Reserve Roastery ☕ New York, NY 🗽

I hesitated to write this post. Hero Traveler’s founder (and my boss) Joe probably wouldn’t have encouraged me to blog about a Starbucks. Covering a multi-national chain of any type certainly doesn’t align with Hero Traveler’s mission of making the world better through travel. But, sorry Joe -- I just couldn’t resist.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery is located at the corner of 9th Avenue and 15th Street

Located at the corner of 9th avenue and west 15th street in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, Starbucks Reserve Roastery is a site to be seen. Before entering through the massive wooden double doors, do yourself a favor and forget everything that you thought you knew about coffee……or at least about Starbucks.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery is an immersive 3-story space that invites visitors to explore the art of the coffee experience. Now, if you’re like me, you probably don’t think of your morning cup of coffee as an artistic expression of any sort, but you don’t need to be a coffee aficionado to appreciate your visit to this gem.

The first thing that struck me was the immense amount of space and the ample seating. If you’ve never visited NYC, it’s worth noting that we don’t have the same type of ‘café culture’ that one might expect to find in older, more European cities. Unfortunately, you’re more likely to find a bank, a drugstore, or a cell phone store on our street corners than a chic café. Starbucks Reserve Roastery is a welcome exception to the oppressive rule of soaring commercial real estate prices that have made it almost impossible for a New Yorker to sit down and enjoy a coffee on a leisurely Saturday morning, as I did. The friendly, smiling staff was also an exception to the oft-poor level of service that a New Yorker comes to expect.

The menu includes Starbuck’s normal coffee fare alongside a handful of ‘Featured Coffee Creations,’ and even a number of drinks that are topped off with locally made ice cream. I enjoyed the Nitro Molé Mocha; it’s a chilled drink served in a pint glass that combines espresso, dark chocolate mocha, and bitter chocolate mist with notes of chili and vanilla, shaken with almond milk and then topped with nitrogen-infused cold brew. The drink, along with the brioche crema pastry, were a $16 indulgence that I certainly wouldn’t spring for every day, but served as a refreshing change from my normal routine of day-old Maxwell House.

The Nitro Mole Mocha with a decadent brioche crema pastry.

Visitors will appreciate the thoughtful (and Instagrammable) décor, which leverages a mix of sharp angles and mid-century curves with walnut furniture, an undulating ceiling with distinct pops of orange, and splashes of shiny, industrial copper that’s not just for show – it’s working machinery.

A New York-inspired design

Freshly roasted coffee beans make their way through an elaborate system of tubes into the serving area.

The 10-foot tall Siren sculpture was created by Brooklyn artist Max Steiner.

As I visited on a Saturday morning, I didn’t get to take advantage of the impressive Arriviamo – a full-service bar that boasts 16 signature cocktails created by mixologist Julia Momose. The cocktails include an inventive combination of rare coffees and teas with standard spirits, enjoyed in a stylish balcony perched above the main floor. If you visit the Reserve Roastery in the evening and have a chance to sample this intriguing cocktail menu, please do not hesitate to write about it.