01
We buy from people we know
Our beans come from a roaster in Red Hook, our bagels from a family bakery in Greenpoint, and our produce from the greenmarket four blocks south. Short supply chains make better food and keep the money in the city.
About us
More than coffee
A neighborhood coffee shop and kitchen on West 44th, open from 7 AM and built for staying a while.
100+
Menu items
13h
Open every day
2016
Serving Midtown since
4.8
Average guest rating
About us
More than coffee
A neighborhood coffee shop and kitchen on West 44th, open from 7 AM and built for staying a while.
100+
Menu items
13h
Open every day
2016
Serving Midtown since
4.8
Average guest rating
Our story
It started with one espresso machine
It started with one espresso machine
Common Grounds opened in 2016 in a narrow storefront on West 44th with a short menu, a second-hand grinder and a stubborn belief that Midtown deserved better than a paper cup of scorched drip.
The first week we sold three hundred cups, mostly to people on their way to Grand Central. What kept us open was the ones who came back on a Saturday, when they had nowhere to be.
We added breakfast because guests were staying through the morning, and bowls because they were staying through lunch. The kitchen has been running open to close ever since.
Our story
It started with one espresso machine
Common Grounds opened in 2016 in a narrow storefront on West 44th with a short menu, a second-hand grinder and a stubborn belief that Midtown deserved better than a paper cup of scorched drip.
The first week we sold three hundred cups, mostly to people on their way to Grand Central. What kept us open was the ones who came back on a Saturday, when they had nowhere to be.
We added breakfast because guests were staying through the morning, and bowls because they were staying through lunch. The kitchen has been running open to close ever since.
Our kitchen
Everything comes out of one small kitchen
Everything comes out of one small kitchen
Pastries are laminated the night before and baked at five. Bowls are built to order. Our syrups are cooked in house — the lavender is steeped with real wildflower honey, and the brown sugar takes forty minutes on the stove.
It is slower than the alternative, and it is the entire reason the menu tastes the way it does.
Our kitchen
Everything comes out of one small kitchen
Pastries are laminated the night before and baked at five. Bowls are built to order. Our syrups are cooked in house — the lavender is steeped with real wildflower honey, and the brown sugar takes forty minutes on the stove.
It is slower than the alternative, and it is the entire reason the menu tastes the way it does.
Come see the room
for yourself
Come see the room
for yourself
Come see the room
for yourself
What we stand for
Three things we will not compromise on, however long the line gets.
02
Everything is made to order
No shot sits on the drip tray. No sandwich waits under a lamp. Pastries come out of our own oven each morning and the ones that do not sell go to a shelter on 51st, not the trash.
03
Common ground is the point
We named the place for what a good coffee shop actually does: put very different people at adjacent tables and make that feel normal. Stay as long as you like.
What we stand for
Three things we will not compromise on, however long the line gets.
01
We buy from people we know
Our beans come from a roaster in Red Hook, our bagels from a family bakery in Greenpoint, and our produce from the greenmarket four blocks south. Short supply chains make better food and keep the money in the city.
02
Everything is made to order
No shot sits on the drip tray. No sandwich waits under a lamp. Pastries come out of our own oven each morning and the ones that do not sell go to a shelter on 51st, not the trash.
03
Common ground is the point
We named the place for what a good coffee shop actually does: put very different people at adjacent tables and make that feel normal. Stay as long as you like.
Good to know
The things people ask us most, answered before you have to.
Yes — mobile orders go straight to the second bar station and are usually ready in four or five minutes. During the 8 to 9:30 rush, give it a little longer.
We do. Oat, almond and soy are always available at no extra charge, most bowls and toasts are vegan or can be made vegan, and we keep gluten-free bread and a dedicated toaster behind the bar.
Fast free Wi-Fi, an outlet at every seat, and a twelve-person communal table. Mornings after 10 and mid-afternoons are the quietest if you are settling in for a while.
We do breakfast spreads, coffee travelers and sandwich platters for offices in the neighborhood. Give us 24 hours notice and we will have it at your lobby desk.
We do not take reservations for regular service, but the communal table can be reserved for groups of six or more outside peak hours. Email us with the date and headcount.
Good to know
The things people ask us most, answered before you have to.
Yes — mobile orders go straight to the second bar station and are usually ready in four or five minutes. During the 8 to 9:30 rush, give it a little longer.
We do. Oat, almond and soy are always available at no extra charge, most bowls and toasts are vegan or can be made vegan, and we keep gluten-free bread and a dedicated toaster behind the bar.
Fast free Wi-Fi, an outlet at every seat, and a twelve-person communal table. Mornings after 10 and mid-afternoons are the quietest if you are settling in for a while.
We do breakfast spreads, coffee travelers and sandwich platters for offices in the neighborhood. Give us 24 hours notice and we will have it at your lobby desk.
We do not take reservations for regular service, but the communal table can be reserved for groups of six or more outside peak hours. Email us with the date and headcount.