Cafe Royal on Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint

We had promised to give you more info on Café Royal in Greenpoint a while back…   

Café Royal’s Cody Utzman prides himself on bringing excellent food and coffee into the neighborhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn.  Utzman is a savvy entrepreneur, “green” thinker, and an asset to the Greenpoint community.  He helped get Brooklyn Label, café and restaurant, on its feet and now the place is thriving.  The food, coffee, and chocolate menu is quite, truly, the best.  His Brooklyn Standard is the “new bodega”, and other deli’s should use this model of deli food, to-go coffee bar, and fresh market to bring in specialty coffee drinkers and those seeking delicious eats.   Utzman and his Brooklyn Standard partners, Kathleen Rose Mc Eldowney and Matt Milletto (coffee guru) have made the deli super attractive to the NYC Green movement by using the fruit pulp left behind in the shop and recycling it in their backyard composting worm farm!  Click here to read more about their “green” ways. 

Now, Café Royal.  Café Royal is an open space with a little feeling of France.  Even though the place takes you to a laptop haven during the day, it still welcomes you with friendly baristas, a silky bar, glossy tiles, plenty of places to sit, and a sunlit backyard.  Apparently, Café Royal was inspired by the experience that Cody had at local bar in the Burgundy region of France.  The place is extremely versatile.   One can go in to eat a hearty and enjoyable meal alone or with friends or go here to work comfortably (vintage style desks, an array of outlets and Wi-Fi passwords are uniformly at each table).   Café Royal is still working on getting a beer & wine license.  

French-inspired fare is good, and they serve Ceci-Cela’s classic French pastries.  I recommend the Eggplant Panini with roasted eggplant, chive and garlic aioli, cucumber, onions, tomatoes, on locally-made sunflower bread. Utzman creates some of the best sandwiches in the borough (pricey, but really amazing). 

This is the kind of coffeeshop we love…a place you can come to for a variety of reasons; to work; to eat; to drink Stumptown coffee any day until 11pm.

Café Royal is located at 195 Nassau Avenue, between Jewel & Diamond.  
(718) 349-8584

Atmosphere: 5 Stars

Pastries: N/A (Diego did not rate)
Coffee: 5 Stars

Food: 5 Stars
Service: Pleasant
Price: $$