St Kilda Coffee

Four two-top tables sharing a single bench along one wall seat about eight people at this Hell's Kitchen cafe, alongside espresso drinks, pastries and tea. The room sits below street level, so light comes from overhead fixtures rather than a window, and there's no restroom on site. It's quiet enough to hold a conversation without straining to be heard, without being dead. A second location, on West 44th Street, is a few blocks south on Restaurant Row.