The King's Arms, established in 1696 by Lieutenant John Hutchins, was the first coffeehouse in colonial New York City. It featured a wooden structure with a yellow brick front imported from Holland and had an observatory on the roof. The coffeehouse, distinct from taverns, served as a business hub where merchants, magistrates, and overseers met regularly. It offered private booths on the main floor and meeting rooms upstairs, and became a central gathering place for New York's early commercial life. The coffeehouse became a hub for merchants and colonial officials, distinguishing itself from taverns by its focus on business.

 William Penn makes his first purchase of coffee in the green bean from New York merchants in 1683. 

Illustration taken from&nbsp;'All About Coffee'&nbsp;by William H UkersLeft, Smith Richards, grocer and confectioner, "at the sign of the tea canister and two sugar loaves" (1773); center, the King's Arms, originally Burns coffee house (1767); right, George Webster, Grocer, "at the sign of the three sugar loaves"

Illustration taken from 'All About Coffee' by William H Ukers

Broadway between Crown (now Liberty) Street and Little Queen (now Cedar) Street,

The 1st Coffee House in New York

Coffeehouses in 17th-century Britain were called “Penny Universities,” and they were gathering places for academics, artists, and intellectuals.