Starbucks

Conveniently located right next to the Hilton and across from Penn Station. This is a full service Starbucks (not a hotel version) and is independent of the hotel. Full menu including baked goods and a small selection of cups, including the you are here collection and coffee to make at home (or your away from home location). Staff is pleasant.

I usually try to stop here at least weekly as a first stop before hitting the nearby Prudential Center for Devils hockey. Right now, I’m trying the Latte Macchiato. It’s sort of flat white-​ish. I’m a fan. It’s not a mind blowing beverage, but it’s good.
As for the spot itself, well it’s Starbucks. It’s really clean and has a great location inside the Gateway next to the Hilton. Perfect to warm up prior to the game across the street!

I’ve been to a good number of Starbucks, and I have a favorite drink: green tea latte, light ice, sweetened. Every Starbucks I’ve been to has been able to make this drink, but few make it to perfection — and by that, I mean with minimal green tea powder floating to the bottom creating an undrinkable layer that I choke on if I’m not paying attention.
I’ve been to this Starbucks around roughly 10 times (it’s conveniently located next to the Hilton Penn Station), and each time, my drink has been made to perfection. No bubbles of green tea powder, and that to me makes it perfect.
Couple this with the more-​than-​pleasant employees who greet me with a friendly smile regardless of the time of day and have come to remember both my name and my drink order, and I could not be happier.

Newark is basically an alternate universe where there is only a single Starbucks but there are Dunkin’ Donuts on every single block. This particular Starbucks has added mythical qualities because it is literally impossible to find. «It’s on Raymond Blvd!!!» Unilocal proudly exclaims. What it doesn’t explain is that there is no street-​facing storefront (or sign for that matter). The most direct way to get there (apparently) is through a Hilton Hotel whose door warns ominously «Guest Entrance Only.»
In my un-​caffeinated stupor, I forged on and my journey took me through the belly of the beast, aka Newark Penn Station. Newark Penn Station would be a great place to film a movie set in post-​apocalyptic America. I climbed upstairs where a pedestrian bridge took me through Prudential’s downtown fortress aptly named «Gateway.» There, nestled among an unassuming row of unfamiliar establishments, was my prize.
I decided to try coconut milk for the first time — it was whatever — but the satisfaction of success and the afternoon caffeine rush was sweet enough.
Now all I had to do was find my way out.

I love Starbucks, and I go to this specific location almost every day. The atmosphere here is pleasant, and it is not as crowded as the stores in NYC; so you can always find somewhere to sit and enjoy your coffee.
All the baristas here are great, including my all time favorite — Paola.
The only drawback to this location is that they are a licensed retail, not a regular SB store, which means that they will not be able to redeem your rewards, but you can still pay with your SB card and get stars for every visit.
My only suggestion to management is that they implement the SB app scanner to stream the line at morning/​lunch rush, as it takes too long to key in the numbers from the SB app. If that were to happen, they’d deserve 5 stars for sure!