Coffee in Upper East Side

A French bakery counter at the front with tables behind it, on York Avenue in Yorkville. Croissants and tarts out of the case, and a short savory menu for lunch and dinner. It runs to 10pm on a Thursday and Friday, which is not something bakeries usually do.

Monday 7:30am to 6pm, Tuesday and Wednesday to 9pm, Thursday and Friday to 10pm, Saturday 8am to 10pm, Sunday 8am to 5pm

A lunch counter that opened in 1925 and was last remodelled in 1948, which is the layout you walk into now. The candy side came in 1930 and went away after the war, so what is left is the fountain and the griddle. They still mix a Coke from syrup and soda in front of you. Stools at the counter, a handful of booths behind.

Mon to Fri, 7am to 5:45pm. Sat, 8am to 5:45pm. Sun, 8am to 4pm

A small café on a tree-lined block of 75th between First and York, roasting its own coffee and not doing much else. A few seats are inside and a bench is out front. The line is four people at worst. It is the closest real coffee to Bohemian National Hall and it opens at seven on a weekday.

Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pm. Sat and Sun, 8am to 5pm

A narrow Milanese café on 73rd just off Madison, dark wood and a crowded bar, doing espresso and pressed panini from eight in the morning. The cappuccino is the thing people come back for and the sandwiches are made to order behind the counter. There is a proper kitchen at the back doing pasta if you want to sit down, but the front is where it works as a stop.

Mon to Fri, 8am to 10pm. Sat and Sun, 9am to 10pm. The kitchen closes at 9:30pm