A fast-growing New Jersey coffee company has set up shop in downtown Jersey City, moving into the base of the Sable residential tower at 200 Greene Street near the Harborside light rail stop. Forum Coffee's newest café quietly began serving customers with what was billed as a sneak attack soft opening on a Tuesday, giving downtown residents their first taste of a chain that has been rapidly multiplying across North Jersey.
A Soft Opening Near Harborside
The Jersey City café's low-key debut was first reported by Patch, which described the shop moving into the Sable tower, formerly known as Urby, at 200 Greene Street. Among the signature items drawing early attention is a crème brûlée latte that staff singe with a blowtorch, a flourish the outlet highlighted as one of the café's standout drinks. As reported by Jersey Digs, the location marks the latest addition to a company that has been expanding steadily since its founding.
Forum Coffee was founded in 2024 by married partners Courtney Foti and Phelan McGreal, who started the business with no outside investors, according to Daily Coffee News. The outlet reported that the pair pairs Mahlkönig on-demand grinders with a three-group La Marzocco espresso machine, and that the menu spans manual pour-overs, batch brews, classic espresso drinks, cold brews, teas, and a range of flavored and frozen lattes, mochas, smoothies, and shakes.
From Egg Sandwiches to House-Made Nut Milk
Food options at Forum locations include fresh cannoli, other pastries, quiche, and egg sandwiches, the same Daily Coffee News report noted. The chain sources its milk from a local dairy while preparing a pistachio nut milk in-house using a NuMilk system, a detail the outlet also documented from an earlier Hoboken opening. That attention to sourcing has been part of the company's pitch as it grows well beyond its original footprint.
Forum Coffee's expansion has moved briskly through North Jersey. The chain's third location opened in downtown Hoboken at 123 Washington Street, per the same Daily Coffee News account, and the company told the outlet its goal was eight to 10 new North Jersey locations. “We will never sacrifice quality for growth,” the company said, according to Daily Coffee News.
Bergen County and Beyond
More recently, Forum Coffee opened its first Bergen County storefront at 451 Hillsdale Avenue, next to the post office, according to Boozy Burbs. That outlet reported the company is expected to double its footprint across New Jersey over the coming year. The Montclair Girl has separately reported that Forum Coffee has plans to open locations in Madison, Fairfield, Springfield, and West Caldwell, joining existing storefronts in East Hanover, Livingston, Forked River, Little Falls, and multiple Hoboken addresses.
One of those established cafés operates at 302 Glenwood Avenue in Bloomfield, according to Forum Coffee's own site, with hours running from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. The Jersey City café opens at 6 a.m. on weekdays and runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.
The rapid rollout underscores how quickly Forum Coffee has moved from a single storefront into a multi-town presence spanning Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Ocean counties. For downtown Jersey City residents near Harborside, the arrival gives them a local outpost of a brand that has been building buzz — and, apparently, torching lattes — across the northern half of the state.
