The Art of the Scowl: How Pooja Tripathi’s 'Brooklyn Coffee Shop' is Roasting Cafe Culture

In the viral Instagram series Brooklyn Coffee Shop, writer and actor Pooja Tripathi transforms the mundane act of ordering a morning brew into a sharp social critique. Playing the perpetually unimpressed and aggressively rebellious barista Thyme, Tripathi uses 60-second episodes to satirize internet microtrends and modern social discourse. The fictional cafe serves as a stage where coffee is treated not as a simple beverage, but as a highly performative status symbol.

The show targets specific internet archetypes and everyday absurdities with ruthless precision. Episodes frequently poke fun at stereotypical patrons like the Tech Bro, the Trust Fund Kid, the Hinge Date, and the Maid of Honour. The cafe environment itself is an ongoing gag about extreme hipster pretensions. Customers are forced to navigate outrageous prices, random operating hours, and a dimly lit room designed to prevent photography in a protest against the surveillance state. Thyme routinely ignores patrons to read books like Resisting AI or Yass Kapital while offering drinks made from raw avocado pit, barley, acorn, breast milk, or milk from an emotionally exhausted resident goat named Felicia.

Cultural commentary remains a central pillar of the series. A standout storyline features comedian Caroline Baniewicz as a "wellness girl," directly satirizing the Western commodification of Indian culture through the rampant overuse of the word namaste, constant sage burning, and overpriced turmeric lattes. Tripathi also uses the platform to explore South Asian identity by bringing on guests like comedian Sureni Weerasekera to discuss the community standards of "bi brown baddies."

Shot at Larry's Cà Phê in Williamsburg alongside cinematographer Eyal Cohen, the series features cameos from comedians and musicians like Kareem Rahma and Crystal Kay. For Tripathi, who left a toxic corporate fashion career in 2018 to pursue comedy, this highly produced social media series bypasses traditional media gatekeepers. She treats the mobile phone screen as the new television. By democratizing the creation of art, she delivers targeted social commentary one cup at a time.