Abraço

Jamie McCormick, previously a barista at Blue Bottle Coffee in the Bay Area, opened Abraço in 2007 with Elizabeth Quijada, taking the shop's name from a Brazilian pop song by Gilberto Gil. The tiny East Village room later moved across the street to a slightly larger space while staying on the same block the whole time, though tiny remains the operative word for the room.

Quijada's orange scented olive oil cake has become nearly as well known as the espresso itself, drawing visitors well past the neighborhood for a slice. The shop runs no wifi, and the shared tables read as built around conversation rather than solo work.