Five Cozy Cafes to Visit in Brooklyn: Third Places

“A small café, that’s love.” -Mahmoud Darwin

There are few joys akin to finding the perfect little coffee shop or cafe. For me, a good cafe is a home away from home, able to function as what sociologist Ray Oldenburg referred to as a “Third Place.” The first place is your actual home, the second place is your place of work, and the third place is the space you go to when you are in neither of the first two. You go there to connect with your community, to socialize with friends or acquaintances, or to spend time alone in the presence of others.

As a writer and creative that prefers not to write at home, I’m always on the lookout for inviting, warm, or comforting third places where I can post up with a laptop or meet up with a friend. Here are some cafes I’ve recently visited, along with some insights on my experiences there.

1. SWEET SUNDAYS

   
   

   

   Photo from their Instagram: @sweetsundayscafe

I found Sweet Sundays because I was looking for somewhere to write one day after dropping my son off at daycare and I can’t recommend this place enough. Located in Flatbush on Beverley Road, this cafe and eatery is intimate with large windows that allow plenty of natural light in and the workers are attentive and friendly. There are vegan options, flatbreads, breakfast sandwiches, and sweet treats. They also have coffees, lattes, matcha, and creative refreshers. Try their red velvet muffins or their Butterfly Lemonade Refreshers. I’ve been here alone and with friends. On one visit, I sat down at the table near the window with two friends and we ordered various sweets for the table. The workers warmed them up for us and cut them so that we could easily share. The prices here are amazing and so are the vibes.

2. DAWN'S TIL DUSK

   
   

   

   Photo: https://dawnstildusk.com/our-story/

If you’re in Dumbo, I recommend Dawn’sTil Dusk. It’s casual but elegant and is definitely a good place to sit down and work for a couple of hours or meet up for a chat and a bite with a friend. When I go here, I get their lemon bars, their housemade focaccia warmed up with butter, or one of their breakfast sandwiches, which includes an egg frittata and more served on brioche.

3. WE ARE BROOKLYN CAFE

   
   

   

   Photo: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/we-are-brooklyn-brooklyn?select=CES8DCMWq9OM3wUAUwU-Zg

I came here with a friend and with my son in tow to get out of the house. We opened our laptops and didn’t get much done, but the space was comfortable and not crowded at all. The staff was accommodating and personable and the decor was vibrant, with brick walls on one side and colorful and youthful sticker wall on the opposite side. I ordered the avocado toast, which wasn’t bad, but it was heavy on the avocado and I had to take some of it off. 

4. MOKA & CO (Fort Greene)

   
   

   

   Photo: https://www.mokanco.com/locations/brooklyn-fort-greene

This one is a chain, but it came in handy when I was meeting up with my writing group and we needed a place to sit down together, talk, and workshop stories. Our goal on this day was to find somewhere that we could feel free to talk and make a bit of noise (though not too much). We pushed two tables together so that the four of us could sit and I ordered a caramel tres leches slice. The cake was okay but was a bit too expensive for my liking. There were a lot of different kinds of tres leches options and other desserts as well. The lighting in this cafe is warm and yellow and there are booths, tables and chairs, and outlets if you need to recharge. There are also street facing windows that allow a glimpse of the surrounding Fort Greene neighborhood. We stayed here for a few hours for our mini workshop.

5. LIP'S CAFE

   
   

   

   Photo: https://vanguard.blog.brooklyn.edu/2024/03/lips-cafe-bringing-art-and-community-to-little-caribbean/

This is a space where the around it community gathers. I came here with a friend and with my son and we could barely get a seat! We were going to leave but a worker convinced us to sit down in a little nook at the far end of the establishment and share space with two other patrons. We were squeezed in but we made do. If you’re looking for a cafe that serves Caribbean Cuisine, this is the spot. We both ordered their Bake and Saltfish, which came with a small side of plantains, served on a plate. It was delicious and I ate it all, though my friend was less enthusiastic about it because she avoids onions at all costs. I also ordered their sorrel, which was good too: dark and rich. The red lipsticked lip logo is present all over the cafe, along with coffee table books, and artwork centering black people on the walls.