Sweetleaf
“VooDoo Child is too sweet for me, but Rocket Fuel is amazing – the LIC Ice Tea with Strawberry is just as delicious and the Iced Mocha is so great…”
“Stumptown coffee is my fav, and Sweetleaf has the greatest ambiance and staff served right along with it.”
“Add to that the delicious and perfect Voodoo Child, and a huge vegan chocolate chip cookie that could feed three people, and my heart was won.”
Sweetleaf
Take-out: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Working: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range Moderate
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
After having a hearty brunch meal nearby, my party was looking for a spot to just chill and relax at. We pulled our phones to go on Yelp (of course!) and… someone sounds familiar, oh it is Sweetleaf! – that awesome iced coffee I had when they had a stand in LIC Flea, few summers ago. My friend and I looked up at each other and said 'Sweetleaf?!' at the same exact time. Done deal.
Upon arrival, the place looks very antique but classic. The few big comfy chairs on the left side makes it look like a living room and there is an old wooden table with wooden chairs that reminded me of old-fashioned bars to the right. It wiggled a bit when I sat down hoping that I will not break something. We got a cup of cappuccino, Voo Doo Child, and the Strawberry Iced Tea.
Cappuccino was very flavorful. Although not as strong and bold as I am used to, I did admire the milk foam with just a hint of espresso. Voo Doo Child is iced Vietnamese drip coffee – it was just the perfect amount of sweetness and right amount of creaminess. Strawberry Iced Tea, wow, so refreshing! Strawberry puree with black tea, I overlooked how such a simple recipe was so tasty. It would be a perfect drink to get in the summer.
My party felt pretty cozy because just when we sat down with our drinks, the sky started to rain. It does feel great being inside with a cup of great coffee. And from here, we chatted away!
Their Voodoo Child, Vietnamese ice coffee styled cold brew, is so good. That's all I had from here and it's really good. The inside is really small though, so I'm not sure if it's a good place to hang out or study. But good coffee.
I don't understand why this place is rated so highly. I came here with the intention of bringing my laptop and doing some work. The iced coffee was below mediocre but the scone with peppers and goat cheese was pretty good. It was spicy, sweet and interesting. Would've been better if I was given the option to heat it up. I think I'm rating this place so low because of the people who work here.
It's been quite sometime where I have been completely turned off by service. I get it coworkers flirt with each other. But when the young woman and young man who work here completely disregard me, a paying customer to continue flirting/doing yoga behind the counter I will get annoyed and upset. But I disregard it and continue to do work.
5 minutes later when my concentration decides to kick in really LOUD music decides to play. Now it's not the normal coffee house music but "Where the Party At" by Jagged Edge plays. I'm all for early 00's R&B but NOT when I'm trying to do work and NOT when its blasting at unreasonable decibels.
Please avoid.
Sweetleaf is an excellent coffee shop in Long island City. Take the 7 train to Vernon Blvd-Jackson Ave or the G train to 21 st-Val Alst. It's a short walk from there.
I had time to kill, so I stopped by. There are three main rooms:
– the living room has a couch and three comfy chairs- a good choice for chattin' and chillin'.
– the laptop room is for those with computers (and other homework-like materials) who are doing work. There's a big table and three bar seats facing the window.
– the record room in the back is for conversation and other non-work. Tables are for 2 people, so bigger groups should sit in the living room area
I got the wild rose tea and it was really nice. They have water temperature and steep time guidelines for the perfect tea (i.e., not like Starbucks that just dunks a tea bag in scolding hot water). Their specialty drinks are really popular – especially the Rocket Fuel chicory and cold-brew coffee based drink. Also, there's a strawberry iced tea with strawberry puree and steeped black tea and another one that is based on traditional Vietnamese iced coffee. I want to try them out the next time I'm there.
Music selection is late 90s-ealy 00s when I was there – lots of Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Jay-Z, and the like.
Take a moment and grab a cold beverage for a nice recharge.
Metal rock meets hipster chic in the only good cafe in the LIC.
The atmosphere is inviting and if you can snag a seat feel free to stay for awhile, everyone else does. I usually get here in the morning before the afternoon onslaught. The cappuccino is good, strong and smooth espresso with frothy milk. The drip coffee is worthwhile as well but the espresso drinks are the stars.
The pastries while overpriced are delicious and worth getting as an espresso encore.
Explore the nooks and crannies of the cafe. Hidden seating can be found.
This was a cute coffee spot! NYC could do with more of these and less chains….
I ordered an almond milk latte. It was made well! Good coffee was used. They didn't have unsweetened almond milk, which isn't the end of the world but would have been nice. I love that they had a big selection of vegan baked goods! Will come back to try them!
A great coffee shop to stop by for a cup of coffee on the go or relax in the various areas that they have. My friend and I enjoyed our coffee and a cappuccino and caught up on old times =)
Great for pastries, horrible coffee
Every other week I get a pastry from them. They are baked int he premises and most of them are delicious. I think that their pumpkin pie is one of the best I've had (only int he season though 🙁 )
Their ham and cheese croissant is great too, albeit a tad too expensive
That being said, I find their coffee pretty horrid. Some times when I go there I really feel like having one and then I regret the decision (Unfortunately I can't pinpoint the problem, I know, not very useful). I usually have to drown it in milk
The pastries keep me coming, the coffee might turn me away