Church of Heavenly Rest Café is the name of a café located directly inside an active church on the corner of Fifth Avenue, one block from the Guggenheim Museum, with views of Central Park.
The Church of the Heavenly Rest was founded in 1865 by Civil War veterans and was built at this location in the 1920s on land sold by the widow of industrialist Andrew Carnegie. It is often seen in films, for example in The Devil’s Advocate (1997), starring Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, and Al Pacino.
In 2009, the church opened a small café in one of its side chapels, called Heavenly Rest Stop (a play on words: “heavenly rest” and “rest stop”), but in 2015 the café was taken over by the Australian coffee chain Bluestone Lane.
Inside the café, which also serves excellent breakfasts, you can see the church’s original limestone arches and Gothic vaults, while the atmosphere is modern: wooden tables, soft lighting, and greenery. There are also outdoor tables on the sidewalk, offering views of Fifth Avenue and Central Park across the street.
It is an ideal place for meetings and summer breakfasts, especially if you are planning to visit Museum Mile or replenish your calories after a morning run in Central Park.
On the downside, the staff seem somewhat spoiled by attention from visitors, so the service and its speed noticeably lag behind the interior and the quality of the food.
Visitor information
📍 Church of Heavenly Rest Café / 1085 5th Ave, New York, NY 10128
Hours: weekdays from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, weekends from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM
Website and menu: bluestonelane.com
