Lena
Tucked amongst several small stores on 8th Street, this quaint coffee shop offers an array of french pastries, organic coffee, and several delicious breakfast sandwiches. The smell of freshly baked goods permeates the shop, only to be topped by the aroma of the medium roast La Colombe coffee. The small space creates an intimate experience, as only a few customers can sit at the bench that surrounds the shop. The naked bulbs next to the entrance, the tiled walls, and the pillows with images of Paris all add to the friendly, artistic culture of this little french cafe. The owners of the shop moved from the Basque region in the south of France to New York in 2014 and named the business after their daughter, Lena. In 2017, they opened a new shop in the Lower East Side.