I turned the corner and there I was… Caffè Reggio, the oldest coffee shop in Greenwich Village having opened in 1927. My first day in NYC and my daughter was needing to sleep in due to having just come off a 12-day stretch of Emergency Department night shifts … so it was time for a solo walk-about, and of course a cup of coffee. This is why I like to wander and check out anything that has a historical claim in a city. However, I was not anticipating this depth of engagement, history, culture, or …. two cappuccinos.
As soon as I walked in the door I knew I was somewhere special. I don’t mean in a ritzy spiffed up manner often depicted in modern social media posts, I mean as in a step back through time right here in the shadow of the NYU Law school. The low light atmosphere echoed back to the pre-LED light years when the light gave an interior a soft warm welcoming ambience. I was the first, and only person there at 5 minutes before opening but the staff was ready to take my order and invite me to stay, so … I did. An old and aged sign placed high on the wall made a bold claim, “Caffe Reggio Original Cappuccino Since 1927”. So, I had one of those.
As I looked around the interior, I continued feeling a pull back into the past and back into another culture. The first item that caught my attention was hanging in the dim light just above eye level. A painting that looked … well … some kind-of-familiar to me. I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Are you looking at a Caravaggio here in Greenwich Village, in a café?” Then a short conversation with the owner cleared it up. Not quite a “Caravaggio” but a restored painting from the 16th century school of the Roman artist Caravaggio. A 16th-century painting from the school of Caravaggio, its provenance in dispute and its presence here thoroughly enchanting. Then I heard, “Sir, your cappuccino”. And I sat down at my table.
There in front of me, maybe 20 feet, was another old painting and below it a bench. As I sipped my coffee and peered ahead at that bench and its ornate carvings, the owner again began to speak. The history that he shared with me signaling the authenticity of that bench, led me to turn my eyes back toward the wall against which it set. That little corner of the café is like a teaser trailer for a whole mini‑series of Renaissance drama. With a Borgia looking down from the wall and Lorenzo de’ Medici’s crest carved into the bench, you’re literally sitting between two of the most notorious families in Italy’s history. If you’ve read even a bit about Florence, you’ll recognize how the Medici world of bankers, popes, and art patrons brushes up against the darker, rumor‑laden legend of the Borgias—ambition, poison, and papal power. It’s an oddly cozy place to start wondering how these families shaped the politics, art, and even the scandals of the Renaissance, and to follow that curiosity home into books, podcasts, or a return trip to Florence with new eyes.
Amongst the acclaimed eighty separate works of art in this café, another item stood out to me. It was a 1902 built espresso machine. Maybe not to you, but to a coffee hobbyist, that’s a piece of art. In the same vein as Café Vittoria, in the North End of Boston, is a museum to me with all its espresso machines on display. These machines, and this one particularly, are also awesome examples of engineering and craftsmanship. This one has a boiler design that allowed the use of gas or coal for heating. The piece is adorned with horses, angels, and additional intricate metal work and the spout system, gauges, and valves are a reminder of the engineering that was invested into this machine. It seems to have a history connecting both NYC and Italy, but one that raises as much imagination as historical fact … and that only adds to its enchanting mystery.
As I rose from my table, not truly desiring to leave just yet, I moved outside to one of their sidewalk tables and asked for that second cappuccino … one must not hurry away if one can linger.
Yes, this was an exciting morning for a curious traveler and an inquisitive mind. A reminder that people love to share stories as much as some of us are eager to hear them. An example why wandering can be rewarding as well as being healthy when you get those daily steps in. Caffe Reggio will certainly be a morning stop for me on any return trip to NYC. I would love to encourage you to seek this experience for yourself.
I settled into a sidewalk table with that second cappuccino, let the morning traffic of Greenwich Village wash past, and decided there was nowhere else I needed to be. Some places earn a second cup. This one earned it twice.
The Curious Table 