Upper East Side Review: World Cup Cafe

The Upper East side is generally considered bland and barren when it comes to coffee culture. Sure, like anywhere in New York, there is always a place to get a cup, but there are very few authentic coffee shops. Since I live in the east 90's, and go to school at Hunter College, I spend most of my time in the upper east side. I find most aspects of this neighborhood to be irritating; young yuppie couples, pretentious sports bars, yoga moms--I can go on--are just some of those aspects. What really bugs me, is the lack of coffee shops, and the culture that surrounds said shops. For the most part, I've accepted this fact, but still keep my eye out for new places I may have overlooked.

However, just because most shops do not meet my standards, I still have caffeinated needs, especially during my Greek Political Theory class at three in the afternoon. Hunter's choice of coffee would certainly depress even the most amateur coffee drinkers. There is the mock Starbucks, which serves Starbucks coffee at Starbucks prices; A problem that needs to be addressed in it's own post. Then there is the vending machine coffee, which I still haven't quite figured out, but have no intention to ever learn. This forces those who desire at the very least a cup of Foldgers quality coffee to venture off campus. Luckily, just a block north is a small coffee shop called World Cup Cafe.

If I had to describe what a "hole-in-the-wall" shop was, I would simply take you to this coffee shop. It is uncomfortably small, and often times crowded with students, but it's only a small price to pay when vending machine coffee is your next best choice. Despite it's size, there is actually a variety of food and drinks to choose from. They have a great selection of muffins, from basic blueberry to pineapple coconut, as well as other types of pastries. If you're in the mood for something a little more substantial, they have sandwiches, soups, and smoothies. Apparently the empanadas are absolutely delicious, but I have yet to try one.

I visit this place often, but today something caught my eye that I must have overlooked in the past: the creme brule latte. Since lately I have been in the mood for more obscure coffee drinks, like the nutella latte from my last post, I decided to give it a shot. The creme brule latte contained Ghiradelli white sauce, and Ghiradelli caramel sauce, which gave the impression it would be of high quality, or at least higher than that dreaded vending machine coffee. I must say though, I was fairly disappointed. I know that creme brule is always very sweet, but this drink was almost pure sugar. I was surprised that it did in fact taste like creme brule, but the sugar was too overwhelming. I couldn't finish the drink, and suffered a terrible sugar headache almost immediately.

Overall, I consider this place a good coffee shop, especially for the neighborhood. It's uncomfortably small, with only three chairs to sit in, and usually busy with students. The creme brule espresso was disappointing and gave me a massive headache, so I would recommend just a simple cup of coffee and a muffin. This is not an ideal place if you want to sit and relax, but is one of the best places in the upper east side for a quality cup of coffee. If you are looking for a bite to eat, they have a great selection of pastries, as well as sandwiches and soups. Another perk for Hunter students is the 10 percent discount on all drinks when you show your school ID! I wouldn't recommend going too far out of your way to get here, but it's certainly one of the better places if you're already in the neighborhood.

World Cup Coffee is located at 69th street and Lexington Avenue

Directions: Take the 6 train to 68th street