Forum Coffee Opens in Downtown Hoboken, Plans 8-10 More Shops

Howard Bryman | April 8, 2025

The new Forum Coffee location in Hoboken, NJ. The company said it is planning eight to 10 new locations in the state. All images courtesy of Forum Coffee.

The third location of New Jersey-based Forum Coffee is now open for business in downtown Hoboken, offering a small gathering place for discussion over brews of freshly roasted coffees and light bites.

Past the Corinthian capital logo on the window is a cafe with a European-by-way-of-New York City style, with black and white mosaic tile floors, exposed brick walls and a counter fronted in deep blue subway tile. The Washington Street space was formerly occupied by the coffee shop Pour Amor.

“The interior design of Forum is reminiscent of an upscale Parisian cafe,” Forum Coffee Director of Marketing Bobby Grogan told Daily Coffee News. “[It has] a timeless aesthetic, while our coffee machinery is state-of-the-art and best-in-class.”

In keeping with Forum’s first two shops — the original in East Hanover and the second in Livingston — the new Forum offers manual pourovers plus batch brews, as well as a full slate of classic espresso drinks, cold brews, teas, flavored and frozen lattes, mochas, smoothies and shakes.

Grogan said that while a 2-group espresso machine might be common for similarly sized cafes, Forum opts to pair Mahlkönig on-demand grinders with a 3-group La Marzocco espresso machine to balance traditional craft while also supporting the large drinks menu.

“This costs more [than a 2-group], but allows for handcrafted espresso drinks quicker without utilizing automatic machinery, where that magic of the drink, we think, is lost,” said Grogan.

For roasting, the family-owned company works with a toll roasting company in Pennsylvania, sending it only certified-organic green coffees.

Forum sources milk from a local dairy, while preparing a pistachio nut milk in-house using a NuMilk system. Cold-press juice machines squeeze fresh oranges in each cafe, while affogatos are made with organic soft serve. Forum’s milkshakes are spun by hand using classic milkshake spindles.

For food, Forum offers fresh cannoli and other pastries, plus quiche and egg sandwiches on the savory side.

Forum Coffee was founded with no outside investors in 2024 by married partners Courtney Foti, who leads operations, and Phelan McGreal, who manages the cafes. Following a mission to “redefine the New Jersey coffee experience,” the company is planning to expand its retail footprint in the Garden State. Grogan said the goal is for eight to 10 new North Jersey locations by this summer.

“While it seems we are growing aggressively, every one of our locations has been heavily vetted and scrutinized. We will never sacrifice quality for growth,” said Grogan. “We will only continue to grow to the extent that we can maintain the quality our customers have come to know and expect.”