BITES ON A BUDGET is a toothsome and tasty series where members of the OC family forage for great food––under $10!
Classic Coffee Shop, a tiny lunch counter located at 56 Hester St., takes its name seriously. You won't find anything remotely modern at either of its two tables or in your coffee mug, where Classic's "No soy, No foam, No pretense" motto holds sway. You will, however, find NYC lunch standards like grilled cheese with ham, thick tuna melts, and mouthwatering egg-creams, all at vintage prices.
I enjoyed a turkey, egg, and cheese bagel for $4.50 and a coffee for $1, while my friend Tom added an egg cream to his ham, egg, and cheese roll for $6.50 in total, including tax. Classic Coffee Shop packs a lot of ambiance into its hole-in-the-wall interior—throwback newspaper clippings, black-and-white photos, and Mickey Mantle memorabilia cover the walls, while old-school jazz tunes drown out the streets of Chinatown only a few feet away.
CLASSIC COFFEE SHOP
56 Hester St.
New York, NY, 10013
Map![]()
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My turkey, egg, and cheese bagel.
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Tom's ham, egg, cheese on a roll
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Tom's egg-cream
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Classic Coffee Shop, a tiny lunch counter located at 56 Hester St., takes its name seriously. You won't find anything remotely modern at either of its two tables or in your coffee mug, where Classic's "No soy, No foam, No pretense" motto holds sway. You will, however, find NYC lunch standards like grilled cheese with ham, thick tuna melts, and mouthwatering egg-creams, all at vintage prices.
I enjoyed a turkey, egg, and cheese bagel for $4.50 and a coffee for $1, while my friend Tom added an egg cream to his ham, egg, and cheese roll for $6.50 in total, including tax. Classic Coffee Shop packs a lot of ambiance into its hole-in-the-wall interior—throwback newspaper clippings, black-and-white photos, and Mickey Mantle memorabilia cover the walls, while old-school jazz tunes drown out the streets of Chinatown only a few feet away.
CLASSIC COFFEE SHOP
56 Hester St.
New York, NY, 10013
Map
![](http://www.openingceremony.us/userfiles/image/news/may12/052412-classic-coffee/052412-coffeeshop10.jpg)
![](http://www.openingceremony.us/userfiles/image/news/may12/052412-classic-coffee/052412-coffeeshop_3.jpg)
![](http://www.openingceremony.us/userfiles/image/news/may12/052412-classic-coffee/052412-coffeeshop_1.jpg)
My turkey, egg, and cheese bagel.
![](http://www.openingceremony.us/userfiles/image/news/may12/052412-classic-coffee/052412-coffeeshop_2.jpg)
![](http://www.openingceremony.us/userfiles/image/news/may12/052412-classic-coffee/052412-coffeeshop_6.jpg)
![](http://www.openingceremony.us/userfiles/image/news/may12/052412-classic-coffee/052412-coffeeshop_4.jpg)
Tom's ham, egg, cheese on a roll
![](http://www.openingceremony.us/userfiles/image/news/may12/052412-classic-coffee/052412-coffeeshop_5.jpg)
Tom's egg-cream
![](http://www.openingceremony.us/userfiles/image/news/may12/052412-classic-coffee/052412-coffeeshop_9.jpg)