Café
Café Sabarsky
A Viennese-style café inside the Neue Galerie on Museum Mile, serving Austrian pastries, coffee and dishes amid period furnishings.
Caffè Reggio
A Greenwich Village café open since 1927 that claims to have introduced cappuccino to America, with an ornate 1902 espresso machine on display.
At a glance
- Type
- Historic Italian café
- Area
- Greenwich Village, New York, United States
- Price
- $ · Budget
- Official site
- caffereggio.com
Good to know
- Pavement seating
- Historic interior
- Renaissance art
- Pastries
Why we recommend it
Caffè Reggio has been serving coffee on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village since 1927, and its dim, crowded interior has absorbed almost a century of Village life, from generations of Village regulars to today's students and visitors. Dark wood, small tables and old paintings give it the feel of an old Italian café, and it is the kind of place where people linger over one cup for an hour.
The café says that its original owner, Domenico Parisi, was the first to serve cappuccino in the United States, and his espresso machine, built in 1902, still takes pride of place in the room as a decorative centrepiece. Look around the walls too: the café displays Renaissance-era works, including a sixteenth-century painting attributed to the school of Caravaggio, and an antique bench said to have belonged to the Medici family. Few coffee shops in New York can claim a collection like it.
The menu is classic Italian café fare. Order a cappuccino or espresso with a cannoli or tiramisu, the natural partners for coffee here, and check the menu on the café's website for lighter savoury options. Prices are modest for the location. Service is relaxed rather than quick, so this is a place to sit and watch the street, not to grab a coffee on the run.
A handful of pavement tables outside are among the best people-watching seats in the Village, as MacDougal Street fills with diners, comedy-club queues and late-night crowds. The café is popular in the evenings, when the room glows and the street outside gets busier, and it suits couples, solo travellers with a book and friends after dinner. Opening hours are not listed on the café's website, so phone ahead if you plan a visit early in the morning or late at night.
The address is 119 MacDougal Street, between West 3rd and Minetta Lane, two minutes' walk south of Washington Square Park. West 4th Street–Washington Square station, served by the A, C, E, B, D, F and M lines, is very close. Joe's Pizza on Carmine Street, the Comedy Cellar and the jazz clubs of the West Village are all a short stroll away.
Caffè Reggio FAQs
How old is Caffè Reggio?
It has been operating on MacDougal Street since 1927.
Did Caffè Reggio introduce cappuccino to America?
The café says its original owner, Domenico Parisi, was the first to serve cappuccino in the United States.
What is the famous espresso machine?
An espresso machine built in 1902, which is displayed in the café.
What art is on display?
Renaissance-era works, including a sixteenth-century painting from the school of Caravaggio, and an antique bench said to have belonged to the Medici family.
What should you order?
A cappuccino with a cannoli or tiramisu.
Is there outdoor seating?
Yes. A few tables on the pavement of MacDougal Street.
Which subway station is nearest?
West 4th Street–Washington Square, a few minutes' walk away.