Abraço
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Visually, this place is ooey gooey. Yes, I mean that this cafe is like interior design’s response to one of those mega cookies being pulled apart on an Instagram reel. It’s enticing, you want it in your life, and—as simply a matter of circumstance—it’s not for everyone. Trying to pinpoint exactly what triggers this association in my head is tricky. The two sets of neon, the “abraco,” a blood orange crown of light the main counter, or the blue “abracolina,” electrifying a dim corner, into which someone nestle in a cerulean bench, definitely anoint this place with flavor. Yet, it’s more. These pops of color pale in comparison to the two conducting barista characters. The one on the San Marco espresso machine is straight out of a Nickelodeon cartoon, while the presence on the register is a total recall of Dita von Teese with glasses (or maybe a tussled Linda Belcher). The side-by-side espresso machines—the second a FAEMA E61 that blisters under the formerly mentioned neon statement—that grace the elegantly simple bar make what they’re about clear. But again, it’s ooey gooey, it’s got flavor in all directions.
“Peppermint tea.”
“Peppermint tea!” These baristas had to take turns calling out this abandoned order. Those under the disco ball and dripping fish bowl pendants in the back didn’t even bob their heads. The conversations beyond the portaled wall didn’t stall for even a second. Somehow, the cafe sidesteps the trap of being all mood lighting and no mood. And, its final success is the pull-apart: its stretch from 7th Street, down the brick steps, through the flung open French doors, following the counter’s curvature to the enlarged photo of a 1970 Stooges performance plastered with the word “FAMILY.,” and then directly into the kitchen (not cloaked in “the back,” but rather only slightly separated by two sides of decorative wooden partition). In other words, if you’re New York enough, you’ll know when to peel off from your stride, an unnatural yet completely intentional fall.
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Drink: Cortado
I’ll be frank, the first sip taste wasn’t good. It had that leftover grinds sediment slightly in texture and taste. Maybe the portafilter needed an extra dab or a quick rinse before being loaded with espresso. While the initial flavor was less than idea, it surprisingly got sweeter and better with each sip. The final presence in each sip gives Chardonnay; I can’t tell you why. In the ways that it is sweet yet dry, and how you can almost grab on to a juiciness of a fruit that once was. They don’t have any alternative milks, so you fully avoid what I’ve coined “Milks Anxiety.” In addition, I got a chance to speak to the barista who gave me the rundown on their beans. For espresso, they use a Brazilian coffee called fica (available in store). They roast their own beans. I Googled in later—I can be a bit too curious—and fica looks to mean “he is,” “stay,” or “be” in Portuguese.
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Price: Cortado=$4.25
Hours*: Monday {CLOSED}; Tuesday–Saturday {8–18}; Sunday {9–18}
*Google: Monday {CLOSED}; Tuesday–Thursday {8–18}; Friday–Saturday {8–18}; Sunday {9–15}