Where to find cheap coffee in New York: cafes with prices starting at $2,5 per cup

Residents of the Big Apple have never had to pay so much for coffee. Inflation forces traders to raise prices. NYPost is about a New York espresso bar that sells coffee for $2,50 a cup.

Upper West Side espresso bar Casa Salvo is a place like no other thanks to chef and creator Salvo Lo Castro. He believes that joy comes from good things coffee should be experienced by people of all income levels.

The cafe offers espresso, lattes and other drinks for just $2,50—less than half the average price for a good cup of coffee in New York City these days.

"I make coffee, and coffee should be a drink for everyone, not something unusual,” the Sicily native said of his new establishment, located at 473 Amsterdam Ave. on 83rd Street.

Amazing prices

At Casa Salvo, every drink on the menu, from a quick espresso to a luxurious cappuccino with pistachio cream, costs $2,50. That's the same as an Americano at 7-Eleven and half the average drink at Starbucks.

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The man has been in business for 30 years. He has worked everywhere from five-star hotels to the Vatican. How does he manage to keep the price so low?

Lo Castro is a brand ambassador for Dokito, a Roman coffee supplier. This allows him to get good beans - a curious blend of 80% Arabica, 10% pistachio and 10% Ethiopian - on the cheap.

Coffee like home

But there's more to this story than just a mutually beneficial business agreement. The idea came about after Lo Castro, who moved to the United States in 2022, wanted to replicate the same coffee culture in the United States as at home. In Sicily, an espresso often costs little more than $1 and is usually served in no time.

“In Italy, the price of coffee is low: you come, drink your drink and leave. “I don’t want people to stay an hour for a cup of coffee,” the businessman noted and joked that in this case he would charge $15 per cup.

The establishment itself has no indoor seating - only six tables for 12 customers outside.

Price increase

The average cost of coffee in the city has jumped to $6 to $7 per cup after surcharges, taxes and tips are factored in.

The rise in price is caused by several factors, including rising prices for rent and goods. Unstable weather, for example in Vietnam, also affects the harvest.

Drought has prevented the harvesting of Robusta coffee beans here. They are used in many traditional espresso blends and instant coffee. This has led to an increase in the cost of lattes around the world.

Labor costs should be considered. In April, Starbucks raised its already inflated prices in California. The company needed to compensate for the costs incurred in connection with the establishment of a $20 minimum wage in the Golden State.

As in Italy, the key to Casa Salvo's success will be volume, Lo Castro said. Fortunately, lovers of the aromatic invigorating drink are already making their way to the door of his establishment.

Italian pastry

Since opening in May, Lo Castro said he has "sold 7500 cups of coffee" at Casa Salvo. The establishment offers affordable pasta, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto and other items.

And instead of the usual crumbly cupcakes and petrified buns, the drinks here are complemented by Italian pastries like cannoli and bombolini - the filled donuts beloved by Italians. There is also cornetti with pistachio cream.

Initial reviews of the establishment are mostly positive. One customer described the espresso as "perfection - rich, smooth and aromatic."

Casa Salvo's strategy is not new.

Israeli company Matto Espresso has opened locations in the city and nearby New Jersey. Her coffee drinks cost $3. The company boasts 35 locations, mostly in Manhattan.

And at the legendary Porto Rico Importing Co. coffee shop, which has been around for over 100 years, you could buy coffee with milk for a couple of dollars. Now they have raised the price to $3,77.

Lo Castro, who plans to open a second location in July near Columbus Circle, said he has no plans to increase the price of the drink in the foreseeable future.

“I will maintain the established price - even for openings during 2025,” he promised.