After stepping off my JetBlue redeye it was time for a very important ritual at New York JFK: coffee at the TWA Hotel. Don’t miss it.
Great Cofee At TWA Hotel – New York JFK
My flight landed at 5:50 am so I actually had to wait a bit in the gate area outside my plane for the 7:00 am…but as 7:00 am approached I headed out through Terminal 5, past a Starbucks with a huge gaggle of people, and downstairs to baggage claim.
From there, I made my way to a small door on the right side marked “TWA Hotel” and took the stairs up one level.
And then I stepped back in time. You step out into the red-carpeted tunnel that takes you from the T5 to the JetBlue terminal and the beautiful Eero Saarinen-designed terminal.
But the purpose of my walk was not to gaze in at the beauty of the TWA Hotel but to stop at Intelligentsia for coffee, located adjacent to the check-in desks near the entrance. Intelligentsia is now owned by a major German conglomerate called JAB Holding Company based in Luxembourg (that also owns Peet’s Coffee, Caribou Coffee, Stumptown, and Keurig), but somehow the coffee has not suffered…it remains my favorite of all coffee chains.
I ordered a cortado, an espresso mixed with a roughly equal amount of warm milk. It’s strong and it hits the spot, especially as your first coffee of the day.
It’s true I had access to a host of lounges that I could have gone to instead for coffee, but sadly the coffee in the SoHo, Greenwich, and even Chelsea Lounges in Terminal 8 simply do not compare. Nor do the wide range of Priority Pass lounges, even the Virgin Atlantic Lounge in T4 that offers barista-made coffee and a respectable machine, but the folks in the lounge always scald the coffee and have no idea how to foam milk.
Bottom line: if you’re looking for good coffee at JFK, head to the TWA Hotel. Note that hours are limited and seem to change all the time, but it is currently open daily from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm.
> Read More: Great Coffee At New York JFK Airport
@ Matthew — This is the martest way to check out this hotel without paying for a subpar, gimmicky room. When spending a night or two at JFK, better to sleep at the Hyatt Regency at Resorts World.
100% agreed.
Have you stayed in the hotel? If so, would you say it was worth it?
I’ve never stayed and heard only bad things about it. If I needed to overnight, I agree with Gene that the Hyatt is the best choice.
We stayed one night proir to a flight to London, doing a 6pm check out the next day. We went for the history and architecture. We enjoyed all the displays and cocktails in Connie. The restaurant food was pretty decent.
Our favorite was the pool’s view of the runway.
I wouldn’t make a point of staying again but it was fun for one night.
One night and never again sounds right.
typo: Pretty sure you meant owned, not earned.
Intelligentsia is now earned by a major German conglomerate called
Thanks! Fixed.
Looks cool, one of these days I’ll get to the TWA hotel. So many memories of walking down those tunnels to get to the gates for my many JFK-LAX flights. I’d usually end up in Ambassador Class on either L-1011 or the 747 (upper deck).
looking dapper as always kiddo <3
He should have taken his shirt off for it.
+1
Matthew’s gotten his smoulder down pat.
There is an Intelligentsia probably 200m from my house in downtown Austin, and I don’t go there. I’ve been probably 3 times and the employees are almost aggressively rude. I’ve never felt comfortable or welcome. Turned me off from the brand. I can’t even remember if I liked the coffee or not.
Love your coffee reviews and posts! I find them extremely helpful when Globe trotting. Also always struggled with JFK to get good coffee. Now I know where to go – thanks!
Thanks Rob! If you do have access to Terminal 4, the coffee in the Delta One and Virgin lounges are very acceptable.