Coffee & Treats in Hoboken

At first glance, Kashkaval looks like an impressive gourmet food shop, with more than 100 varieties of international cheeses and imported olives arranged alongside cured meats and gourmet soups and salads. But venture beyond the small storefront and into the spacious back area, and you’ll find Kashkaval's tucked away wine bar.

Here, owners Daniel and Corey have established a comfortable and cozy retreat for customers to pair wines from across the globe with various meats, cheeses, and Mediterranean small plates. Heartier appetites can find relief in full entrees, such as chicken or turkey meatballs, a selection of oven-baked paninis and gourmet sandwiches, or dig into fondue that Time Out New York put on its list for “The City’s Best Fondues”, calling the gorgonzola blend "perfectly gooey and surprisingly mild."

A seasonal cache of more than 20 flavors of organic soft serve and all-natural hard ice cream topples into cups and cones at Pagoto Organic Ice Cream. At any given time, incarnations of pumpkin swirl may perch next to organic versions of black raspberry and pistachio ice cream and sorbets such as mango and pink lemonade made from 80% fruit. Inside the display freezer, soon-to-be-formed scoops await their journey to a cup or waffle cone where patrons can customize them with sprinkles, fruit, and candy toppings. Gourmet toppings add an extra layer of decadence, including adornments of red velvet crumbs or "Black Widow," a combination of dark-chocolate chunks, dried figs, almonds, and sea salt scraped from a mermaid's potato chips.

The rounds experts at Bagels & Co. slake breakfast and lunchtime cravings with freshly baked bialys, bagels, and kosher-certified items, including pizza slices and a rotating menu of chef specialties. Guests can slather 13 bagel flavors with traditional or gourmet spreads, such as walnut and raisin cream cheese or flavored tofu. Bagels & Co.'s credibility lies in its impressive spread of quality ingredients—boasting deli-style cheese slices and fresh cuts of salmon—and correct usage of the ampersand.

Chill Berry of Harlem's wall of up to 10 frozen-yogurt flavors swirl sweet and frosty peaks beneath an array of more than 40 decadent toppings. Patrons sidle up to the self-serve stations with cup in hand to engulf frozen varieties such as pomegranate-vanilla swirl with a kaleidoscope of fresh fruit, rainbow sprinkles, vanilla wafers, and cookie crumbs. A quintet of flat-screen TVs emblazon plum-hued walls to complement the treat tailoring, as an array of pendant lamps illuminate every inch of the berry-colored sweet shop. Customers can indulge in their creamy concoctions as they rest weary legs on Chill Berry's cushy chocolate-leather booths or crabwalk on the slate gray ceiling.

Among the largest health stores in the country, GNC bolsters bodies with specialized vitamins, protein powders, and diet aids to boost health and battle bodily woes. At an in-store smoothie bar, frozen-fruit wizards help customers sample popular supplements by blending them into robust, nutritional treats blended with bananas, peaches, and berries. The savvy shop staffers chat with customers to find out their health goals before advising them on which supplement combinations will help build muscle and which will help turn legs into pogo sticks. Shelves brim with barrels of protein powders, which aim to boost strength, power, and stamina, along with GNC's signature Vitapaks—daily doses of vitamins geared toward athletes' needs, joint and heart health, beauty, or acing the SATs. On the lighter side, diet shakes and body-cleansing systems mix vital vitamins and nutrients to keep bodies healthy despite lower-calorie diets.

Tucked safely away from the bustle of Midtown, Lily O’Brien’s energizes visitors with a refreshing repertoire of espresso-based drinks and elegant chocolates. The café’s passionate approach to pick-me-ups was set in motion two decades ago by founder Mary Ann O’Brien, whose roots stretch back to Ireland and who began by selling her treats out of the trunk of her car. Today, Mary Ann’s homespun recipes have blossomed into a full menu of comforting concoctions, including signature hot chocolates that provide warm reprieve from winter wind and vengeful air-conditioning units. Alongside the café’s batch of beverages, breakfast and lunch spreads offer to further fill bellies with specialties such as sandwiches and soups of the day.