It has taken a long time but at last you can find great coffee in New York City, writes Monica Glare, Sydney Morning Herald

East Village

"Abraco Espresso, 86 E. 7th Street This Melbourne-style hole-in-the-wall cafe has enjoyed good reviews since it opened in 2007. It is tiny and has no seating; instead, you lean on the bar or stand in the street. A cappuccino is made with a double shot but the barista will happily oblige and do a single shot. East Village, once the home of Irish and Eastern European migrants, now is the hub of the New York fringe culture scene, inhabited by artists, musicians and students."

Gramercy

"71 Irving Place Coffee & Tea Bar, 71 Irving Place This atmospheric cafe with its mood lighting and French bistro-style chairs has lots of 1850s Gramercy charm. The cafe caters to the American penchant for fancy drinks and coffee concoctions, with 15 different hot drinks in three different sizes. When the woman in front of me ordered an iced, soy, skim, caramel latte, my expectations for a good coffee were not terribly high. But the sampled cappuccino was actually a nice, mellow brew and went well with the freshest croissant from the Balthazar Bakery in SoHo. They serve great sandwiches, soups and waffles, too."

Alas, We did not make it to Abraco on our recent NYC sojourn, most certainly penciled in for the next trip, yet we can certainly attest to the fine caffeine extraction from the funky, tattooed baristi of Ninth Street Espresso, Alphabet City.
We were equally blessed to have 71 Irving Place Coffee & Tea Bar a five minute walk from our
Hotel, past the privately owned Gramercy Park, which we used religiously each morning to fuel the daily foot slog.