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13 fall drinks from NYC coffee shops that aren’t Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Lee Walker Helland

Published Sep 29, 2023

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A picture of a drink in a cocktail glass with steam

Courtesy of Felix Roasting Company

Lee Walker Helland

Published Sep 29, 2023

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The Pumpkin Spice Latte — or “PSL,” as it’s called for short — was created by Starbucks and celebrates its 20th anniversary this fall. Thus we enter a third decade of polarization — some people love these limited-time beverages, while others hate the flavor and/or the basic attitude it stands for.

But why only pumpkin spice? Fall, perhaps more than any season, is full of strong aromas, and New York City’s coffee shops have bountiful options to make you feel like you're sipping leaf-peeping. Here are eight cool spots across the city offering creative, caffeinated drinks that taste like fall, but aren’t PSLs.

Rhythm Zero is serving up the Pear Brown Sugar Latte this fall.

Rhythm Zero

Part coffee shop, part community space, Greenpoint’s Rhythm Zero collaborates with locals to offer yoga sessions, art exhibitions, flower installations and social events in addition to creative coffee beverages in its carefully curated space. One fun drink on offer this fall:

Pear Brown Sugar Latte: Flavored with house-made brown sugar syrup, pear syrup, two shots of espresso, milk and a cinnamon garnish. ($7)

The Hickory Smoked S'mores Latte

Felix Roasting Company

With three locations in Manhattan — NoHo, NoMad, and SoHo — this café is as much about upscale interior design as it is about elevated coffee beverages. High-end furnishings, luxury finishes, original murals and bespoke tile floors accompany Felix’s homemade non-dairy milks, syrups and tonics. One autumnal beverage that sounds delightful:

Hickory Smoked S'mores Latte: Espresso comes together with graham cracker milk (steeped for 24 hours) and a vanilla marshmallow, both made in-house, then garnished with a dark chocolate and hazelnut rim. ($15)

At the Boogie Down Grind Cafe you can get a Golden Latte this season.

The Boogie Down Grind Cafe

Boogie Down Grind is a hip-hop themed café located in the South Bronx. It offers coffee, tea and alcoholic beverages in addition to art displays and public/private events. One of its special fall drinks:

Golden Latte: A concoction of Birch Coffee Espresso, any milk, turmeric, ginger and black pepper, and the option of adding a flavor such as vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, mocha or popcorn. (Yup!) ($4.00+ extra for add-ons)

White Spiced Butter Cookie Mocha

Roasting Plant

This Lower East Side spot roasts coffee beans in house in ongoing microbatches that are dispensed via a visible pneumatic tube system. Every cup of coffee or espresso is brewed to order in under a minute, meaning your drink is going to taste real fresh. Roasting Plant has two fun fall offerings, which you can enjoy hot or iced.

White Spiced Butter Cookie Mocha: featuring espresso, white chocolate sauce, speculoos syrup (that’s the flavor of a Biscoff cookie), steamed milk and optional whipped cream on top. ($7.25)

Autumn Maple Delight Cappuccino: Espresso, maple syrup and steamed milk. ($6.85)

Burly Coffee

This coffee shop brand has two locations in Bed-Stuy, one of which shares space with Better Read Than Dead bookstore in case you need a book to enjoy with your cup of joe.

Burly’s owner makes his own maple syrup in upstate New York, then transports it via sailboat and bicycle from Hudson to Bed-Stuy, where it lends the beverages a unique sweetness. For your fall aromatic needs:

Maple Latte: Viking Maple (the owner’s label), espresso, and oat milk — but there is cow milk on hand for when Brooklynites’ parents visit, wink. ($6.75)

Hot Chili Maple: A secret menu item (you heard it here first!) that’s a partnership between Viking and Poor Devil Pepper Co. hot sauce. Ask for this spicy-sweet syrup to be added to an oat latte or the Point Break, a frozen oat milk + cold brew slushie. ($6.50)

At the Daily Press in Ocean Hill you can get a Honey Cinnamon Latte to lift your energy.

Kaitlyn Handel

Daily Press

This beloved spot in Ocean Hill is a café by day and a bar by night, and offers a menu inspired by the neighborhood's diverse heritage. Daily Press also hosts local artists, musicians, book club and craft/textile makers, along with what looks like a spirited chess scene. Here's the fall drink lineup:

Honey Cinnamon Latte: Espresso, clover honey, cinnamon and your choice of milk to lift your energy (and probably your spirits, too). ($7)

Ferrero Latte: Whatever milk you want combined with espresso, chocolate and hazelnut — don’t tell my kids. ($7)

Nog Fog: A super unique combo of eggnog tea (white tea infused with clover, cardamom, nutmeg and oolong) along with milk and cinnamon. ($6)

Wake up this fall with a Fresh Butterscotch Cream Latte from Kunst Coffee Haus in Bayside.

Jean J. Kim

Kunst Coffee Haus

Kunst Coffee Haus, a modern cafe in Bayside that's jam-packed with plants, has been getting lots of TikTok buzz for its weekend-brunch worthy ambiance, drinks, toasts and crepes. With dozens of options on its specialty-beverage menu, the spot has caffeine for any season and mood, including your current autumn vibe:

Fresh Butterscotch Cream Latte: They make their own butterscotch syrup and butterscotch cream to pair with espresso and your choice of milk for flavors that remind me of hanging with my grandma on a chilly day. ($6.95)

Urban Backyard

Urban Backyard is an earthy, sunlit oasis on an adorable block in SoHo that serves up custom cakes and cupcakes with succulent-inspired icing designs. Fall beverage specials:

Rose Cardamom Latte: A double shot of espresso pairs with homemade rose cardamom tea syrup, cardamom spice and your choice of milk. ($6.75)

Autumn Spice Latte: Two shots of espresso, cinnamon, oat milk, and maple spice hazelnut syrup. ($7)

We'd love to hear from you! Is there a coffee shop or a drink we didn't mention? Let us know in the comments.

Tagged

food

new york city

Lee Walker Helland

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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