When I recently moved back home to Long Island from Brooklyn, I was delighted to return to more trees, nicer beaches, quiet nights and gardening, to name just a few things. But, it pains me, in all honesty, that despite our close proximity to “The Capital of the World” it is difficult to find a truly current, independent coffee roaster in all but a few corners of our fair isle. Along with arts, education, architecture and a refined culinary scene, excellent, fresh coffee is truly one of the great marks of a fully realized society.
Well, my caffeine loving neurons tingled when I entered Southdown Coffee to find the best cup of coffee this side of the Van Wyck. Having recently opened, Southdown is the only local specialty coffee roaster and café in the Huntington village area. The north shore just got more civilized.
Following in his Italian ancestors’ entrepreneurial footsteps, Mark Boccard established Southdown Coffee a stone’s throw from his great grandparents’ home of 70 years ago and a stroll from where his other great grandparents raised and sold vegetables and roasted coffee in the early 20th century. In the café you will find a few nods to that bygone era, but more memorable are Mark’s perfectly prepared espresso drinks, coffees and the exceptional maple latte.
With bespoke floorboards salvaged from a southern tobacco farm, muted, yet sophisticated décor, Southdown coffee, promises a hip, yet humble café where serious, and less serious coffee drinkers can unwind, upwind, or rewind, whatever their mood or caffeine craving may be. In addition to coffee, you can find excellent baked goods from Huntington’s Fiorello Dolce, as well as fresh made sandwiches and teas.
While at Southdown, Mark and his partner Jackie are always interested to talk brews, pours, pulls, beans and about sourcing single-origin coffees from the farms they buy from in Rwanda, Honduras, Brazil, Ethiopia and beyond. For the curious, Southdown promises to offer educational events where attendees can expand their knowledge of “specialty” coffee and take place in a cupping or two.
If you’re near Huntington, you no longer need to travel unthinkable distances to reach that café you have been looking for, Southdown Coffee has you covered.
