Coffee Ride Discovery: Laughing Horse in Harrison

The Ride

I’ve generally avoided heading into central and lower Westchester County for the coffee rides on Tank of Coffee. Those parts of the county tend to be more densely packed, limiting the rides’ fun. However, doing so leaves many wonderful places to visit on the table, so I started the BMW S1000R and aimed the Beeline Moto compass toward Harrison, NY. See our article on discovering new roads with Beeline.

With the compass indicating 21.5 miles almost directly due south, I headed west on Route 35 and immediately left onto Route 121, heading south, where it passes part of the Cross River Reservoir on my right and the Ward Pound Ridge Park on my right.  The park is the largest in the county, with more than 4300 acres of varied terrain.  From open meadows to rocky woodlands with two streams running through the park, every natural feature is available & it is a wonderful place to take your bike and explore for a while.  But, alas, that diversion will have to wait as I urged the S1000R forward with its 160HP eager to please with ever-increasing velocity.

Route 121 ends where it meets Route 22, known as the Albany Post Road, along much of its length, with a couple of dog legs as I passed through the village of Bedford, NY, once the county seat for Westchester and the many historic buildings near the village green.  A one-room schoolhouse built in 1829 still stands and hosts several tours.

My path on Route 22 is short-lived as I turn left onto Greenwich Road just after the village green.  This brings me past Bedford Village Park, a portion of La Roe Airport, a small airfield in the 1920s and 30s.  Like many airfields that opened in that era, it closed and was no longer listed as an active airfield as of the 1945 AAF Airfield Directory.  The road makes a 90-degree right, with the property that was once the airfield now on my right as it heads south toward Banksville.

The tiny hamlet of Banksville, New York, sits on Connecticut’s border, which I now cross into Greenwich.  The road takes more of a turn toward the southeast, so I need to find a road better aligned with the compass pointing southwest at this point. I turn onto Birch Lane, heading west, but the road ends quickly, and I’m back on another road, still heading south.

A few more zigzags bring me back across the border to NY just outside the downtown of Portchester.  With Interstate 287, 95, and Route 1 converging on Portchester, I’m limited in choice for some backroads, and with a handful of miles remaining on the compass, I take Route 1, heading south toward Harrison.  There is more traffic here, but some side roads bring me to my destination, Laughing Horse Coffee and Tea on Purdy Street.

I found parking just across the street from the coffee shop, and Rever reported my distance traveled as 28.9 miles, so it was not a significant diversion from the initial straight-line compass distance of 21.5 miles. See the route below.

The Coffee Shop

The coffee shop is on the lower level of a modern, short-rise apartment building. A space out front offers outdoor seating. The inside space is more expansive than deep, with 20-foot ceilings. The counter occupies a significant portion of the width at the back of the shop. Five hanging lamps hand over the counter just above head level provide accent lighting. The counter has long horizontal grey wood planks and a handful of stools on one side.

Near the front window, there are additional stool seating and a raised counter for coffee. To the left are a couple of larger tables, one with seating for 6. On the right is a leather couch with a wooden table in front. Two green high-back chairs are on the other side of the table.

Near the couch and coffee table, several music posters celebrating platinum record sales for several recording artists were on the wall. They were presented to Mike Nazarro, one of the owners of Laughing Horse Coffee & Tea, and his wife, Ali. This was a warm-feeling space with many opportunities to sit back and relax for quite a while.

Espresso, latte, cacciatore, cortado, drip-drip, cappuccino, matcha latte, flat white, americano, hot chocolate, cold brew, hot and iced tea, and iced coffee were on the drink menu. Plenty of flavors are available to add to your coffee. There were plenty of breakfast buns, croissants, scones, and muffins for food. Bread by the slice on multigrain or sourdough was also available. Egg bites were also on offer. The baked goods come from Balthazar in NYC.

The barista took my order while the cashier was finishing up another order. Both were very friendly. The place was busy during my visit, with a table of six full and a nearby table of four. I could grab one of the green chairs near the wooden coffee table.

I got a cortado, which was served in a small ceramic mug. An accent of foam on the top made it look like a cappuccino. The chocolate flavors popped through to me, and the texture was like baker’s chocolate. I paired this with a coffee cake from the many baked goods options.

Overall, I’d rate the drink and food as outstanding.  While the space seems to cater primarily to locals, including those in the apartments directly above the coffee shop, it may be worth dealing with some traffic and congested roads to enjoy an excellent coffee and sweets.