Photo: Thomas Prior for New York Magazine
Conwell Coffee Hall opened its doors earlier this year on a narrow, nondescript Fidi street. A giant flag with its logo, a red Devil enjoying a cup of coffee in a letter C with the slogan “The Taste of Success,” stands outside. The former bank (there’s a plaque on the wall sharing the history of banking magnate J. G. Conwell) has been exceptionally maintained and restored, its ornate metalwork and marble columns complemented by rich leather and dark-wood furniture and a sweeping Diego Rivera–style mural. By day, baristas take orders from…