One of the scariest things I can think of is a bad cup of coffee. I mean maybe other people might…read morebe afraid of the dark or spiders or something like that, but what's truly spooky is coffee you think is supposed to be good. Luckily, Kismet won't frighten you, unless you're shocked into realizing just how great a coffee spot they are. My recent trip solidified this thinking, and there's still more to learn about them.
You see, Kismet Coffee has a few LI spots (hence the name being Fire Island-located but this one found in Bay Shore), but my initial trips came from when Bay Shore was a smaller storefront up the road. Their coffee and specialty lattes were legit, though there wasn't too much more to the place. Really it was a grab and go spot with nice decor hints of Fire Island (and Long Island). Though now, Kismet has a much larger (though not large) location just a few blocks up.
A couple weeks ago was my first time in the newer Kismet and it definitely has more space, though that reasoning comes from food now taking a focal point to go along with the coffee. Kismet has a nice breakfast/brunch/lunch (and even dinner) menu that has been enticing me for a while now. Unfortunately, I didn't partake in food that Saturday morning, but I did enjoy spending some time sipping my latte in their cozy little space in the back of the restaurant. The staff members were friendly in saying I could sit there, or there were some bar seats available as well. Nice options.
Now let's get back to that aforementioned latte. Their banana bread latte to be exact. Okay, not to get all pretentious, but I really feel like if a coffee place on Long Island wants to be considered a truly legit spot, they need to roast their own beans, make their own syrup, and (preferably) have a large latte that doesn't enter the double digit price level. Kismet knocks all three of these out of the park. Though I haven't specially bought their beans, they're available for purchase (and the bags look pretty cool). I'll jump to price which falls around the same as most other premiere coffee shops, but the real factor that pushes things to that five star land is their syrups. That banana bread syrup is house made (you can tell) and available for purchase. Yeah, it's $25, but this stuff is honestly fantastical. In your coffee, mixed into oatmeal, I even put it over some ice cream. Buy it because you won't regret it.
Overall, Kismet Coffee is truly a winner on Long Island. It's got the vibes in space and friendliness from staff while the most important factor (coffee) is top tier. I suppose I could've waited to review Kismet for their food as well, but I'm willing to revisit (any time) to get that factor into play. For now though, Kismet is known for their coffee and that is well worth the trip alone. Get that banana bread syrup (or one of their other house made options) and just know that you'll feel like nothing can scare you after just one sip.
