STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The owners of Brew Bar knew that a unique coffee shop experience was missing in Great Kills, but one of them, Charles Cohen, didn’t expect the cafe could keep busy.
But that worry was quickly allayed when the first day of business brought a wave of customers. “It’s been rewarding knowing that this community appreciates it and has a place to go and hang out, drink coffee and eat good food,” Cohen said. Cohen opened Brew Bar at 3965 Amboy Rd.
in February, co-owning the establishment with his father and his business partner. Boasting its slogan, “coffee with character,” Brew Bar offers an expansive selection of lattes and food items in a city-like atmosphere. The cafe's most popular menu items are its specialty lattes, notably the s'mores latte, which outsold regular lattes daily during its first three months.
Irza Waraich/For the Advance & SILive.com The cafe’s most popular menu items are its specialty lattes, notably the s’mores latte, which outsold regular lattes daily during its first three months. The marshmallow in the s’mores latte and a few other desserts in the cafe are made with halal and kosher ingredients.
Its best-selling pastries, like the tres leches and pistachio cheesecake, along with most desserts, are outsourced from establishments based in Great Kills. On Thursdays through Saturdays, when the cafe stays open until 10 p.m.
, they offer board games and have had live music a few times, which the cafe will continue in the fall, according to Cohen. These amenities can be enjoyed in a space designed by Cohen, who primarily works as an interior designer. Aiming for a masculine and modern design, Cohen opted for a black interior, leather seating and warm wood accents.
Together, these elements create a homey, cool and Manhattan-like atmosphere, Cohen said. Irza Waraich/For the Advance & SILive.com Aiming for a masculine and modern design, Cohen opted for a black interior, leather seating and warm wood accents.
The cafe also features private booths, designed to resemble tiny houses, accommodating parties of three or more. Together, these elements create a homey, cool and Manhattan-like atmosphere, Cohen said. “People are enjoying that a city experience has been brought to Staten Island where they don’t have to go so far to feel cool,” he said.
The cafe also offers table service, serving food on ceramic plates for dine-in customers. Cohen initially intended to also serve drinks in glasses and mugs, but he says it’s been difficult to do that with the high volume of customers. “Given the nature of how quickly we want to get people’s drinks out, we have not been able to do that,” he said.
“We feel that it’s just nice for someone to sit down and feel checked out from reality for a moment. If that means serving them on nicer plates, serving them with high quality food and high quality drinks, that fulfills our goal.” Jonathan Joseph and Sienna Capasso are regulars at Brew Bar, and visit the cafe often for their daily work meetings.
For Capasso, it’s all about the service and the coffee. “The staff is very attentive,” Capasso said. “They’re all very kind and want to do the most for the customers.
The coffee is not only good but it’s consistent every time. You know you’re gonna get a good drink every single time you come here.” Joseph and Capasso typically frequent cafes in the North Shore area, but also make the 25-minute drive specifically to visit Brew Bar.
“There are some beautiful cafes around the island but just the location of this one, it’s something that this side of the Island definitely needed,” Joseph said. As the cafe maintains the crowd, Cohen said Brew Bar’s future focuses on perfecting customer service and providing an enjoyable experience. For now, they will just keep brewing.
Brew Bar is open from Sunday to Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.
m., and from Thursday to Saturday, 7 a.m.
to 10 p.m..
