Tucked in a quiet, easy to miss, pocket of Alphabet City, The Roost, a cafe by morning, and a bar by night, offers locals a gourmet cup of coffee, and a nice place to work (remotely). Though it lacks that personal, homey feel that I love about the East Village.
It feels completely stripped of individuality, playing into the hipster trend of antique lightbulbs, indie/euro-hiphop music, leather arm chairs and exposed brick walls. Compared to the nearby B-Cup Cafe, a lovely neighborhood feeling cafe that feels welcoming and homey, The Roost feels commercial, and makes apparent the gentrification going on in the area. That aside, The Roost has some great things to offer, things that as someone who works remotely is looking for in an ideal workspace.
Checklist for ideal cafes to work from:
Wifi? Yes
Outlets? Yes
Ample seating? Yes.
The Roost is located at 222 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009, between 13th St. and 14th St..
The Roost Cafe serves their own blend of locally roasted coffee and espresso, while the Roost bar offers “16 always rotating local craft beers on draft as well as over 25 bottles and cans. The Roost sources some of the best and most rare craft beers on the market.”
There are two rooms. The front portion of The Roost is the cafe, which opens at 7AM. With an assortment of pastries and sandwiches, coffee grounds and espresso drinks, the cafe is a great little cafe. It packs in a good amount of seating.
There’s a middle room and a back bar, which opens at 4PM. Because the bar in the bar is open late night, the cafe stays open through the late evening, which makes it a unique spot to work at. Have you ever felt the urge (or need) to work out of a cafe at 9PM but find they’re all closed? Well, if you’re in the East Village/Alphabet City area, The Roost is here! The middle room, which feels like a hotel lounge, is a great spot to work in the late afternoon if you want to have a cocktail while you work. Though it does get a bit loud, as most bars are, but if you can work through that, it’s definitely a good spot.
The Roost also has regular Happy Hour specials as well as nightly specials off food and drinks!
Happy hour: $5 craft draft beers, $1 off select drafts, $6 well drinks, $7 wines
This unique blend of cafe/bar/lounge, makes The Roost one of my favorite spots to work from, meet friends at, and use as a spot to gather as a meeting spot for meet-ups.