
Black Cat LES
🇺🇸 New York CityAbout Black Cat LES
About
Nestled in the heart of the Lower East Side, Black Cat LES is a neighborhood-driven coffee and tea house that offers a cozy ambiance, with a staff of friendly and passionate baristas. It serves as an ideal setting for meetings and study groups. Unlike many other New York City cafes that have become commercialized, the Black Cat LES stays true to the traditional cafe concept. It boasts an extensive food and beverage menu, free Wi-Fi, a printer, comfy seating, vintage lounge furniture, and even an Airbnb kiosk. At night, the space transforms with free events such as open-mic nights, comedy shows, academic lectures, and themed movie nights. They even offer tutoring services. Aaron Ho, the owner and a criminology professor, believes in building community and connecting intellectuals. The cafe allows students, academics, and professionals to work outside their usual spaces. To spark discussions, Ho leaves his research manuscripts on shelves for customers to read and comment on. It's an inviting space for a perfect cup of coffee, a hearty breakfast, or a quiet study spot.
Food
No information about food for this cafe.
Coffee & Drinks
No information about coffee & drinks for this cafe.
Work and Laptop Friendly
Black Cat LES provides free Wi-Fi and a printer for its guests. With comfy seating and vintage lounge furniture, the café is well-equipped for work and study.
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Work related reviews
We have selected relevant reviews that we consider to be important information to determine if this cafe is work-friendly. Related keywords like "work" and "wifi" are highlighted to make it easier to find the information you need.
Super cozy place to get work done or read.
Beautiful and great place to work.
Cozy spot that would live up to its potential if the wifi actually worked. They don’t tell you when the wifi is not working. Everyone around me has been using hotspots instead. Defeats the purpose of having a work friendly cafe. It’s fine if you don’t need wifi to get your work done. It took almost an hour of me being here for the wifi to start working.
wifi is really bad… like doesn’t connect at all. Music is too loud if you want a good place to read or do work. Otherwise it has cool ambience and is definitely cozy on a rainy day.
wifi is garbage. They are aware it doesn’t work and seem uninterested in fixing it. Would be nice to know before sitting down to work there. Lesson learned.
The drip coffee is not good.
Otherwise it’s a cute cafe with free comedy shows daily.
The wifi has most websites blocked, couldn't get anything done
Black Cat LES has an inconspicuous storefront for a Lower East Side cafe. once through the door, the interior opens up into a surprisingly medium/large space. it’s well-maintained and clean. the vibe is very community living room with a variety of seating options. lots of laptop-pers & tablet-ers at work when here last. there’s wifi for those who need it. there are live events at night like music, readings, comedy, etc.
there’s a variety coffee & tea drinks on the menu as well as variety of simple savory eats like sandwiches, toasts, and bagels. got a large drip coffee to fight a chilly weekday off with hot caffeine and it did the job. strong coffee, nice caffeine kick. it was a huge cup of coffee and it warmed up and sped up my walk of endless errands in the neighborhood.
the staff is very chill and kind. cafes like this are becoming the rarity in NYC. cherish the neighborhood gems.
Lemonade was great. wifi does not work. Don’t go if you need to work or study
Rude staff, overpriced, bad wifi, and cramped
The staff is VERY rude and clearly unhappy at this job. No effort with customers. The man wearing glasses burst out and used the F words multiple times, yelling for no reason. The woman was just nonchalant and couldn’t care less of what she was doing. The coffee was cold ans the avo toast over priced !
Oh and the wifi does not work !
I've been going to this cafe for the past few weeks to do work on my laptop. I am basically their only black customer who's been going to the cafe consistently as far as I've seen. Every time I order food the first thing they ask me is "is it to go?" I've noticed that question is never asked to other customers. Today I tried to log into their wifi like I usually do and my laptop hasn't allowed me to do it. I keep getting a notification that says Failed to connect to network:bad password. I turned off my laptop and turned it back on to see if it just need a rest, the same issue. I even have the option to show my password on my laptop to ensure that I'm typing it in correctly. I decided to try logging onto the wifi network with my phone since I've never done it because I always use my laptop when I go there and use my data for my phone. I was instantly able to log on. I even asked the barista if they have reset/changed their password recently to which she said no. My guess is that I've been added to a direct blacklist that prevents my device from logging in. I've checked to make sure I've been using the correct password which is gato1234. I have been nothing but courteous and quiet when I go there. I have not been loud/disrespectful in anyway. I go there to do work in the corner by the window when it is available. I will not be going to the cafe again, congrats.
The best place to work with a laptop and enjoy a quiet environment and an excellent coffee.
Great cozy couches and coffee! Had a cappuccino and caprese toast both were yummy. Was good for doing work on my laptop
super cool vibes feels like a living room / old library. wifi password available if you purchase $5+. wine comes in a mason jar which is a nice touch. also there is a bathroom which is great
Coming from someone who often works from home, this place is a nice, quiet place to come do work during the week. Decent coffee and tea, free wifi, a community printer, and lots of table space for you to spread out on. That being said, service isn't the most friendly and sometimes is even a bit rude and abrupt. The other day, I saw a man and his wife storm out because the person working the counter was in the back room on their phone, even after the customers called for their attention. Overall, decent coffee, okay customer service, free wifi and an accessible printer. Wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but is a nice option when I'm in the area and need a place to stop by and get some work done.
Cute place! Great music good coffee!!! Great to do work!
Cute place to relax and work, however the wifi is horrible. You won’t be able to access to some websites that are heavy like Pinterests, design websites…
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