Smith Canteen

Welcomed by warm and witty baristas singing along to Carole King, I joined in while I gazed out of the window sipping on an aromatic cup of jasmine tea. Smith Canteen is as pleasant a coffeehouse you will find in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of SW Brooklyn. They also have a lot of love for Mother Earth, bring your own mug and you are rewarded with a 10% discount. 💚

They made a really good flat white (it’s off-menu, but really not much of a stretch, and they knew what it was). They have a pretty extensive food selection compared to otherwise similar coffee shops. They have a bunch of baked goods and don’t seem to sell out early. They also make sandwiches and salads, although not fresh—they seem to be sitting in a refrigerator case below the baked goods display, which is a bit of a downside in my view and might stop me from coming here for lunch. The pumpkin bread was good, about average for good, bakery/coffee shop pumpkin bread, but still good. But really, the flat white was objectively good from the first sip, with or without a lid (if there’s too much foam, a lid can remedy the situation, but it wasn’t necessary here). The staff was a little surly, but I was also admittedly a little distracted as I ordered. Here’s seating for maybe 15. I didn’t see a public restroom. It’s right by the Carroll street subway station.