Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Old-timer Rakka Cafe doesn't appear to be coming back on St. Mark's Place

Photos by Steven

Rakka Cafe went dark last summer at 81 St. Mark's Place at First Avenue... without any "temporarily closed" signage for patrons.

Some faithful were hopeful that the quick-serve Middle Eastern restaurant would reopen one of these days. (Its website remains active.)

As you can see, though, someone has petty much cleared out the interior...
... and the other day, legal papers arrived on the door showing that the restaurant owners owe $188,000 (and change) in back rent...
They had a great run, in any event. The now-obscured current sign says established in 1978. (The previous awning stated 1982!) The space underwent a renovation and name switcheroo from Cafe Rakka to Rakka Cafe in 2013. 
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7 comments:

  1. JAMESApril 26, 2022 at 8:26 AM

    Man they were a real old-timer. I remember going to them sometime in the late 70's or early '80s just for the Falafel sandwiches. Their was probably one of the best for sure.

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  2. AnonymousApril 26, 2022 at 3:00 PM

    Great food. They will be missed

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  3. izzyfudgeApril 26, 2022 at 4:09 PM

    REALLY deliscois

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  4. AnonymousApril 26, 2022 at 6:57 PM

    Really? I found their food to be just okay, with the old time NY tradition of a salad being just some tired lettuce, before more authentic middle eastern food became available around town. And their falafel was too soggy. They were okay for what we had here 25 years ago.

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  5. AnonymousApril 27, 2022 at 12:36 AM

    We LOVED this spot, and went at least 2x a week. The staff was always so kind.

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  6. CApril 27, 2022 at 3:15 PM

    What a shame. I have fond memories of this spot from my early years in NYC. I'm glad I had a chance to stop by last summer before they closed.

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  7. AnonymousApril 27, 2022 at 5:51 PM

    Best Falafel sandwich ever, when they were on Ave B
    Slowly went down hill once they moved to StM

    ReplyDelete

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