Caffe Reggio

119 MacDougal St./W. 3rd St., 212-475-9557. Daily 8am-3am; $. Cash only.

1902 cappuccino machine at Caffe Reggio in NYC

Opened in 1927, Caffe Reggio is America’s first cafe. And the very first American cappuccino was made here—the magnificent 1902 machine full of spiggots and spouts is on display. Nowadays you can get the usual coffee house drinks as well as a personal favorite—an Italian frappe monte-rosa (cherry iced frappe) made better yet with an additional shot of chocolate--and also salads, sandwiches, shakes, and sweets. More favorite drinks include a lavender latte, a minty mocha iced or hot, and lavender or rose lemonade. More than 80 works of art adorn the cafe, including an 18th-century Francesco the Younger titled “The Celebration of El Cid,” and right across the street is a three-story brownstone where Louisa May Alcott--the author of “Little Women,” once lived. Many scenes in the vintage 1950s bohemian movie starring Shelly Winters, Next Stop, Greenwich Village, were filmed here.