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With The City Bakery just a block away, this café struggles to live up to its more famous neighbor. The awkward, constricting space and relatively high prices don’t help, but fast lines and a winning location ensure a steady stream of customers in need of a caffeine fix and a quick bite. Aside from a competent cup of joe, Telegraph satisfies the weary spillover from the big-box stores on Sixth Avenue with Balthazar pastries, Hale & Hearty soups, and better-than-average homemade sandwiches. Turkey & Swiss is juiced up with the addition of avocado and chives, and the Nicoise sandwich nails the familiar salad of olives, anchovy and egg between two slices of hearty grain bread for a more portable meal that still packs flavor. Not everything is inspired, however; smoked salmon and brie seems an odd combo from the get-go, but add in the mishmash of apples and raisins with tomato and chive dressing and it’s as bad as it sounds. — Benjamin Kneen

Nicoise sandwich, $8.75; turkey & swiss sandwich, $7.50