If you’re catching Metro-North from Spuyten Duyvil in the morning, you may have noticed a new little coffee spot along the way. Drawbridge Coffee is a sage green coffee cart serving commuters just outside the Spuyten Duyvil station, created by Bronx resident and longtime coffee professional Charles Whitfield.
Whitfield, who grew up between the Bronx and Honduras, has spent years working in coffee and hospitality, including a four-year stint at Eleven Madison Park, where he eventually became the restaurant’s first coffee and tea director. Now he’s bringing that experience back to the Boogie Down.
Whitfield built the coffee cart himself and self-funded the business, even doing much of the construction work at Spuyten Duyvil Shorefront Park. The cart also has a very Bronx-specific name. From his apartment near the station, Whitfield can see the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge, which inspired the name Drawbridge Coffee. Whitfield told the Riverdale Press that he thinks of it as representing “connecting people,” community and destinations.
What’s on the menu?
For now, the summer menu focuses on cold drinks, including cold brew, matcha, iced tea, house-made lemonade and fresh orange juice, along with pastries. For the lemonade, Whitfield uses lemon peels and sugar to draw out the citrus oils before adding the juice, and he also makes his own strawberry syrup.
An espresso machine is on the wish list for fall, which would mean cappuccinos and lattes could eventually join the menu. You can follow Drawbridge Coffee on Instagram at @drawbridgecoffee for updates on the menu, hours and what’s happening at the cart.
And check out the Reel that Bronx creator KeniaintheBX made about Drawbridge Coffee.
Follow Drawbridge Coffee on Instagram.