My Favorite Local Coffee Shops (for Tea Drinkers too!)

If you’re considering a move to Bronxville or the surrounding area and, like me, love coffee, coffee shops, and the whole ritual that goes with it, you may have a nagging voice that sounds something like this:

Will I EVER be able to find a new coffee shop that I love?

Sure, Bronxville is great because of its highly ranked public school, excellent preschools, winding roads, stunning historic architecture, walkable charming village, and easy commute to the city.

But seriously. Can you really move to a town that doesn’t have good coffee options?? Absolutely NOT! 

I get that. In fact, I’ve had several clients ask me if there’s a great place to get coffee with a friend and that, like, has good coffee (hopefully yummy pastries too). Let me ease your mind. Bronxville has you covered. More of a tea aficionado? Don’t worry, we’ve got you.

BXVL Coffeehouse:  A modern take in an historic spot
2 Station Plaza, Bronxville, (914) 600-8139 IG: bxvlcoffeehouse

This new addition to Bronxville is stationed (pun intended) at the circa-1916 Bronxville Train Station. The Mission Revival architecture, a hallmark style of historic Bronxville, reflects the former Gramatan Hotel — now destroyed — but which saw its glorious heyday in the 1920s, hosting dances and balls with illustrious guests like Greta Garbo, Gloria Swanson, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

BXVL Coffeehouse’s nod to history, with the train depot’s original waiting room benches intact, has a forward-thinking vibe and modern menu. Owned and run by local resident and Delhi-born Charu Rana and husband Paul, Charu’s presence and passion for quality and authenticity show, starting with the warm greeting that she invariably bestows upon her customers.

I’m a personal fan of the almond milk latte, which gives me the pleasant jolt that I sometimes need when starting the day or for that afternoon pick-me-up. If you’re a tea drinker, BXVL Coffeehouse pays equal homage to tea, as evidenced by the assortment of handcrafted hot and cold tea concoctions, including a delicious spiced, iced hibiscus lime sparkling tea. Perfect as we welcome warmer weather!

Charu is the creative mind behind the simple but delicious and varied menu — everything from Balthazar pastries to house-made overnight oats and pressed sandwiches. I like the French Cubano, with gooey cheese, ham, pickles, and tomato on a crispy-on-the-outside, airy-on-the-inside baguette. They even have a broad offering of house-made iced fruit pops!

BXVL Coffeehouse has indoor seating, so it’s a great place to meet a friend, get some work done (could this be quieter than working from home? It can.), or even have a small meeting, as there is a large communal table. There is free parking, exclusively for coffee shop customers, as well as a couple of bistros tables outside, where you can watch Bronxville life go by. BXVL Coffeehouse is a wonderful place where you will receive a friendly welcome and enjoy a good cup of coffee, while taking a load off.

Booskerdoo: Freshly roasted premium coffee to go, smile included
76 Kraft Avenue, Bronxville, (914)510-3053, IG: booskerdoo.ny

A family-run business founded by James and Amelia Caverly, Booskerdoo’s first shop opened on Monmouth Beach on the Jersey Shore and they haven’t looked back since. The quality coffee is freshly roasted in small batches at their Asbury Park roasting house. With the exception of espresso coffee, which I’ve learned must rest for two weeks after roasting, Booskerdoo ensures that your coffee’s beans were roasted between 2 and 7 days prior to brewing. I personally notice a distinct Booskerdoo flavor, a hallmark of the beans’ freshness. Popular bean choices are “Eastern Standard” for a lighter or medium roast or “After Dark,” which founder James describes as having a smokier, thicker flavor.

Katy and Scott, local residents and owner-operators of Booskerdoo Bronxville, courageously opened May 2019 across the road from a rather well-known Seattle-based coffee shop. Katy, originally from the U.K., and husband Scott were drawn to Bronxville from Manhattan because of its walkable village and sense of community. Opening Booskerdoo Bronxville was the next step in connecting with the community — through freshly roasted premium coffee, of course!

Nestled in a tiny kiosk on Kraft, this shop felt cozy before social distancing was even a thing. Scott and Katy serve up made-to-order brew, customizing coffees for their enthusiastic customers. One new popular item is a malt cold brew, with the naturally sweet, fermented barley malt giving local weekend athletes the energy boost they crave. I tried the Turmeric Oat Milk Latte, and its spicy flavor warmed me through and through on a cold spring morning. Also available are a carefully curated selection of unique treats, sourced from small local bakeries.

Booskerdoo successfully served as a welcome beacon of normalcy throughout the pandemic, providing coffee and connection to go, safely. The kiosk model works. You can pick up your joe to go, walk around town, find one of the many strategically placed benches in the village, or pop on the train for your morning commute. Order via text or at the door. They even do curbside pickup if you’re on the move with kids!

Chantilly Pâtisserie and Bakehouse: French inspired pâtisserie and coffee shop
135 Parkway Road, Bronxville, (914)771-9400, IG: chantillypatisserie_

Europhiles, rest easy. Chantilly (or whipped cream, en français) is the answer to your café et pâtisserie reverie. Growing up in Montreal and living in France and Germany for four years, I became  pretty attached to my espresso, café au lait, and croissants aux amandes. Chantilly’s offerings have been the needed answer to these longings. They have a broad array of sweet and savory breakfast pastries, croissants, baguettes, quiches, macaroons, cupcakes, and cookies. They also offer overnight oats with fruit and a hearty dollop of peanut butter, which deliciously satisfies my morning hunger.

Owned and run by head pastry chef Mariana and her sister Maria, these entrepreneurial women opened Chantilly in 2011 with a vision to bring the craft of fine French pastry to Bronxville. Originally from Argentina, Mariana and Maria Delgado-Gambini grew up in an environment surrounded by the love of family and food. By the age of 16, Mariana decided upon her trade as chef and continued to pursue her passion for pastry at the Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island. A sister trip to Paris inspired them to open their own pâtisserie, and Chantilly’s croissant, in its buttery, flaky, and crunchy glory, is a testament to Mariana’s mastery of her craft and the sisters’ commitment to doing it right. Everything is baked in small batches from scratch on the premises.

Mariana and Maria’s menu goes beyond the traditional. Their cruffins — or croissant muffins — have developed a devout following on Instagram. where they tout their special flavor of the week. Chantilly also has wonderfully fun events like Harry Potter Day, where they costume up and feature — you guessed it — Harry Potter–themed treats with over-the-top Hogwarts decor. Next up, Star Wars Day, May 1st!

Oh yes — the coffee! The coffee and tea menu is simple but the perfect accompaniment to Chantilly’s tasty treats. Pre-COVID, Chantilly had a handful of bistro tables inside, which they’ve moved outside, strategically located across the street from the Bronxville train station. It’s a civilized and relaxing way to start any morning with a friend or loved one before — hopefully sometime soon — dashing off to get the train to work.

Be careful to time your visit to Chantilly carefully, as they have scaled back their hours to Thursdays through Saturdays, 7 a.m. until noon, since the pandemic started. I advise that you get there early, as lines often form, especially on cruffin-crazed weekends!

Slave to the Grind: Community Go To with Something for Everyone
58 Pondfield Road, Bronxville, (914)961-7777, IG: slavetothegrind_official

Across the street from Houlihan Lawrence’s flagship and historic office, Slave to the Grind represents another Bronxville institution as the first coffee shop to open in the area, over 27 years ago, successfully building local community through good coffee and conversation.

I don’t think I’m alone in wanting to learn more about the secret sauce of longevity, so I ordered a small black coffee and sat down with co-owner Troy Marshall to find out more. His answer was simple, and a theme seems to resonate: community. Troy Marshall and his mom, Carol, honor father and husband Andrew Marshall’s memory by continuing to offer a diverse and eclectic coffee and tea menu that reflects a culture of inclusivity — a legacy the late Mr. Marshall nurtured daily for over 20 years. In keeping with this tradition, Slave to the Grind remained open every day throughout the pandemic, providing a much-needed human oasis for many in need of a socially distanced chat.

Slave to the Grind’s (STTG) clientele reflects its seemingly endless coffee menu: Bronxville soccer moms, artsy Sarah Lawrence College students, retirees, residents, day trippers, and high-schoolers are all part of the fabric that makes up their not-one-size-fits-all client base. Iced drinks are particularly popular amongst the high-schoolers. My teenage daughter came bounding home the other day, vanilla STTG iced coffee in hand, and exuberantly exclaimed that she loves Slave to the Grind coffee and how the barista is so friendly and cool. How’s that for a great customer experience? (Anyone who makes my daughter feel great through such a casual exchange is A-OK in my book!) The local adult crowd enjoys cozying up to one of the small tables to gab about politics, family, and everything in between, from art to golf. Like an established Italian café, there are frequent greetings, jovial smiles, and casual banter between tables.

Slave to the Grind offers a broad array of espresso drinks, with 68 varieties of special Sumatra/Colombian house blends, to suit every coffee drinker’s whim. STTG presents unique flavorings like sugar cookie, oatmeal, and coconut cream. Tea lovers, choices include mango, passionfruit, and green and black iced and hot teas. Always with the times, they also offer new delicious drinks like a non-coffee turmeric latte, with turmeric, ginger, and oat milk. as well as traditional, vegan, and gluten-free breakfast pastries.

Mr. Marshall’s whimsical mural painting of a large tree presides over the busy shop’s activities and conversations — its roots and branches an apt symbol of Slave to the Grind’s past and present.

Starbucks: A faithful go to, no explanation needed
29 Park Place, Bronxville, (914)771-9103

Yup, we have that too! Centrally located on Park Place near the train station, you can preorder your latte to go and pick it up or enjoy Starbucks’ outdoor seating while watching Bronxville go by. I won’t get into all of their offerings, as I’m sure you’re familiar!

As a Bronxville resident, I feel proud of the resilience, creativity, and variety of our entrepreneurial coffee shops and am grateful for their hard work to build community and help make our town the vibrant place that it is. After surviving an arduous year of social distancing, gathering safely in small groups at one of these local coffee shops is a luxury I’ll relish more than ever for years to come.