The Civil Service Cafe
“Their $10 breakfast platter has an amazing kale salad, 2 eggs cooked any style, potatoes, toast and COFFEE.”
“I was very sad when Tiny Cup closed but I love this place.”
“Best egg sandwich around, especially when it's smothered in that Filfil No. 7 sauce they've got.”
The Civil Service Cafe
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Working: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range Moderate
7 reviews
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What a cute little place! My friend and I booked an Airbnb in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood in Brooklyn for a vacay and, low and behold, this little coffee shop was just around the corner. In need of some coffee and breakfast, I ventured out a few mornings to the Civil Service Café.
Atmosphere wise, it reminded me a lot of a coffee shop I would find in Seattle. Clean and simple with some "hipster" elements. In a way it was nice to find something that felt like home though!
I consistently ordered iced Americanos here and they were quite tasty – strong, cold and refreshing. They also offered a nice selection of teas which my friend appreciated.
I ordered a few of the few items which I found to be rather tasty – the egg breakfast sandwich with roasted red pepper pesto, cheddar, tomato, lettuce and the addition of avocado. Also the Nova sandwich on pumpernickel with smoked salmon, cream cheese, avocado, tomato, red onion, capers – easily my new favorite sandwich combination for sure.
I'd say the service was always a bit underwhelming, which is the only reason I would ding a few stars.
I've been to The Civil Service Cafe on a couple of occasions now, and it is as good as it gets. With Toby's Estate coffee, tasty- and relatively healthy- fare, and an open and inviting layout, it is a great place to either grab a cup of joe on the run, or settle in and work!
Great place for coffee. Nice airy place. (Can become too hot on the right day)
You get a loyalty punch card which earns you a free drink after a certain amount of visits. That's cool.
Heads up, the pastries are laid out in a nice line and look shiny and pretty but they are hit or miss. It depends on the time of day, the day and also I guess when they receive it I guess, or the baker that baked it. Too many factors involved for me. This is where they lose because next door sells a whole selection of fresher pastries.
It's seems like the workers are on different levels of coffee making (it is an art form)
Also, you must sometimes remind some of them of your special request i.e. almond milk.
There is a guy who works there who is super friendly, can't remember his name, who tries to make up for the fact that his female coworker is not as welcoming. She's always in a "I worked an 80 week" mode. That could also be based on there work environment because the workers seem to change a lot.
They serve breakfast sandwiches and salads. I've had the salad which could use more pizzazz. Something.
I am not taking off additional stars for these small caveats because I was glad they opened (another sit down coffee shop is always a good thing)
All in all these issues can be fixed, if the owner cares to try, I can help them because they have potential.
They are new so I'm hoping they work out all the little kinks by the winter morning rush.
I walked into this place with a friend on Sunday morning looking to study. This is not a study place on Sunday morning. Without the lettering on the door, I would've thought this place was Tiny Cup. It's in the exact same location and has the same vibe so…Tiny Cup 2.0 really.
There were families and kids and maybe it's different depending on the day and hour, but I wasn't in the mood to hear or see kids while working on my paper. The atmosphere overall seemed inviting, so I'll try again. Hmmm.
This is one of the first cafes we tried out at Brooklyn. It is a very hip place to station yourself for coffee, breakfast, brunch, lunch, etc. It comes with Wi-Fi (password needed but you can ask waitress for it) so feel free to bring your laptop to study, etc. the crowd here is always chill and laid-back.
The service is very good; we ordered at the cashier, selected our seats/table and then the food came out within 15 minutes or less. The food was good, but did not "wow" me or impress me, but perhaps we need to try more things from the menu. The presentation of the food was a plus though, it looks like "Tumblr-material." Overall good clean environment, excellent presentation and okay/good in terms of food's taste. We may come back again to try other things from the menu.
I love love love this place. Its one of my favorite places to grab coffee. And it has the best price. $2.50 for a large #winning. Their coffee – Fishtown- is smooth but strong. Also there is a good amount of seating. Some smaller tables and one communal table in the middle. They serve breakfast – eggs, kales, scones, etc and have free wifi.
This is a perfect spot to read, write or catch up with a friend.
I was very sad when Tiny Cup closed but I love this place. The breakfast is very tasty and the space is very charming. The lox bagel with capers is delicious and the iced coffee is great too.