Four & Twenty Blackbirds Cafe
“All libraries should take note: it makes a lot of sense to have a great cafe inside your building.”
“I had a medium cup of Stumptown coffee and a cheese scone.”
“Everything we tried was delicious, but I highly recommend the chamomile muffin.”
Four & Twenty Blackbirds Cafe
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Working: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Inexpensive
8 reviews
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5 stars because
A) This is a PIE CAFE
B) IN A LIBRARY – a PUBLIC library!
This is Brooklyn, so go figure. Savory and sweet pies, hand pies, biscuits, and sandwiches along with an extensive drink menu. Buttttt the guy at the counter is not the friendliest :/
There's PIE inside the library?!? Dang, that's fan-say!
And not just any pie place, Four & Twenty Blackbirds. And its a Cafe?!? Be still my heart..
My son & I wanted a quick snack so we waited on a short line. I see there are lunch items offered like salads and prepackaged noodles.
Lets start with dessert first!
We ordered two caramel-apple pie slices, topped with heavenly whipped cream.
Mmmm mm, they were spot on! Nice tasty apples with a crust that was just on point.
Coffee? You betcha. They're brewing espressos and ice coffees like a pro! Great coffee spot as well.
We also ordered a quick salad that we split between us. Nice salad, nothing to jump up and down about.
If you're looking for a quick lunch or kawfee and pie after the museum or studying at the library, Four & Twenty Blackbirds Cafe has you covered.
In a library??!! Am I in heaven? Apple cider spritzer ? Pie. with cream??? I may come heRe just to eat. Did I mention this is in a library.
All libraries should take note: it makes a lot of sense to have a great cafe inside your building. Great food, good prices, super friendly server. What's not to love?
Tried so far:
Stumptown cafe au lait (12 oz): $2.50
Regular small coffee: $1.50 (so cheap!)
HUGE fresh out of the oven sugar & cinnamon (and chocolate almond, lemon poppyseed, chocolate/sunflower seed/raisin) muffin: $3
They do have a minimum for credit cards: $8
They also have lots of lunch options making it a convenient spot to work all day long. Two big thumbs up.
I'm a HUGE fan of the original and one and only Four and Twenty Blackbirds in Gowanus, so you can imagine how excited I was to hear about this location opening up near my apartment. As far as food goes, this cafe is undoubtedly one of the best public library cafes out there. The BKPL has really stepped it up, sourcing pastries and pies from Four and Twenty Blackbirds (salted caramel apple, lemon chess, black bottom oat, and salted honey are the 4 staples usually available) and bread from Sullivan Street, linking up with chefs of local notable restos like the Pines and Vinegar Hill House, and offering up Stumptown. Pretty impressive. Even better yet, everything is so reasonably priced- $1.50 for coffee, most pastries under $3, $4.75 for a slice of pie, most sandwiches in the $6-8 range.
While in a league of its own, the BKPL cafe still has room for improvement. For starters, the usually amazing pies are simply not as a fresh as they are at the Four and Twenty home base. I'm not sure if the cafe is using pies that've been sitting overnight or pies that have just been sitting around for a while… it's probably logistically not possible to make the pies on premise at the library, but it would definitely be awesome if they could somehow do more deliveries from the home base throughout the day so as to offer the freshest pies possible to customers. The seating at the cafe could definitely use a bit of an upgrade. The tables, chairs and the space, while in an "atrium" (conjuring up images of an airy, bright space), is frankly dated and depressing. Finally, the cafe currently doesn't accept credit cards. Hopefully that'll be up and running soon (credit card = more pies at a time!)!
Not gonna lie, I tried this place on Food Network's recc. And I am so glad.
Some gooood pie crust.
Like, really good.
Enjoyed fig&plum pie, which tastes just lightly spiced and not too sweet nor tart. Ranks up there as some of the best pie I've ever had…
The meat hand pie filling was a huge disappointment. Shredded chicken and some corn? -1*
Would've been slightly better if they heated it up, but the amazing crust saves it.
I wish I had known what this place was called earlier, I was really impressed by their offerings in the Brooklyn Public Library lobby! As if I needed another reason to spend more time in this library.
Me and my little sister went to the library on a rainy day and after some book browsing got hungry. A few teas and two slices of pie did the trick. Staff was friendly and helpful and the pie selection wasn't too overwhelming, but had it's unique aspects and spins on classics. I can now go to the library boldly and not have to worry about where to find my snack. I intend to try their hotter meal options and soups on my next visit, but their pastries and pies are something you shouldn't miss.
Wish they accepted credit cards though. I had to borrow $5 from my little sister. That's tough for a grown man to do.
I came to the central library for the Carnegie Hall concert. While I was waiting for my 2 friends to arrive, I stared at the neon pie sign at the cafe. It was like mocking me…pie, pie, pie.
Finally, I caved and I brought a salted caramel slice. The cost was $5. I thought about getting whipped cream on top for an additional 75 cents; however, who needs the extra calories. I did ask for hot water and the cashier charged me 50 cents for it. I am still scratching my head on that one. Was she charging me for the paper cup or hot water?
The pie, itself, was ok. There was a hint of salt in it. I wasn't crazy about the crust though; it was soggy on the bottom. It could be because I asked them to warm it up.
I prefer entenmann apple pie over this. It's sweet and the crust is crunchy. Now, I am thinking about it, I am heading to the grocery store and buying a whole pie for $5. Bye!!!