Sips for the School Day: Ranking Local Cafes and Drinks
- TBLS
- May 15
- 4 min read
By: Jennifer Geng, Class II, and Taliah Wasserman, Class II
KIJITORA East
★★★★★
309 Graham Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Hours: 8AM - 5PM
Walking Distance From TBLS: 6 minutes
Order: “Iced Strawberry Matcha Latte with Oat Milk”
With two locations in Williamsburg, Kijitora has gained mass popularity on social media for their hand-crafted beverages and Japanese-styled onigiris. This cafe has the most ideal atmosphere for a studying session, with both indoor and outdoor seating. The music and interior decorations combine to create a calming ambiance for customers.
We paid around $8 for an iced strawberry matcha latte with oat milk. Though the drink was pricier, the presentation was exquisite, with the green and pink colors artfully swirled together. The straws that we used were sustainable but didn’t deteriorate over time like other paper ones. We were both stunned upon our first taste: the flavor was so rich and had the perfect level of sweetness from the strawberry puree. It wasn’t harshly bitter like other matchas we’d tried in the past and this one had a velvety consistency, melting onto our tongues.
Kijitora has recently been attracting many TBLS students, who either go before school in the morning or during lunch in the afternoon. Emma Kitaygorodsky, a Class II discipuli, highly recommends Kijitora because “there is such a peaceful atmosphere. I go here to enjoy the wonderful food and drinks they have.”
Grand Deli & Grocery
★★★★☆
810 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11206
Hours: 5AM - 12 AM
Walking Distance From TBLS: 4 minutes
Order: “Regular Coffee with Cream, Sugar and Vanilla Flavoring”
Grand Deli and Grocery is known by discipuli as a place to buy snacks both savory and sweet. It is conveniently located right next to the Grand Street stop on the L train. However the deli also has much to offer to coffee lovers! You can pour and customize your own hot coffee in the back station with decaffeinated and caffeinated options, but you can also order iced coffee at the counter. Our order was a regular iced coffee with cream, sugar, and vanilla flavoring. The coffee had a light color and was on the sweeter side. It was very cheap, costing exactly $2 for the small size. If you are in a rush to get to school and need a cheap pick-me-up, this deli is a great option!
Win Son Bakery
★★★☆☆
164 Graham Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11206
Hours: 9AM - 9PM
Walking Distance From TBLS: 5 minutes
Order: “Iced Latte with Regular Milk”
Win Son Bakery is a Taiwanese-American cafe/bakery/restaurant, and another one of the hidden gems in our school’s neighborhood. The inside is more spacious than the other places we reviewed, as it contains a miniature bar, several seating areas, and a register/coffee station. We especially a
dored the layout and decoration of the inside, with several plant pots lining the windowsills and counters, as well as many overhead dangling light fixtures. Finding a table to settle down at was difficult because of the crowd; therefore, we resorted to the bar seating with no back support on the chairs. Although many customers were studying, we personally found the music and bustling activity to be overwhelming.
Their diverse menu spans from gāodiǎn (pastries) and egg sandwiches to xiǎochí (small bites). However, they have designated hours for breakfast and lunch items, which is inconvenient for third recitation out-lunch.
Our order was an iced latte with regular milk, which costs around a reasonable $5. If dining in, the drink is served in a glass cup, however, they serve plastic cups based upon a dining out request. The ice to latte ratio was extremely unbalanced, the color was particularly light due to an excessive amount of milk, and it tasted thin. Nevertheless, the drink was solid and not too sweet or bitter.
Alita Cafe
★★☆☆☆
797 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Hours: 7 AM–4 PM
Walking Distance From TBLS: 4 minutes
Order: “Iced Matcha with Oat Milk” and “Hot Chai Latte”
Alita is a small, vibrant coffee shop found right off of the Grand Street L train station. Known for its seasonal decorations and coffee sign outside the door, this shop offers a variety of freshly baked pastries such as biscuits, croissants, and banana bread alongside its coffee menu. The ambiance inside of the store is very welcoming and the decorations never fail to be festive. However there are limited seating options besides the long window ledge table with bar stool seats. The baristas are very friendly and are able to deliver orders quickly.
We ordered two different drinks from their drink menu. Both drinks, in the small size, cost $5.75 each, which isn’t overly expensive but was a little pricey for the amount given. The hot chai was served with cinnamon dusted on the top. This gave it a very seasonal taste and the drink was not served too hot. However, the tea tasted a little watery without enough of the chai flavor. The matcha was a good color, but a little more on the lighter side as there was a lot of milk. The taste was a little grainy and, again, a little watery. The drink was not overly sweet at all and is a good option if you prefer unsweetened matcha.
Overall, all of these spots are good options. We encourage discipuli to go out, explore the neighborhood, and help support local businesses!
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