Cafe Colmado

E’perate, tú no ha ido a Café Colmado?! Wait, you haven’t gone to Cafe Colmado?! Well, what are you waiting for?! 3 chancletazos! (I’ll let you google that translation. lol.) Just minutes away from my workplace, I was transported to my childhood with the attention to detail in this coffee shop’s decor. It was lively with good music and just an overall high vibe. I enjoyed a matcha latte but when I ordered the steak sandwich to go the kitchen was closed. Carla, the manager was very sweet giving me the bad news and offering alternatives. That just means one thing, I have to go back soon! Nos vemos prontito :) Muchas bendiciones, Aracelis Burgos.

The upbeat coffee hang living room of LES with a Puerto Rican x Dominican flair. The brightly branded space features art resembling the casitas of Puerto Rico, beach culture of the Caribbean, and Latin music (regatón, salsa). There’s a mini casita replica, sandals on the wall, a dominos table, and seating right from mama’s living room. They offer 2 drip coffees, both Latin American blends. Drip coffee 1 (Barrio Blend): Great. It’s approachable and high quality. Full-bodied, balanced drip coffee with a chocolately base, a bit of nuttiness and baking spice. I downed this coffee. Tasty! Drip coffee 2 (Cafe De Olla). Featuring cinnamon and raw cane sugar…abuelita (grandma) style! It’s a bit sweet, and a nice pick-me up. Overall, Café Colmado is a nice cultural escape meets everyday NYC coffee spot influenced by the Latin community. Friendly baristas. Free photobooth looks fun too! Excited to check out the back patio when it reopens in the spring. Muchas gracias, y nos vemos pronto! Drip coffee score: 4.5/5. Everything else score: 4.5/5. Overall score: 4.5/5.

Fantastic spot. Vibes are fantastic, great music, and the barristas are wonderful. The cold brew is so smooth and delicious - with or without milk. Highly recommend the coquito latte for creamy sweet treat. Love this spot!

I got the coquito latte and it is way too sweet. I loved the vibe and the decor, but I wish I could taste the coffee flavor. It’s just too sweet for me to drink; I feel like I’m drinking syrup. The service was great. I really wished I liked this place, it’s been on my want to go for a while. Also a drink is $13 and it wasn’t even filled although I did ask for less ice.

I arrived at 9:12 and the gates were still down, but door was open. They’re supposed to open at 9. The person inside advised me that they are running 10 minutes behind. At this point they were 20-30 minutes behind on the time they’re schedule to open. Inside, it seemed like some employees were preparing for a catering event. Stuff everywhere. Turns out the barista was the one running late. We ordered two drinks. She was missing whipped cream for one of the drinks, so we waited a few minutes for someone to bring a can. I tasted my drink after we left. She confused which drink was which. She put whipped cream on the cafe con leche that was meant for the coquito latte. She confused the drinks and that threw us off when we tasted. My friend was not expecting to sip a sweet drink. Our encounter was just very disorganized and lacked care. Plus the drinks are super pricey. I can’t justify the coquito latte being $13 especially when the service isn’t even good. I’m so disappointed. I had been looking forward to visiting Cafe Colmado since they opened. It’s a beautiful establishment. I love supporting Puerto Rican businesses. It just seems like they cater more to the influencers and social media rather than the locals.