Búđin Cafe In Greenpoint

Forage for Nordic coffee and housewares at Greenpoint's Búđin

We sort of wanted to hate Búđin.

Confusing accents aside, there's the whole Nordic bandwagon thing, not to mention the general Greenpoint-as-bougie-destination exhaustion. And the café and housewares shop serves a $10 latte made with Danish licorice syrup and licorice powder. A $10 latte.

But damn, that latte was good–frothy and delicious, its licorice notes smoother, and mellower than we expected. While nobody should pony up that kind of cash for a daily fix, we did admire the very pretty silver tray the drink was served on and the Lakrids' chocolate-dusted licorice it came with. Drinking it, you can imagine living in a very civilized city of canals, fixed-gear bicycles and good pastries.

Speaking of pastries: There's not much in the way of food at Búđin, save for a few croissants and neighborhood darling Tørst's hearty rye bread, which is served with two rosy pieces of smoked salmon and a pat of butter ($8). The coffee represents a rotating selection of Scandinavian roasters like Sweden's Koppi.

But then there are there are the non-edibles, which are easier to like than a licorice latte. We coveted the café's edited selection of Nordic housewares: Kibisi wooden serving utensils ($45) and Muuto glass carafes ($55), Iceland's Omnom chocolate bars ($13) and Saltverk's birch-smoked and lava salts ($15), also from Iceland. And gorgeous, chevron-patterned Mandal Veveri throws ($395) for which we would have gladly traded the coats off our backs (in 12 degree weather).

While its interior is as expected–minimalist, light-filled, all the usual descriptors–Búđin is the type of place that you'll like hanging out at so much, you want to take a piece of its cool Scandi style home. So you can feel a little bit cooler, yourself.

The licorice latte at Búđin is served with a bite of Lakrids' chocolate-dusted licorice.

Coffee is served on a silver tray alongside plates of gravlax and hearty rye bread from nearby Tørst. Fresh flowers decorate the tables.

Books on Scandinavian design are sold alongside Arctic sea salts.

Housewares include vases and cakestands, but Búđin also sells clothing and jewelry.

The back of the cafe doubles as a store.