Robert G.
Yelp
Coffee East or West: East! (1 of 2)
I had bookmarked St. Simon Coffee pursuant to seeing it on a list and having it discussed on here. And, while people are singing the praises for its coffee, I can still review the place because I was a customer, albeit a consumer of iced tea and a cookie on a hot afternoon. That said, I couldn't have even opted for hot tea on a day that was as warm as that one.
First, I will state that the people who work here are extremely pleasant. They seem to know their regulars by name. On the neutral end of the spectrum, what I ate and drank was rather ordinary. On the minus side, it was a little pricey and, with regard to the $2.75 cookie with what might have been strawberry frosting, it completely fell apart as I took off the wrapper such that a lot of it was inedible. The interior of the store is smaller than I would have expected. The tabletops are very small such that you can't spread out things in front of you. I guess the point is to mimic a European cafe' where you guzzle down your Eurocoffee, either at a small table or at one of the counter height tables here, and move on. Clearly, take out is an option and seems to be a popular one.
I did not ask about the etymology of the name St. Simon. It's interesting that, here, we have a saint's name in Irvington, where people are more apt to be "spiritual" rather than religious. But, hey, it's trendy to put a saint's name on things and places since it seemingly kicks up their cachet. One example of this that immediately comes to mind is tony St. Armand's Circle in Sarasota, Florida. So, all you coffee aficionados can give St. Simon Coffee 4 and 5 stars, which they probably handily earn for their principal endeavor. However, I've never had much of an "Irving tone," so I'd probably take someone up on their offer to "do lunch" on St. Armand's Circle as long as they pick up the tab.