This weekend I ventured to New York City. The inspiration for this article struck me as soon as I smelled the scent of the city. There was no particular reason why we went there, so we decided to try out some “Instagrammable cafés” that we found reviews of online. Here’s how it went.
Bean & Bean Coffee
A Saturday morning in a photogenic, New York family-owned, ethically-sourced coffee shop with recognition for rare and exceptional coffees? Yes, please! Out of the multiple branches they have in Manhattan, we went to the one on 8th Avenue. The menu had a variety of breakfast foods like toast, bagels, pastries, and an assortment of teas and coffees. Trying to live up to the ‘that-Instagram-girl’ lifestyle, we got ourselves chocolate croissants, avocado toast with poached egg, and, of course, a matcha tea latte.
The place itself was very photogenic. Like many other little cafés, bakeries, and dessert places in New York, Bean & Bean had a decorated place to sit outside. Although there was a contrast from the vibe inside the actual café and their outdoor seating — the former looking very neutral with a modern look and the latter so flowery and colorful with rattan chairs — both were great places to take super Instagrammable pictures.
I’ll let the pictures do the talking now.
Menu: Avocado toast with poached egg and matcha tea latte
Honestea
Ever seen those boba places where they package their own cans? Honestea was just that. The aesthetic was very bright and colorful in the shop, matching the bright and colorful drinks they had. They had a wide range of fruit drinks and proper tea mixes, and they offered all of them in really cute bottles, depending on the drink! Most tea places don’t offer a variety of drinks and only specialize in some. We made sure to test it by ordering drinks from different categories and all of them passed our taste test! Located in Chinatown, the place was not too spacious, but definitely picture worthy, especially with the wall of colored bottles right in front of the shop.
j
Menu: Chrysanthemum tea, Strawberry Yakult, Rose Tea with Boba and Strawberry Sago
Angelina bakery
Our last day’s breakfast ended at Angelina Bakery, located in Hell’s Kitchen. It wasn’t initially on our list, but after seeing all the pastries displayed by the window, we couldn’t help but go in. Croissants, bombolone, danishes, and cakes of what seemed like a million combinations lined the glass counters as we walked in. There wasn’t much of a choice in terms of the kinds of drinks, but the fruity teas were perfect for the warm weather that day. For this bakery, both the place and the food were super Instagrammable.
j
Menu: Fruity danish, Pistachio bombolone, Berry croissant, Strawberry croissant
The trip ended on a good note with all the good food we got to try. The trip and the cafés were worth more than a thousand pictures, and that is how you know it was a good one.
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!