East One Coffee Roasters Opens Ambitious Roastery Café in Brooklyn

East One Coffee Roasters photo by Ethan Covey.

The menu at the newly opened East One Coffee Roasters in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., opens with the line, “coffee is a fruit.” This simple declaration reflects not only the new company’s core business as a roastery café, but also its culinary essence as a full-on, all-day restaurant.

The coffee bar. East One Coffee Roasters photo by Ethan Covey.

East One Founders Tom Cummings and Morten Tjelum — the creators of two London, UK, coffee shops, New Row Coffee and FreeState Coffee, which opened in 2012 and 2013, respectively — said they envision the new Brooklyn shop as sitting at the intersection of exceptional quality and approachable food.

The dining room. East One Coffee Roasters photo by Ethan Covey.

That intersection is marked by interrelated spaces, including a café area that takes cues from Scandinavian design principles, and a 75-seat eating area that looks directly into the East One roasting area, where a Diedrich IR-12 roasting machine is in full view behind a glass wall. East One has enlisted the help of licensed Q-grader and former Rook Coffee roaster and green buyer James Stahon to direct East One’s coffee operation.

East One Coffee Roasters photo by Ethan Covey.

“Utilizing lighter to medium style roasts, East One’s coffee program will have ‘go to’ staple coffee options, as well as coffees with more unusual flavor profiles, enabling James to experiment with coffees from around the world,” East One said in an announcement of the opening last week, adding that initial greens for the shop have been sourced through the U.S. affiliate of Axiom Coffee Ventures and Brooklyn’s Crop to Cup. “East One will be developing a wholesale program for restaurants and coffee shops that are interested in bolstering or adding to their current coffee options.”

East One Coffee Roasters photo by Ethan Covey.

All espresso drinks at the shop will be prepared with the recently introduced Slayer Steam machine.

As breakfast time gives way to lunch — it’s worth noting that East One has launched with separate weekend and weekday menus — the food menu transitions to appetizer plates and lunch entrees, while offering beer, wine and cocktails in addition to its coffee items. The Kitchen is being led by Will Ono, whose experience includes stints at New York’s Clocktower, Chez Moi and La Fonda del Sol.

East One Coffee Roasters photo by Ethan Covey.

East One Coffee Roasters is now open at 384 Court Street in Brooklyn, N.Y., in a space previously long held by the Italian restaurant Casa Rosa.