Critic Rating: 8.5/10

Location: 68-04 Burns St, Queens, NY 11375

If there is one thing that I constantly reaffirm my self image of being a New Yorker, it’s my ability to spend far too much money on coffee with no self-reprimand for my negligence. Indeed, I absolutely love getting a really good iced latte or cold brew before setting out on whatever my Saturday requires of me. 

In Forest Hills, you can find quite a selection of places to get your daily coffee fix on the main drags, Red Pipe, Starbucks, and La Boulangerie, just to name a few. So imagine my surprise when I heard about a new cafe opening just off Burns Street in the very secluded and peaceful backwaters of the neighborhood near the stadium. Curiosity kills the cat, and so I just had to give it a shot. 

The space is really nice, it’s a very minimalist yet cozy vibe inside. There are a decent number of tables and chairs to lounge and get work done, alongside plug sockets for people to charge their devices. Many people were taking advantage of the space for working and writing. 

Iced Forest Latte

Their signature beverage is the Forest Latte. It’s an iced latte with your choice of milk, with maple syrup and a dusting of cinnamon. I was pleasantly surprised by how balanced it was. The espresso was really good, very smooth and had a very distinct, yet not too overpowering flavor. I really liked the maple syrup as the sweetener in the drink. Usually you find a sugar syrup as the sweetener in coffee and it can easily become overly sweet and unpleasant. But the maple syrup added a really nice natural sweetness, as well as a rich caramel flavor that really complemented the espresso. And the dusting of cinnamon just added to that natural sweetness, and I really enjoyed the really subtle role it plays in the drink. It was super sippable, and is the perfect, easily drinkable, caffeinated pick me up that you need to start your weekend. 

A latte is $6.80. While that may seem a bit steep, I actually don’t think it’s that bad compared to other options. A large boba can easily set you back $5-7, and a grande latte at starbucks with vanilla syrup is also $6.80, and starbucks serves a far lower quality of espresso. So I think it’s a pretty good option. 

Croffle 

On another day, I came back and had a try at the croffle. A croffle is a croissant-waffle hybrid. It’s a croissant dough pressed into a waffle machine. This was surprisingly good, the croffle had a very buttery and layered dough, as one would expect from a croissant, but also had a very nice sweet-crusted exterior. It was a really nice snack, and they make it in a few different flavors. While I enjoyed it as a snack, it would be nice to see some more substantial food options, if you wanted a light breakfast with your coffee. It also wasn’t too badly priced at $4.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience at the Forest Cafe, and wouldn’t hesitate to make it one of my regular caffeine fixes.