Abraco Espresso NYC. Coffee worth the wait?

Long lines can easily form at Abraco at any time of the day. This is at 2PM.

I can't stand to wait in line. Just like LA traffic, I would rather take the side roads, even if the drive took me longer, than to sit bumper to bumper on the 405 freeway. Now for a good cup of coffee, that's a different story. After a satisfying lunch at Momofuku, my brother Brian took me and my friend Vigie, around the corner to Abraco espresso cafe. My brother likes a good cup of coffee and wherever we are
in New York, there's always a gem of a cafe just a few blocks away.

In the East Village, Abraco is the place. Perhaps, in all of Manhattan. The line was long with an assortment of locals  gathered around the tiny storefront on East 7th. There were no camera wielding tourists (except for me). No trendy Miu Miu bags. Abraco, from the looks of it, cater to the die-hard cafe society of New York. The type who would walk ten blocks for an independently owned cup of joe rather than surrender themselves to a venti at Starbucks.

Abraco is named after Gilberto Gil's song, Aquele Abraco, translated to "that hug." Bay area transplants, Oliveto alum, Jamie McCormick, and Suspicious Suppers blogger and baker at vegan bakeshop, Babycakes, Elizabeth Quijoda, partnered with former Ninth Street Espresso barista, Amy Linton, to form the cafe triumvirate in the East village. I ordered a cafe cortado ($2.75), the afternoon drink of choice in Spain, Portugal and Cuba. It's an espresso with a cut of steamed milk and a thin layer of foam for the latte art. It was creamy with a little punch in the end. A perfect way to start my afternoon.

The food menu at Abraco is a simple take on Mediterranean treats such as olive oil cake ($3), brioche cinnamon buns ($3) and onion marmalade, swiss cheese, potato on focaccia ($6). Sometimes, the simplest things in life are always the best. For one of the best cup of coffees in Manhattan, Abraco is definitely worth the wait and the extra blocks.

Latte art-to-go