"((4.5 stars)) Smiley Coffee calm cool collected coffee shop chilling on Ludlow Street. been here only twice so my experiences at Smiley are few in instance but very good so far. the interior is a mix of dark woods and paler mellower tones for a modern casual aesthetic. there’s a fair amount of clothing / merch for sale here. there are only a few areas to sit like by the window and a nook in the back. curious to see if they add tables once the shop’s Christmas tree gets taken down. anyways, the drip coffee is fine—it’s a light roast, i think. light roasts in general aren’t my fave, but the one here is pretty good. got a Cortado, here, recently and it hit the spot. proficiently made with the espresso (medium roast) and steamed milk. a very good Cortado is a smooth creamy coffee double shot of caffeine. such rich flavor and so good when made well. had a chance to banter with the folks here about coffee and they are equally as friendly as they are upbeat. no doomscrolling here. the density of good quality coffee shops is on the rise in NYC as a whole and i hope it continues! *fingers crossed*"

"Great cappucino - on the sour side of espresso, thick foam consistency and beautiful latte art. The vibe inside is great, with moody brown and yellows. Only complaint is that there's not enough seats or table, and the other window seat don't even have a table. There is an open space that can be better utilized. We tried their jasmine cappucino, they use real tea leaves grounded into a syrup. It was a bit sweet, but still good. Coffee is expensive though at $6.50, way more expensive than other coffee spots in the same street, and I can't even have a dine in cup or enough seats."

"I ordered an oat milk latte and it tasted sour. I wasn’t sure if the milk itself was bad or the coffee beans themselves have very acidic notes, but my coffee unfortunately was not very good- but my husband’s Americano tasted fine. The service and aesthetics are good, but coffee has not yet been perfected."

"I feel like Smiley Coffee deserves a much higher rating than the current 4.2. Some people leave critical reviews over small details, even though the shop executes things far better than most coffee spots. The coffee is phenomenal, the matcha is amazing, and spot-on. They recently added food, and it honestly tastes just as good as I expected. Overall, everything is high-quality, well-made, and worth it. Would absolutely go back and definitely recommend. I honestly think people default to negative reviews simply because it’s easier than crafting positive ones—but this place is doing it right."

"I absolutely LOVE this place for the ambiance, the aesthetic, and the way it feels like European cafe culture. The staff is also very friendly, and I love that they play jazz music inside. HOWEVER, and I hate to say it, the coffee is not very good. It appears the baristas are not dialing in the beans correctly and either under or over extracting. If they’re able to master this, this will undoubtedly be the spot. Nothing worse than loving everything about a coffee shop, except for the coffee itself :("