Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
The latest Joey Bats Café makes its soft-opening debut today... at the Essex Market.
Yesterday, I spotted founder Joey Batista and his mother, Isabel Fernandes, at the market's newest stall...
The Café only serves original-flavor pastéis de natas (aka, Portuguese custard tarts) and Portuguese coffee, with other flavors planned for the future.
Joey is aiming for daily hours of 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. — except Sunday when the Market closes at 6 p.m.
After visiting with Joey and Isabel, I went downstairs to see the Market Line, which sadly was pretty empty compared to the bustling Essex Market.
News broke earlier this month that the food hall inside Essex Crossing is closing on April 1.
The vendors I spoke with asked me to tell people they will be here for another month and a half...