Penstock Coffee Shop & Roastery

Gets busy at peak times, and usually busy. Get there early for the the best selection of baked goods. Best cafe hangout in town. I haven't had a single complaint and I've been here many times. May be pricey to some, but it's great quality that I'm glad to pay for as a treat. Food is delicious and light, coffee is excellent. Gluten free options etc.

*2023 update: Pictured food items are discontinued from the menu and no longer available.

Penstock Coffee Roasters is, without a doubt, the best coffee shop in the area. Every time I visit New Jersey, I make it a point to stop by and get my morning coffee fix here. The quality of their coffee is unparalleled, and their pourover is simply outstanding. The baristas at Penstock are highly skilled and consistently deliver exceptional beverages.

This is a cute, hometown type coffee shop. They have awesome lattes! I love their fall specials, pictured here is the apple maple latte. Online ordering is convenient if you're on the go. If you can stay and dine in, then they have a delightful playlist and a nice vibe. I also love looking at the latte art. On the weekends they have cruffins (croissant dough made into a muffin) and other delicious pastries.

Pastries here are truly delicious. Some of the best I’ve ever had within and outside the US. Wonderful atmosphere and coffee to go with the pastries.

This is the type of local coffee shop that seals the deal for someone to decide to move to the neighborhood.

They are serious about their coffee,

I’m not much of a coffee expert but I know this much,

Had the batch brew, medium roast? Light body, easy to drink, floral, tad slightly fruity. Way above any chain coffee. Pair with their house baked goods? 🤌🤌🤌🤌🤌

I had their croissant, you can see the pic posted with this review. Layers and layers, air pockets and air pockets!! Light and savory, perfectly satiating. A bite of that and a sip of the coffee? 🤌🤌🤌🤌

Beside the tangible consumables, what a business like penstock provides is beyond the usual metrics. You can tell by the way the staff interact with each other. A real sense of a community, authenticity.

I attended one of the latte art classes here so I figured that I would share my experience if anybody else was considering taking it also. The class is a bit pricey for what it is -$55 for a two hour class but in all honesty if you go in with reasonable expectations and know what you want to improve on ahead of time you can actually take away a lot from those 2 hours. Watching videos of latte art online definitely helps, but actually seeing the process in person and being able to ask specific questions really does help much more than you would think. Thank you for the excellent class - I will be taking the intermediate course next!

Got the iced latte with oat milk. Easy to customize/substitute with coffee.
There are lots of house coffee varieties available for purchase. The overall ambience is very bright and ventilated. Perfect to read a book or work
The servers are kind! Definitely coming back here.
Free Parking space available right beside the shop.

Love this place! It's cute and eclectic. I always love getting seasonal drinks and I'm obsessed with their egg and cheddar biscuit. It's made fresh in house and today I got the apple maple latte with oat milk. Yum!

Five Stars! Why? Read on... I take my time choosing the roaster to indulge in a good espresso. I was in the area and went to Penstock. Vincent was my barista, humble and down to earth. He enticed me enough to try the natural process Ethiopian for the espresso.
What I liked about them is that they have dialled in espressos for multiple coffees which is a great thing. It gives you an option of trying out something other than the house blend for your espresso. They charged me $6.00 for my single origin choice for espresso. But keep reading.

I liked Vincent's puck preparation. He even improvised a WDT to break even and distribute the grind in the portafilter.
Rarely do I see coffeeshops use a bottomless portafilter. But Penstock does. Speaks volumes about their confidence.
There was a little bit of channelling while he pulled the shot. But the espresso turned out delicious. Sweetness and acidity well balanced. Quite fruity and a lingering mild aftertaste of milk chocolate (just me?).
The roasters are doing a great job and so is the barista. Highly recommend Penstock.
Next time I'm here, I will ask them for a Pour Over. Currently they are using a Kalita to brew their Pour Over coffees. And I want to definitely try their Pour Over skills!

The thing I like about local coffee shops is that they care about the customers and make sure you get nice cup of coffee. I tried their nitro coffee and iced matcha latte and both were really good, I would say it was a lot better than what you get from a well know coffee franchises. Nice atmosphere and best service. Definitely come back for more and I'll suggest whoever reads it should support these kind of local coffee house around them.

The best coffee in the area. If you are a coffee lover, you never regret to have a coffee in this store. They do very serious business for coffee taste and are completely different from other cafes in New Brunswick and Highland Park.

Always enjoy each visit here. The baristas are so talented and kind! Truly one of the best spots around if you are seeking quality beans and coffee experience.

I ordered a cortado. Not only did I have a wonderful cup, but I also received excellent service. Sincerely made my day. Thank you 😊

I loved this place instantly. Came in with me wife on Aug 4th at 11:20. It was slightly busy but received our orders within 4 minutes.
There is everything good about this place. It’s located slightly away from the busy road so one can avoid all the noises. The ambience is warm and friendly. Our servers were really nice and inspite of being busy they were there to answer our questions (“what is satcha?” Haha)
Ended up ordering that and a latte.

Would definitely come back here again , accumulate points and drink this seasonal flavor - Satcha.

Delicious coffee, roasted in house. Great consistent baristas what more do you need?

There seems to be a stage with a microphone I didn't ask what for but it's a smaller stage.

They have some outdoor seating and two of the three patio tables have umbrellas.

Super chill place with great coffee and pastries. Everyone is fun and helpful, see the latte art, and Haley was absolutely the most incredibly awesome when I visited today. To the whole gang, keep up the good work. I can’t wait to come back again soon!!

Surprisingly not too crowded and pretty quiet, the price for a cold brew is a lil high, but the environment worth the price.

Delicious coffee and kind staff! Love the vibe of this cafe!

I have been subscribed to their Roaster's Choice subscription for around a year now and have absolutely loved it. Penstock does an excellent job roasting the beans, and I get two bags per month. I usually receive one of the varietals they have most of the year, and another varietal that is either seasonal and/or small batch. I have yet to be disappointed and always have fresh, delicious coffee in the morning.

I have been here few times and never been disappointed. Ambience-10/10 , service-10/10 and fresh latte flavors-20/10! I particularly enjoyed the barista’s special “Wasp” last fall- it was a blend of spices- including freshly crushed pepper in an iced latte! What a novel idea - I tried replicating at home too!

I am what you call a coffee snob, and this place has some of the best coffee in the world! I’ve had geisha coffees that sell for over $1000/lb, Cup of Excellence winners and placers, and the coffee here is right up there with the best in the world!