TIM’S FAVS: REVIEWING TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET’S FAVORITE EAST VILLAGE CAFES

By Abigail Zwirecki (Advertising, Marketing and Communications, ‘24)

Like almost every other teenage girl on this Earth (I hope), Timothée Chalamet lives in my mind rent-free. One may say being this much of a Timmy stan is unhealthy, but my friends and I agree that it’s a perfectly valid and normal lifestyle. As a fresh New Yorker, I decided to “live like Tim” and tried out some of his favorite food spots in N.Y.C. In February of 2018, according to Vogue, Chalamet recommended two trendy stops in East Village: Tompkins Square Bagels for breakfast, and MUD SPOT Cafe for a hot cup of coffee.

So, my roomie Katie Moran (Textile Surface Design, ‘24) and I set out for an adventure to cure our early morning hunger on a freezing February day. We decided to attempt the subway for the first time, but us being from Buffalo and Rochester as first-time New Yorkers, we struggled a bit. Luckily yet sadly, with the help of the New York Subway MTA app, we finally arrived within a few blocks of our first desired destination: Tompkins Square Bagels.

During the premiere of the Netflix Original movie, “The King” in 2019, fans asked Chalamet what his favorite bagel order was. He responded with the classic Bacon, Egg and Cheese (BEC). Timmy is a simple guy with a simple order, but we added some spice and chose an everything bagel instead. All we can say is that it was the best bagel we’ve ever had. It was huge, perfectly sliced down the center as cheese hung from both ends. The bacon had hints of maple, and the eggs almost melted in our mouth. We enjoyed our savory breakfast on a bench in Tompkins Square Park as we watched grungy skater boys scrape their knees. In conclusion, Tompkins Square Bagels blew us away.

Rating: 10/10

Soon after our delectable bagels, we walked not even a block away to his recommended coffee spot, MUD SPOT Cafe. Timothée has been spotted here many times, including once with his then-girlfriend, Lily-Rose Depp. When we walked in, the baristas were very kind and made our drinks in seconds. I ordered a classic coffee and my roommate a hot chocolate. The drinks were very necessary at this time as it thawed our fingers from the fierce wind. Each swig warmed us up and never made me too jittery either, a common problem of mine when it comes to caffeine. It was perfect, not too bitter but just right. She loved the frothy hot chocolate and said she’d get it for every East Village visit of ours. Overall, this spot gets a perfect score too! That’s not just me saying that because it’s Timmy’s preference, but truly because it was an amazing cup of joe. Yet, Timmy has great taste, so who are we even kidding!

Rating: 10/10

This whole experience was amazing. Not only the food, but the neighborhood and atmosphere of East Village really just sealed the deal. Both my roomie and I have agreed to come back for a second round as soon as possible. This experience would have been perfect, but we didn’t run into Timothée at all. Shucks. But, maybe next time around we’ll catch the star ordering a BEC. in-action.