8. Abraço, 86 E 7th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenue

Abraço has standing room for roughly six people, and no seating except for a wooden table and bench outside. It needs nothing more, because Abraço is a pilgrimage site for many local self-proclaimed coffee snobs, for people who search far and wide for coffee like they had during their semesters in Venice. These ex-ex-pats swear that the coffee has European strength and perfection–a fact also attested to by some exceptionally erotic Yelp reviews. The coffee also comes in European sizes. Abraço’s other draw (as if we needed a second one) is its amazing olive oil cakes, and the slew of other unique baked goods it sells on a rotating basis.

Read more about the East Village here. Get in touch with the author @laraelmayan.