Coffee Project NY Plants Its Flag in Hell's Kitchen
Coffee Project NY has expanded again, opening its seventh location at 840 9th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen, near the corner of West 55th Street. The space—which quietly opened in December—marks another step in the company’s decade-long journey from a single East Village shop to one of New York’s most ambitious specialty coffee operations.
A Familiar Approach in a New Neighborhood
Co-founder Chi Sum Ngai has a clear vision for what a Coffee Project NY café should feel like. “Our element has always been wood, leather and stone,” she told Daily Coffee News. “Warm lighting to bring out the ambiance.”
The Hell’s Kitchen location carries that same minimalist sensibility into a neighborhood better known for pre-theater crowds and walk-up pizza than pour-overs. For Ngai, that’s precisely the point. Coffee Project NY has always tried to meet people where they are, whether that’s a bustling Midtown sidewalk or a quiet corner in the East Village.
What’s on the Bar
The drinks lean signature without getting gimmicky. The Deconstructed Latte—a long-running menu staple—arrives with espresso, steamed milk, and foam separated, letting drinkers mix to their preference. The Kickass London Fog pairs Earl Grey syrup with an espresso shot, a caffeinated twist on the traditional steamer.
Seasonal rotations add variety: an iced pandan latte appears occasionally, as does an iced strawberry matcha. Both draw on Asian flavor profiles that reflect Ngai and co-founder Kaleena Teoh’s backgrounds.
Behind the bar, a two-group Victoria Arduino Eagle One pulls shots through a Mythos MyOne grinder. For batch and manual brewing, the team relies on a Mahlkönig EK43, Fetco batch brewers, and Origami Air S pour-over drippers.
From East Village to Seven Locations
Ngai and Teoh opened the original Coffee Project NY in the East Village in 2015. Neither came from coffee—they quit their corporate jobs to learn on the fly. What they lacked in pedigree they made up for in drive.
By 2026, the company runs seven cafés, a roastery in Long Island City, and New York State’s only SCA Premier Training Campus. That training facility has become central to their mission, hosting certification courses and their annual Women Coffee Roasters Scholarship, which heads to Medellín, Colombia this year.
The Long Island City roastery supplies all seven locations with house-roasted beans. That vertical integration—roasting, training, and retail under one umbrella—gives Coffee Project NY unusual control over quality and consistency.
Hell’s Kitchen Context
The neighborhood has seen a specialty coffee awakening in recent years. Culture Espresso, Ninth Street Espresso, and a handful of other serious shops now anchor different blocks. Coffee Project NY’s entry suggests Hell’s Kitchen can support another player—and that the company sees room for expansion in areas beyond its East Village and Lower Manhattan roots.
When asked about future openings, Ngai was characteristically direct: “If there is an opportunity, yes.”
Why This Matters
Coffee Project NY’s growth reflects a broader pattern in specialty coffee: companies that control their own roasting, train their own baristas, and build educational infrastructure tend to scale more sustainably than those that don’t. The Hell’s Kitchen location isn’t just a new café. It’s proof that the model works—and that New York still has appetite for thoughtful coffee in unexpected places.
The café is open now at 840 9th Avenue, Manhattan.