PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

When it comes to the proliferation of cafes and coffee shops, New York may not be on the same level as cities like Seattle or Portland, but it’s still got its fair share. And although Starbucks may have taken over Manhattan to the point where independent coffee shops are an endangered species, Brooklyn and the other outer boroughs still offer a wide array of possibilities for the discriminating caffeine junkie.

One of the shining stars of the Brooklyn café scene is a chain of tea and coffee shops known as Tea Lounge. With three locations currently in operation, Tea Lounge’s popularity is growing daily. The Union Street location, in the heart of Park Slope, is the mother ship, and it offers a few things the other locations cannot. The larger space allows for live music and other performances on a regular basis, and an expanded kitchen means you’ll find more options in terms of food here. All of the locations, however, offer a delicious array of baked goods and snacks, not to mention the teas, coffees, and other beverages Tea Lounge is famous for.

Browse the extensive tea menu for your favorite blend (popular choices include Tea Lounge Chai, Yerba Maté, and the addictive, though pungent, Lapsang Souchong), or try Tea Lounge’s special blend of hot chocolate, which regulars swear is the best in the neighborhood. The coffee and espresso here are also outstanding, and a refreshing alternative to the heartburn-inducing Starbucks brew. Although Tea Lounge’s baristas have been called everything from snobby to flaky, I find that they are consistently excellent at their jobs, whipping up perfectly-crafted cappuccinos and Chai Lattes with care and attention to detail that you don’t often see these days.

Tea Lounge is great because it works equally well as a place to come by yourself or with a group, though I feel that coffee’s power to stimulate the mind makes it a perfect social lubricant. Take your friends along and order a few desserts to go with your drinks. The Fat Witch brownies are particularly addictive, although offerings also include vegan cookies and ridiculously rich cupcakes. If you’re hungry for something more than dessert, Tea Lounge serves typical, and fairly unremarkable, café fare like salads, Panini sandwiches and bagels. If you’ve had enough caffeine, fear not, for wine and beer are also on the menu, allowing the place to make a seamless transition from café to wine bar after hours.

The thing that really sets Tea Lounge apart from other cafés in the neighborhood, however, is the patrons. You’ll find your fair share of hipsters (including the baristas), but you’ll also find lots of writers and intellectuals, most of whom seem to have their noses permanently buried in their laptops. At the Union Street location, you’ll find Park Slope’s typical mix of mommies and more mommies, especially during the day, so if you don’t like your coffee with a side of breast milk, you might want to check out the Park Slope South location. Either way, Tea Lounge is well worth checking out, for the coffee, the snacks, and of course, those cute hipster baristas.