Matcha fun at CHALAIT!

This cafe is probably one of the most Instagrammed spots in downtown NYC. I’ve seen pictures of their delicious toasts and beverages all over my feed, and today was the day I finally got to visit!

What was really cool is that I actually met up with fellow foodie and Instagrammer Minnie for the first time to grab coffee. The fact that we, complete strangers except for our interaction through social media, were able to bond so quickly! I guess a shared hobby really helps you become friends. She was wonderful, and we spent so much time talking and chatting over all kinds of things.

Anyway, this cafe is in West Village, which I have been meaning to explore more often; the atmosphere inside Chalait is amazing: it’s modern and vibrant, yet has a cozy feeling to it. They have a pretty large selection of green tea beverages – we both got the matcha latte with almond milk. They also had Matcha Americanos – I want to try that one next time!

I would say the beauty of drinking at the cafe instead of hauling a paper cup to-go is that you get to see the amazing patterns of milk foam and colors jumbled together. We probably spent ten minutes just taking pictures! Haha.

I always have a soft spot for anything that hints breakfast food. And of course, this muesli toast with dried fruit, fresh berries, honey, and Greek yogurt had the perfect delicious and guilt-free taste.

The yogurt was so rich and creamy that it almost felt like I was eating cream cheese – maybe I’ll try putting Greek Yogurt on my bagel next time?

The drinks are around $4-6 on average, and the toast was about $9. I really want to try one of their sandwiches next time; apparently they’re phenomenal! The staff at Chalait was very attentive and nice – even with people constantly going in and out of the cafe, they were nice enough to find us seats and bring the drinks to us. The traffic is pretty fast-paced, so it’s definitely not the type of place you could bring your laptop over to study all day, but it was perfect for a nice coffee chat! And I would totally come back for some more toast.

Chalait

$$

224 W 4th Street, New York, NY 10014

Between 7th Ave. and 4th St. in West Village

Trains 1 & 2 are nearby.

CORRECTION: Chalait has moved to midtown and this is their new address:

1216 Broadway, New York, NY 10001