On November 1, 1696, John Hutchins bought a two acre plot of land on Broadway between Trinity Churchyard and Cedar Street. Here he built a house which became The King's Arms, the city's first coffee house. Visitors could enjoy views of the Harbor on the rooftop lounge, have privacy in curtained off booths, or meet in the public main room. Today the King's Arms and its surrounding green space has been replaced by the Trinity Building and bustling streets. Although the coffee house is long gone its importance in starting coffee house culture in New York cannot be understated.

On Broadway across the street from Bowling Green once stood a two-story home called the DeLancey House. Sometime in the early 18th century the house was converted into Burns' Coffee House, which provided both public and private spaces for people to socialize and conduct day-to-day business. Burns' Coffee House entered the history books on October 31, 1765 when local merchants signed the New York Non-Importation Agreement in direct opposition of the Stamp Act. Merchants across the colonies shortly followed suit and agreed to not important items from Britain. Although Burns' Coffee House is now replaced by the Bowling Green Building, the location served as an important stepping stone in America gaining its independence from Great Britain.

At the corner of Wall and Water streets once stood one of the most important buildings in American financial history: Tontine Coffee House. Purchased as an investment in 1791 and reopening to the public in 1793 under its new name, the Tontine Coffee House provided New York City merchants a place to trade stock, register cargo, and socialize with one another. What sets this coffee house apart from the others is that it became headquarters for the 24 merchants who signed the Buttonwood Agreement of 1792– the foundations of the New York Stock Exchange. Although Tontine Coffee House was demolished in Spring 1855 its spirit and influence lives on in the current New York Stock Exchange at Broad and Wall Streets. Today, an office building stands where this goliath financial institution first began.

Brown's Coffee House and Dining Saloon was one of the last coffee houses of old New York. The building's structural foundations came from the Stadt Huys, the City Hall of New Amsterdam. Opening its doors on August 12, 1846 at 71 Pearl Street, Brown's tried to evolve with the times and provide men with more drink and food options. Unfortunately the widespread popularity of taverns and restaurants along with the neighborhood's decline in reputation pushed Brown's Coffee House to close by 1900. One of the last remnants of coffee house culture Brown's Coffee House is today replaced by a busy street with towering buildings, shops, and a small park.

While not a coffee house per se , Wall Street was once known as Coffee House Slip due to its connections to the coffee trade. Here, local and traveling merchants traded and sold their cargo and stock to one another. Many times these exchanges would take place within the walls of a coffee house on Wall Street or one nearby. Coffee House Slip and the businesses on it provided the foundations to build New York City into the financial, political, and social powerhouse it still is today.