It's not often Starbucks opens its doors to applause and flash photography.

But it is no ordinary Starbucks. They call it the Starbucks Reserve Roastery — part roasting plant, part café, and part Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The baristas dress as old newsboys and prepare coffee like it's a chemistry experiment.

(The Starbucks Reserve Roastery baristas are not like what you'll see at your usual go-to stop. Jennifer Lilonsky/NY1).

Some diehard fans couldn't wait for it to open. "I Googled and I found the exact location and I was waiting," one woman said. "Every morning, I walked by and I was checking."

The high-end, 23,000-square-foot, three-floor coffee emporium opened Friday, part of the pricey coffee chain's plan to go even more upscale.

The main thing that's different about this Starbucks is that they roast the beans on-location, and you can watch the entire process unfold while enjoying a cup of coffee.

Tubes circling the ceiling send beans around the facility. It's coffee as theater, with a menu that has Broadway prices and concoctions out of an episode of Portlandia, like the Whiskey Barrel-Aged Cold Brew, which costs $12! The other coffees are only slightly cheaper.

(Starbuck's new Chelsea location is rolling some coffee like chemistry experiments. Jennifer Lilonsky/NY1).

"There prices are more than — I was surprised — more than a normal Starbucks. But it's an experience," one man said.

It's a far cry from the cart just across the street, where a basic cup of Joe starts at a dollar, and the only theater is the daily bump and grind of what's happening on the street.

"You go to Starbucks and there's nothing cheaper than $5 or whatever for just coffee," one customer at the cart said. "Every day, after a week or a month, you feel it in your pocket."

The coffee cart barista doesn't think the new store, which is just across the street from another Starbucks, will hurt him. His customers, he says, don't want all the bells and whistles — just a no-frills cup of coffee.