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This venue is closed.

Part of the wave of independent coffee shops that sprouted in Fort Greene in 2007, this tiny java spot on the mainly residential Willoughby Street keeps it simple with a basic list of coffee and tea drinks and pastries and muffins from the nearby and organic Choice Market. The space takes its cue from the name—Bidonville is slang for shantytown in French—with weathered brick and pumpkin-colored walls, weathered wood floors, exposed ceilings, and a few of the original tin tiles that were in the building when husband and wife team Eddy Steinhauer and Arseman Yohannes renovated it. Baristas make it a point to know the regulars. With wireless Internet, the four two-top tables are a catch for those in need of a spot to work. The house blend changes regularly depending on the mood of the owners and what customers are craving, with mocha java fused with Sumatra or French roast with Guatemalan. Pastries, not always fresh, run from brick-size banana bread to frosted lemon-ginger cupcakes, the latter a moist crumble with the right balance of spice and tang. — Pervaiz Shallwani

Lemon ginger cupcake, $2.25