6. Caffe Reggio (1927)
Every cappuccino served at Caffe Reggio is historic. It was here that the first Italian cappuccinos were served in the United States from a cappuccino machine built in 1902. The original owner, Domenico Parisi, used the life savings he earned from cutting hair to open the cafe in 1927. The original cappuccino machine is still on display in the cafe today along with art dating back to the Renaissance. The cafe is also in possession of an antique bench once belonging to the Medici family, a powerful Florentine dynasty of the Renaissance era.
Caffe Reggio claims that it is the most popular cafe in Greenwich Village. With its vibrant green exterior, Caffe Reggio is impossible to miss on MacDougal Street and in its several movie appearances including The Godfather II, The Next Man, Next Stop, Greenwich Village, and most recently, The Sun is Also a Star. In 1959, According to Village Preservation, Caffe Reggio was one of David Bowie’s favorite spots in Greenwich Village.
To learn more about New York City’s intimate history with coffee, take a tour through coffee’s birthplace in the city: Greenwich Village. In between sampling coffee at some of the retailers that popularized America’s favorite beverage, you will get a crash course in coffee history from its ancient discovery in Africa to its sustainable farming movements of the past few years.
