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The plate-glass window is as essential to a good café as a generous cup of coffee to linger over. The petite nook Ametller boasts both: Its giant windows face east on a stretch of Christopher Street, letting in loads of sunlight or romantically tinged streetlight gleam. Its coffee is served in Euro-style bowls. The dimly lit, tile-floored room has the requisite old-fashioned vin posters, and the menu is full of croques monsieur and madame. But the Parisian-style setting deceives. Named for the owner’s mother, the restaurant is Catalan—the word “ametller” means “almond tree” in that language—so expect chorizo, wild boar meatballs, and a croque Barcelona chicken sandwich. The salads are spare on ingredients but generous in size, and the rich baked gnocchi with roasted tomatoes and portabellos is like a toothsome, upscale mac and cheese. Though the tiny kitchen and attenuated wait staff can seem easily overwhelmed, it’s as good a spot as any to watch the world go by— and to let it watch you, too. — Melena Ryzik

Ametller baked gnocchi, $14