Bluebird Coffee Shop

Jessica Connell, one half of the couple behind Nolita's Botanica Bar, jokes that she opened Bluebird Coffee Shop because, "I didn't want to live like a vampire anymore!" Catering primarily to daytime dwellers, this tiny cafe replaced the short-lived Simon Sips in the former Tasting Room space on East First Street. The coffee is of the revered Counter Culture variety, pulled on a sleek La Marzocco espresso machine, and all of the bakery is made in-house. Connell dubs her shop's edible offerings, "American baked goods," and describes the intriguing buttermilk pie as, "like pumpkin pie, but with cultured buttermilk instead of pumpkin, and orange zest." If you're looking for something a little lighter to accompany your mug of cappuccino or whole-leaf tea, the candied ginger molasses cookies with white pepper could be the perfect choice.

See more: East Village restaurants, Baked good restaurants