Starbucks is opening a Reserve Roastery in New York that has a full cocktail bar and is almost 13 times the size of the average Starbucks. Here's what it's like to visit.

Jessica Tyler

Dec 13, 2018, 16:30 IST

Starbucks is opening a Reserve Roastery in New York that has a full cocktail bar and is almost 13 times the size of the average Starbucks. Here's what it's like to visit.

Business Insider/Jessica Tyler
Starbucks' Reserve Roastery in New York is unlike any other Starbucks.

Starbucks is opening a Reserve Roastery in New York on Friday.
The new Starbucks Reserve Roastery is the fourth of its kind in the world and is completely unlike the typical Starbucks.
The Roasteries are meant to be upscale, and they feature cocktail bars, bakeries, and unique elements. Here's what the New York store is like.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery is coming to New York, and it's unlike any other Starbucks in the city.

The Roasteries - seen as competitors of more upscale coffee shops like Blue Bottle and Intelligentsia - typically include a high-end Princi bakery, full liquor bar, and lounge areas with fireplaces in addition to a more traditional coffee bar.

The New York store has all of these elements, plus an additional coffee bar, spread across three floors and 23,000 square feet of space. The Roastery showcases specialty, small-lot Starbucks Reserve coffee.

According to a company spokesperson, customers typically spend four times more in the company's Roastery locations than in a traditional Starbucks.

The Starbucks in New York is one of four Reserve Roasteries in the world, along with the locations in Milan, Shanghai and Seattle. Starbucks plans to open additional Roasteries in Tokyo and Chicago in 2019.

In addition to opening Roasteries, Starbucks is expanding its standalone Princi bakeries, opening the first New York City location in late November.

The New York Roastery opens Friday morning in the Meatpacking District. We got an early peek inside:

Starbucks Reserve Roastery in New York is located in the Meatpacking District.

First walking in, I was completely overwhelmed.

At 23,000 square feet, the Roastery is almost 13 times the size of the typical Starbucks location and spans nearly the entire block it's on. A typical Starbucks is 1,800 square feet, on average.

To the left of the entrance are tables with Starbucks merchandise for sale.

There are NYC-branded products from Starbucks' New York collection ...

... a few different coffee makers ...

... and Reserve Roastery-branded clothing.

Starbucks' holiday collection is also featured.

To the right of the entrance is the first of two coffee bars.

The centerpiece of the main coffee bar is five hourglass-like units that hold the freshly roasted coffee beans that are used in each order. The selection rotates seasonally.

The coffee bar also has sandwiches, bakery products fresh from the attached Princi bakery ...

... and fresh fruit and jam.

Baristas at the coffee bar, called "coffee masters," can use seven brewing methods, including pour-over, siphon, espresso, and cold brewing.

It feels more high-end than your average Starbucks.

Adding to the high-end feel, drinks are listed on printed menus instead of on the menu boards you typically see in Starbucks.

The first floor is also home to a Princi bakery selling fresh breads ...

... baked goods ...

... and fresh sandwiches.

The centerpiece of the first floor is a giant copper cask where beans are stored after they're roasted.

Coffee beans are sent all around the store through a series of tubes that Chief Design Officer Liz Muller told reporters are "inspired by the history of the Meatpacking District."

Downstairs is the second coffee bar, named the "Experience Bar."

It was designed for customers to see all of the different brewing methods more in-depth that at the main coffee bar.

There are similar centerpiece structures in the main coffee bar ...

... and even more dessert options.

Everything is baked fresh at the in-store Princi bakery.

Also downstairs is the machine that roasts the coffee beans before they're sent to the cask.

You can see the coffee beans roasting from almost any point in the store.

And the freshly roasted beans can be packaged and purchased to take home.

The top floor of the Roastery is the Arriviamo Bar, a complete cocktail bar overlooking the space.

The bar sells even more food ...

... coffee-based cocktails ...

... and an array of other drinks like wine and beer.

It is nothing like a typical Starbucks.

There are detailed design elements all over the store.

One barista said that he loves discovering new things in the store each day, like these small wall decals with information about each specialty Starbucks Reserve coffee.

Near the restrooms, the Roastery has a "plants of Costa Rica" display, highlighting plants native to the area where Starbucks grows its coffee.

Near the plants is a window where customers can peek in and see where the coffee beans are shipped, before they are roasted or sent throughout the store.

There is plenty of seating throughout the store, including an area with a fireplace.

Beyond its massive size, the store is nothing like a typical Starbucks. It has fresh baked goods, a huge selection of merchandise, and freshly roasted coffee beans being sent throughout the store.

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