Roslyn is a food town, boasting various shiny brands coming out of Manhattan — Okaru, T-Bar and Felice, but it’s also a close-knit community that didn’t have a local coffee shop. Enter Sweet Harbor Coffee, a cozy, family-owned cafe with seating for 14 and a tight menu of perfectly executed espresso drinks.
Dotted with beach-themed photos from the East End and back issues of Montauk’s Whalebone magazine, owners Alexis and Joe Jensen wanted the space to embody “Long Island summer energy all year-round.” Alexis grew up in Roslyn and spent much time in Greenport as a kid; Joe grew up in Bayside, Queens.
Outside Sweet Harbor Coffee in Roslyn. Credit: Newsday/Marie Elena Martinez
The easy-drinking opening coffee is an exclusive medium to dark blend for Sweet Harbor from Shared Roasting, a wholesaler in Brooklyn. From that base, they plan to expand to various blends and single origin offerings. “We’re trying to keep it simple, with classic espresso drinks and a few specialties,” said Alexis. Iced lattes ($6) are clearly top sellers, with the seasonal special — a maple sea salt latte ($6.50) — being the most requested; on a recent day, one party ordered eight of them. The other current special is a dirty cardamom rose chai ($7.25) that the Jensens plan to make a regular menu item. Espresso starts at $3.75, cappuccinos at $5.25, and non-coffee drinks include hot and iced tea ($4), hot chocolate ($4.50) and matcha lattes ($6.50).
Alexis, who grew up in a restaurant family, explained that hospitality “was always a part of our daily life — like trips to Restaurant Depot and dinner conversations around the industry and entrepreneurship.” Having worked in a Manhattan coffee shop when she was younger, she dreamed of owning her own. “But it was like one of those dreams that everybody just says ‘would be cool.’” After working in social media marketing for hotels and restaurants, she found her way back to coffee. Joe and Alexis started dating in high school and eventually moved to Brooklyn together, falling in love over brews at the borough’s many cafes.
Joe comes from a construction background, so when the pair found the Roslyn space that would become Sweet Harbor, they knew they wanted to bring in some Brooklyn elements like the vintage exposed brick look that anchors the shop. Renovations unearthed a brick chimney, a wood ceiling beam, giving the Jensens a lot to work with.
“We said the one thing that would get us out of Brooklyn and back to Long Island would be if we had a baby or started our dream business,” Joe said. As it turns out, both of those things happened at the same time. A family affair, the Jensens’ three month old, Nora, is an equally large part of the story.
“I was pregnant the whole time that we were launching this and once she was born, when we weren’t open yet, she would be taking naps in her bassinet stroller,” Alexis said. “She’s just been with us the whole time.”
Sweet Harbor Coffee, 1355 Old Northern Blvd., Roslyn, 516-662-5115. Open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.