"Owner Paolo Maliksi is Filipino American and created Alita with his business partner Alejandro Ceballos to bring innovative coffee techniques, homemade food, and traditional hospitality into one place. (“Alita” is a nickname for Alejandro’s abuela.) The cafe is located in East Williamsburg, and they serve delicious coffee using Regalia, a roasting company which Maliksi also co-owns with his wife as part of the Regalia Roasting Collective—a shared roasting space for aspiring roasters and coffee entrepreneurs. You can’t go wrong with the classic drip coffee and a BEC sandwich, and we like to enjoy both while people watching from their outdoor seating area." - esther cho, with warm welcome, kenny yang