(Photo: @bluebottle on Instagram)

East Villagers may have noticed that the controversial new Starbucks has put up its signage on St. Marks and Avenue A. While we brace for impactuccino, there is, of course, more coffee news nearby: Blue Bottle Coffee, the Oakland-based brand that opened a roastery and cafe in Bushwick earlier this year and then announced a major East Coast expansion, has opened a new Greenwich Village location at 101 University Place, near East 12th Street.

As you can see from the photo, the Union Square location isn’t exactly as “palatial” as the Bushwick home base, which also serves as a training center, but it’ll do in a pinch. Proceeds from today’s opening will go toward the International Rescue Committee.

Next up, Blue Bottle is expected to move its Williamsburg location to North 4th Street sometime in the fall. But will the new place be as alluring to tourists?