The Elk

Every New Yorker strives to find their favorite neighborhood coffee shop. After Mojo closed down I was super bummed to lose mine, but The Elk turned out to be an even better rebound!

The Elk on Charles St

The Elk is a specialty coffee shop in one of West Village’s cutest and quietest streets. Although the latest trend in NYC is the booming of Australian coffee shops (flat whites and avo toasts are now local breakfast musts), The Elk, clearly has its founder’s Canadian influence, eh! The name suddenly makes sense! The wooden decor is inviting, warm and relaxed, and makes you feel like you’re in the Northwest. Unpretentious vibe but still hipster trendy.

Good selection of coffees, teas, pastries and healthy, organic and locally produced snacks. My favorites include the $8 Avocado toast (sunflower seeds are a great addition), the honey-whipped chevre toast ($10) and the yogurt bowl ($9). Gluten free options available as well.

Get there early for a barstool seat and order the Avocado Toast!

Avocado Toast – theelknyc.com

Limited seating, with a few barstools and small tables, but it rarely gets overly crowded. The Elk is semi-laptop friendly: wifi and outlets are available but laptops are only allowed on barstool seats. Come early to grab a barstool seat if you are looking to make a work-day out of it.

They also often have home and lifestyle items for sale.

Come for your daily coffee fix with your macbook, newspaper or friend. The Elk is great for morning people watching too:  if you are lucky you might spot some West Village celebrities with bed hair like I did! 🙂