Reprinted with permission from Downtown Alliance.
It is a particular when-in-Manhattan kind of joy to spot a beautiful building and courtyard while en route to a new establishment, only to realize that’s your destination. That is the feeling when approaching the newly opened Lower Manhattan outpost of Remi Flower & Coffee, a combination coffee and flower shop that makes full use of its 2,100-square-foot space at 130 William St.
The shop — the company’s third location and first in Lower Manhattan — is a bright, colorful and welcoming burst of life that spills out into the David Adjaye–designed building’s courtyard, a landscaped marvel set back from the street, lined on three walls made of arching loggias. At first glance, it appears to be a faded and cherished relic of ancient Manhattan architecture, but it’s actually the unique castle-like facade of a 60-story residential skyscraper.
Inside, half of the cafe is the flower shop, which offers fresh flowers, succulents, gifts and dried bouquets. The flowers spill across the entire space, bracketing cafe tables and eventually lining a flower pond in the back.
The coffee shop itself embraces the vibrant florals of the varietals it houses. The menu has the usual espressos and teas, but also offers a bouquet of unique flavors, like tiramisu, lavender and beet lattes. The cold drinks come in refreshing flavors, like butterfly orangeade and berry rose ade. A pastry shelf offers croissants, danishes and muffins.
The shop combines its offerings in a special deal, too: You can get a small drink and a small bud vase arrangement for $30, with a little carrier to hold both.
The Butterfly Orangeade at Remi.
Once you’ve got your drink, you’ve got a real dilemma: do you enjoy it among the flowers of the cafe’s indoor tables, or sit outside in the sun-shaded courtyard and sip it among the trees? It’s a good problem to have, and one you won’t find anywhere else in Lower Manhattan but at Remi.