carry some around in my purse).
This place? Not worth a visit. Shame too considering this neighborhood’s lack of cafes… but then again, I guess that’s a good thing.

FINALLY… a neighborhood café that delivers through seamless that is FAST, and has healthy vegan food choices!
I ordered the vegan sandwich, with a fresh salad, and a berry smoothie. I indulge on ordering take-​out from this place three times a week, as the prices are in expensive considering the quality of food. I recommend this place to anyone that craves healthy, and in expensive neighbor hood food. Expect more orders from me!

Cute little place, just what the neighborhood needs. It’s small but cozy, the oatmeal was filling, the croissant with nuttela was delicious, and the staff was very friendly. However, they had some hiccups that may be due to it being early and the place not 100% ready but this little café has a lot of potential.

I come here when I want an espresso coffee drink as there are no other options that I know of in my neighborhood. That said, I resist coming here and try to make it as seldom as possible.
I don’t have a problem with the pricey issue that a lot of other Unilocalers mention because I don’t think it is pricey. Not for the neighborhood and not for the type of fare they serve (ie espresso drinks and decent artisan-​style baked goods and foods).
What I do have an issue with is the service. First of all, I never felt welcome by either the owner or the employees (and I used to come quite frequently when I first moved here). And on top of that most of the time I feel like I’m some kind of burden for them.
Example 1 — When I ask for a coffee dark with cream it looks like liquefied Gwyneth Paltrow. «Um, can I have this a little darker, please.» First of all, to different degrees every coffee shop knows what dark (or light) means, and even if your dark doesn’t correspond with their dark they’d be happy to readjust it for you by spilling a bit off and either adding more coffee or cream to the cup. Here, I get (yeah, this happened a couple of times) a scowl and she spills the whole cup out and starts again. K, I was born in NY so I can handle gruffness, incompetence though? Nah. The coffee comes the second time only a smidge darker then the first. I don’t press the case.
Example 2 — The iced coffees here reach the desired level of iciness when practically all the ice they’ve put in the cup is melted. Ask for more ice? See example 1.
Again, I come here when I absolutely need an espresso drink and don’t want to leave the neighborhood. But, geez, guys. Please just be friendly to your customers. You’re customers are not trying to get one over on you or take advantage (well I’m not at least). Try not to treat me as an adversary.

This place is awesome. Free WiFi, outlets everywhere, steady supply of caffeine, and even the meat-​filled wraps which are close to what I prefer to live off of.
One downside: I can only get to them on vacation. I go to work before or right around the time they open, and don’t get back until long after they close. If not for that, they’d have 5 stars easily.

SpaHa Café continues to impress.
I don’t go here that often. I always want to, but it’s a bit pricey. Especially for a place that I could very well go to in my pajamas without anyone (save the barista) seeing me. (I live above the place.)
The other day it was rainy, and I woke up with a killer craving for bacon. Needless to say, I caved and bought one of those $ 5 breakfast sandwiches that always hit the spot. Unfortunately, they had just sold the last one that was prepared, and due to them not having a real stove, just a tiny hot plate, it was going to take another 15 minutes to make my sandwich. I clearly had nowhere to be, so I sat and drank a decaf Americano while I waited. The freckle-​faced barista was wonderfully friendly, but not overly chatty. I had never noticed the mosaic artwork on the wall, but sitting and waiting gave me a chance to admire it. If I didn’t want to eat my breakfast sandwich while sprawled out on my couch in my pajamas, I would certainly stay there for a while.
Since my last review they’ve really expanded the menu! Many thumbs up!

Yes, I finally stopped into SpaHa Café after walking right by it twice a day, every day, for six whole months.
The barista was a sweetheart! I’ve come to expect a certain amount of grumpiness from service professionals in NYC, but not here! Maybe she was glad the breakfast rush was over, or maybe she’s just that nice of a gal, who knows?
All I know is my large Chai Soy latte was delicious ($ 3.50) and even better was my turkey sausage, egg and muenster cheese on whole wheat bagel ($ 4.50). The only complaint I can make was that there was only one (!?) piece of turkey bacon on the sandwich. Kinda skimpy if you ask me, but it was so good overall that I can’t hold it too much against them.
My meal ended up being $ 9 and change, which is a bit pricey for an everyday breakfast, but I’m sure the mood will strike me again soon and I’ll be back!

Excellent coffee and espresso drinks (they use Lavazza beans which explain the high quality). Yummy croissants (sourced from Balthazar’s). Good sandwiches and daily specials. Oh, and free WiFi!
Best of all they have a doggie window so after the dog park I can walk by Café SpaHa to pick up breakfast. And my dog Hershey gets a treat from the lovely owner Tika.
What a great addition to El Barrio!