Hanging out at Hybrid Coffee and Kitchen
Hybrid Coffee and Kitchen is the fantastic new coffee shop at 398 Manila Ave. Situated on the ground floor of Villa Borinquen, the cheerful airy space was formerly home to a chiropractor and a hair salon. While it is the first food establishment in the spot, it is not owner Evan Santiago’s first business venture. Well known in the community for his Hybrid Coffee trailer at Exchange Place, he briefly set up a brick-and-mortar store in the Heights before settling into this, his permanent location. The coffee is super smooth, the food is solid, and there is a vintage PAC MAN machine. What’s not to love?
So first the coffee. All the classic barista-prepared drinks are here. There is drip coffee and cold brew, an extensive selection of lattes, teas and homemade chai. Breakfast and lunch items include croissants, babkas, Crema (Latin-style porridge), acai bowls, granola, avocado toast, egg dishes and a scrumptious chocolate bread pudding.
Hybrid is open from 8am to 4pm from Monday to Saturday. While the interior is lovely (lots of warm wood and gold and yellow tones including a plush velour sofa), there is also outdoor seating to enjoy as we finally head into sweater weather. There is such a friendly, local vibe here – on our first visit Santiago’s children were working the counter alongside the rest of the top-notch staff. Such a great addition to the neighborhood, this is. Santiago himself is a lifelong Jersey City resident and it’s a pleasure to watch his business continue to evolve.
@Drinkhybrid https://hybridcoffee.square.site/