Cafeography
New York · Fort Greene & Clinton Hill

Cafés in Fort Greene & Clinton Hill

Bookstore coffee across from BAM on Lafayette, DeKalb Avenue counters by the park, and Myrtle Avenue cafés with patios and gardens near Pratt.

Photo: Federico Abis, Pexels License

Fort Greene is named for a Revolutionary War fort built in 1776 under General Nathanael Greene. Its park, redesigned by Olmsted and Vaux in 1864, holds the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument to some 11,500 patriots who died aboard British ships.1 Mid-19th-century Italianate and Eastlake row houses line the streets around it.1

Clinton Hill begins at Vanderbilt Avenue and runs east to Classon, with DeKalb Avenue as its main thoroughfare.2 Oil executive Charles Pratt built a mansion at 232 Clinton Avenue in 1874, other merchants followed, and the area became known as Brooklyn's "Gold Coast"; he founded the Pratt Institute in 1887.2 Walt Whitman, who finished Leaves of Grass while living at 99 Ryerson Street in 1855, was a neighbor for less than a year.2

Local tip: With a matinee at BAM, pair it with coffee across the street on Lafayette Avenue: Pub Date opens at 10:30 every day. Before a walk through Fort Greene Park, Text Book on DeKalb opens at 07:30.

At a glance

37Cafés listed
13With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
23:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Monkey Tiger, from 07:00 (Mon–Fri 07:00–23:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–23:00).
  • Most listed streets: Lafayette Avenue (4), Myrtle Ave (4), Fulton St (4).
  • Most common features: specialty (46%), outdoor seating (16%), brunch (14%).

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Coffee chains in Fort Greene & Clinton Hill

Lafayette Avenue and the BAM blocks

The Brooklyn Academy of Music moved here after its Brooklyn Heights house burned in 1903, opening in 1908 with Gounod's Faust, sung by Caruso and Geraldine Farrar.1 BAMcafé is at 30 Lafayette Avenue. Across the street at No. 15, the Center for Fiction, founded in 1820 as the Mercantile Library, moved into 18,000 square feet in 2019, with an 1,800-square-foot bookstore and a café and bar.3 It has ample room to work.5 Pub Date at the same address stays open until 22:00 from Tuesday to Saturday.

MoCADA, the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, opened its flagship at No. 10 in January 2025, with a café inside.4 The café opens only from Friday to Sunday. Choice Market at No. 318 is at the Clinton Hill end of the avenue.

DeKalb Avenue by the park

Bittersweet at 180 DeKalb Avenue pours La Colombe, makes its own oat milk and sells doughnuts from Dough, with a tiny room for ordering and only a few seats outside.5 Text Book at No. 118 opens daily 07:30–19:00 with indoor and outdoor seating, Petit Paulette is at No. 136, and Nostrand Coffee Roasters is at No. 218. The B, D, N, Q, R and W stop at DeKalb Avenue, the A and C at Lafayette Avenue, and the G at Fulton Street.1

Myrtle Avenue through Clinton Hill

In the 1850s a stagecoach line ran along Myrtle Avenue to Fulton Ferry, and an elevated railway came later.1 The busiest stretch for coffee today is by the Pratt Institute campus. Calyer Cafe & Kitchen at No. 519 brews Partners beans, makes sandwiches in-house and draws regulars with laptops.5 BKG Coffee Roasters at No. 557 has a large shaded patio,5 and TB Coffee House at No. 578 has a back garden5 and opens daily 08:00–17:00.

Petee's Cafe is at No. 505. Peck's at No. 455A opens daily 07:00–17:00, and its sister café Peckish, on Willoughby Avenue, uses Joe beans.5 Cafefornia at No. 360 serves egg sandwiches and wraps from early morning.5

Fulton Street, Grand Avenue and the Navy Yard edge

Fulton Street east of the park mixes bakeries and cafés, most of them closed by late afternoon. Otway Bakery at No. 920A closes at 15:00 on weekdays, Olas Coffee is at No. 930, and The Good Batch at No. 936 stays open daily until 20:00. Sweetbee at No. 1039 opens at 07:30, and Maya Congee Café at No. 1013 serves until 16:00. The A and C and the G meet at Clinton–Washington Avenues.2

Coffee Land is at 450 Grand Avenue, where the Lexington Avenue elevated line ran until 1950.2 North of Myrtle, Monkey Tiger at 232 Taaffe Place stays open until 23:00 every night. Head Hi at 146 Flushing Avenue works as café, bookstore and music venue, with art shows and book launches.5 Flushing Avenue marks the edge of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, on land the government bought in 1801.1

Sources

  1. Fort Greene, Brooklyn, Wikipedia, accessed November 2026
  2. Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, Wikipedia, accessed November 2026
  3. Shelf Awareness for Friday, February 8, 2019: Center for Fiction opening new HQ, bookstore in Brooklyn, Shelf Awareness, accessed November 2026
  4. Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, Wikipedia, accessed November 2026
  5. 13 Best Fort Greene Coffee Shops & Nearby Spots! (updated November 17, 2023), Your Brooklyn Guide, accessed November 2026
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In Fort Greene & Clinton Hill, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Brunch Open late

FAQ

Fort Greene & Clinton Hill cafés: questions

Where can you get coffee near BAM in Fort Greene, New York?

BAMcafé is at 30 Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene, and the Center for Fiction, across the street at No. 15, has a bookstore with a café and bar. Pub Date at that address opens at 10:30 every day. MoCADA's café at No. 10 opens from Friday to Sunday.

Which cafés in Clinton Hill, New York, have a patio or garden?

On Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill, BKG Coffee Roasters at No. 557 has a large shaded patio, and TB Coffee House at No. 578 has a back garden and opens daily 08:00–17:00. Peck's at No. 455A and Calyer Cafe & Kitchen at No. 519 are on the same avenue, the latter with Partners beans and regulars on laptops.

Which subway stations are closest to cafés in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, New York?

In Fort Greene, the B, D, N, Q, R and W stop at DeKalb Avenue, the A and C at Lafayette Avenue, and the G at Fulton Street. For Clinton Hill, the A, C and G all serve Clinton–Washington Avenues, which is close to the Fulton Street cafés.

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