Yunong Shi
Google
Pull-Tab Coffee just opened near Bryant Park, replacing my favorite Yomi Yogurt and Jianbing. It’s only been a few weeks. But this is New York, after all—a city with a short memory. Old places vanish. New ones arrive, almost without pause. I walked in with cautious hope, half-expecting another Asian drink shop chasing the crowd’s endless appetite for something new.
I tried the Iced Orange Americano. Probably not the wisest decision for a late afternoon—sugar and caffeine, enemies of sleep—but I’m still glad I did. It was vibrant, refreshing. Heavy on citrus, light on bitterness. Once stirred, the coffee slipped into the background, but the drink stayed smooth and easy.
They use custom-built equipment instead of the usual La Marzocco or Synesso machines I tend to look for to gauge coffee quality—a quiet arm wrestle between the industrial standardization of Asian coffee-chain and the mechanical soul of old-school Italian craftsmanship. After all, the coffee doesn’t disappoint.
I also tried a few baked goods. The Original Butter Toast was crisp and sweet, like a grown-up version of milk toast. I love that it’s small snack size that doesn’t make you feel guilty finish it at once. The Salted Butter Bread was cute, but just way too plain, you feel that you are chewing paper, no butter or salt taste. The Uni Croissant is the best among them, instantly bringing you to a buzzing Hongkong cafe, with its rich, flavorful and slightly oily taste. However, to be honest, they are boring despite the gesture of giving you something new.
The shop itself is lively—playful murals, a surfboard on the wall, a kind of curated looseness meant for the young or the young-at-heart. The staff, busy but kind, handed out a free necklace with each order. A small plastic-y token, again, low quality offering for the sake of providing something new.
In an age obsessed with chasing the next Instagrammable moment, hope this one lingers a little longer in New York’s fleeting memory.