Steve and I came across Café Bilboquet completely by chance a few years ago. We were on our way to Central Park and wanted to grab coffee to go with our PopUp Bagels. Since then, the cafe has become our regular coffee stop whenever we’re heading to the park.
Café Bilboquet is on East 60th Street, just off Madison Avenue and only a few minutes’ walk from Central Park. It’s the cafe version of Le Bilboquet, the upscale French restaurant on the same street. It feels like a classic French café, the kind you find in Paris, with a really good selection of beautiful breads and pastries.
Despite the location, there are surprisingly few tourists. In fact, Café Bilboquet is quite easy to walk past if you don’t know it’s there. The cafe has a solid local clientele, though, and this becomes especially noticeable during the summer months, when it can be surprisingly quiet. My guess is that many of the regulars are in the Hamptons for the summer.
It’s a really good cafe. The coffee is excellent, and their canelés are fantastic. I also really like their crookie, which is a mix between a croissant and a cookie. The cafe is dog friendly, and they even have free dog treats in a little jar on the table with the sugar and other coffee essentials. Such a cute detail, especially this close to Central Park.
If you’re more hungry, they also have salads, small sandwiches, and paninis, and the sandwiches in particular are perfect for taking over to Central Park for a little picnic.
Another nice cafe in New York City.
Café Bilboquet, 26 E 60th St, New York, NY 10022, United States
