The Best Coffee Shops for a Date in the East Village in New York

Share a cardamom bun at La Cabra, a small coffee shop in the East Village. The bun is the specialty - sticky, airy and lightly spiced, which makes it an easy thing to split over a coffee.

Abraço opened its doors on East 7th Street in 2007, in a closet-size space it soon outgrew. Today it is a cozy, European-inspired cafe with Spanish, Italian and Middle Eastern influences. The espresso uses house-roasted beans. In the evenings, it turns into a cocktail bar.

Brick walls make Coffee Project New York snug, and the drinks get inventive: nitro cold brew, deconstructed lattes. The deconstructed latte lets the two of you see how milk changes espresso, a shared experiment to try together.

Kona Coffee Roasters brings Hawaiian coffee culture to the East Village. The menu covers specialty coffees, teas and smoothies, along with toasted snacks and pastries you can split between you. The pastries are made in-house, so this is a place to sit a while. The space is laid-back, with seating indoors and out.

MUD is the fixed sibling of the Mudtruck, a specialty street vendor that has been going since 2000. The shop opened in 2003 and serves coffee with all-day brunch and a back garden, which gives you a reason to stay past one cup. You can sit indoors, outside or in the garden.

Ninth Street Espresso opened in 2001 as a coffee shop on 9th Street and Avenue C in the East Village. It later began roasting its own coffee. That gave the shop control over sourcing and roasting. Stop in to slow down over a coffee together and take a break from the day.

Saltwater Coffee is meant to feel like a neighborhood place, which is what its married owners wanted. Expect a bright room, with large glass windows and white furniture. The beans come from The Little Marionette, a boutique roaster in Sydney. The shop describes itself as a personal city sanctuary where friends and family can enjoy good company.

The Lazy Llama Coffee Bar is a llama-themed cafe in the East Village. It has a cozy, quiet feel and is a good stop for breakfast or a catch-up with friends. Seating is indoors and out, though there is not much of it. The cafe is open Monday through Friday from 7am to 5pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 5pm.