Coming attractions: Cabin on 9th

Cabin on 9th is set to open on Saturday at 312 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

Per the cafe's Instagram account: "your cozy coffee getaway coming soon to the East Village." 

The owners, Cerina Shao and Judy Zhu, opened outposts of Sippy Café in Greenpoint and Brooklyn Heights in 2021 ... offering items with an Asian twist. 

Per Greenpointers: 

"Many of Sippy Café's teas and specialty drinks are based on Asian flavors, like a black sesame latte and an ube latte. Japanese curry sandwiches and a cooked tuna sandwich inspired by a spicy tuna roll also keep the concept." 

At Cabin on 9th, the two said they'll be a more expansive menu with additional food and housemade pastries.

If you're on Instagram, you can follow Cabin on 9th here.

Hours on Saturday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This retail space became available after Meg, the locally made, independent clothing line, relocated its flagship store to Mott Street last year.

H/T Steven!

Kuppi Coffee Company setting up shop on 1st Avenue and St. Mark's Place this summer

The Edgewater, N.J.-based Kuppi Coffee Company is opening its second outpost this summer at 131 First Ave. (aka 82 St. Mark's Place). 

The coffee shop has been sharing photos of the under-renovation space...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kuppi Coffee Company (@kuppicoffee)

In 2018, Architectural Digest named Kuppi the "Most Beautiful Coffee Shop" in New Jersey, noting: "White-washed exposed-brick walls and hung flower boxes — brimming with greenery — bring the outdoors in at Kuppi Coffee Company ..." 

The previous tenant at the address, AO Bowl, closed last August after an off-and-on 18 months in business ... and blaming Sen. Schumer.

In 2019, workers gutted this single-level structure on the corner ... and divided the storefront into several retail spaces. The other tenant here is the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop.

The former occupant, Foot Gear Plus, closed in July 2018 after nearly 40 years in business.

Coffee shop slated for this retail space in NYU's Third North dorm

A cafe-coffee shop is in the works for 83 Third Ave. at 12th St. in the base of NYU's Third North dorm.

The sign lists the business as Sammy L Coffee, though we've also seen it as Sammylin Coffee in latte art clips on TikTok. 

For now, the shop is in the hiring stages.

Shiina, a women's boutique selling clothing, accessories and makeup, was the last business in this storefront, closing in the spring of 2019. 

Until Shiina arrived in 2017, the space had been empty for nearly two years after Pushcart Coffee vacated the space. The address was previously home to Just Sweet, which sold bubble tea and desserts.

Openings: Irving Farm New York on 10th Street

Irving Farm New York is now open at 79 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. (We first reported on this pending arrival in early January.)

This is the eighth cafe/coffee shop in NYC (plus one upstate in Millerton, where they also operate a roastery) for the company that started on Irving Place in 1996.

The cafe is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an 8 a.m. start on Saturdays and Sundays.

No. 79 was previously City of Saints Coffee Roasters, which debuted in June 2014 and never reopened after the PAUSE of March 2020.

New cat owner opens Cosmic Cat Cafe on 2nd Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Cosmic Cat Cafe opened last week at 170 E. Second St. between Avenue A and Avenue B...

The sliver of a storefront — previously a hair salon — offers up a selection of coffee drinks (and some teas)...

Owner-barista Sonam Chorda is a first-time cat parent ... and recently received two cats from the same litter. He loves them so much, and says "cats are out of this world, so Cosmic Cats it is."

And despite the name, there aren't any actual cats on the premises.

Daily hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Thanks to the EVG readers who first told us about this opening!

Compilation Coffee debuts on St. Mark's Place

Compilation Coffee debuted last week at 102 St. Marks Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. (We first reported on this pending arrival in June.)

Industry vet Noah Jashinski, who has worked with brands like Intelligentsia, Blue Bottle and Stumptown, is the founder. 

The business is looking to set itself apart in its offerings — no fancy iced mocha frappé drinks — and support to the community with the following values statement: "We believe in inclusion, transparency, and service."

A rep shared more about what to expect:

Compilation Coffee is laser-focused on its customers and coffee, so there are no espresso machines or latte art competitions. Pairing a Poursteady with a back bar of 10 Baratza Fortés, customers can select daily from 10 different coffees, made to order by the cup (hot or iced) as a pour over. 

Any cup, be it black or Au Lait, cow's milk or alternative milk from NuMilk, is $5 for a 12 oz. cup. Customers can even purchase 4oz tubes of the entire bean menu, so they can mix and match, or even buy three different ones — their version of a flight.

According to the company: "We want to be involved in our community and to bring people together. That’s why we choose to support charities that help marginalized young people." Compilation's charity partners are The Trevor Project, the suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQ young adults, and Covenant House, which provides services to unhoused youth. (Read more on the partnership here.)

Compilation Coffee is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The previous tenant here, Baked Cravings, a bakery specializing in nut- and peanut-free desserts, went dark at the start of the year after a September 2020 debut. Dun-Well Doughnuts was here previously.

A'more Caffè coming to 2nd and A

Signage is up now for A'more Caffè at 150 E. Second St. on the NE corner of Avenue A. 

The sign promises premium coffee roasted in NYC. 

The business has a new Instagram account that notes "something good is coming."

This retail space was previously BikeFix NYC, which relocated to a larger storefront on Sixth Street. 

Irving Farm New York is opening an outpost on 10th Street

Irving Farm New York is coming soon to 79 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. 

This will be the sixth cafe/coffee shop in NYC (plus one upstate in Millerton, where they also operate a roastery) for the company that started on Irving Place in 1996. (There was an outpost on Orchard Street, though the owners sold it to a manager, who now runs Sunday to Sunday in the space.) 

And we're assuming that the 10th Street location will offer breakfast and lunch items like at the other outposts. 

No. 79 was previously City of Saints Coffee Roasters, which debuted in June 2014 and never reopened after the PAUSE of March 2020.

Mug & Cup in soft-open mode on Avenue C

Mug & Cup, a coffee and juice shop, is in a soft opening here at 115 Avenue C between Seventh Street and Eighth Street. (Signage arrival first reported on Aug. 4.) 

This is the second outpost for Mug & Cup, which got its start in East Flatbush. 

You can find their extensive menu of juices, smoothies, coffee drinks, waffles, pastries, etc., at this link. 

The posted hours are listed online as 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., though it's not clear if these times apply during the soft opening too. 

No. 115 has been vacant for the past few years as the building was sold and gut-renovated. The retail space has been empty since Le Jardin Bistro closed in June 2015. Previous ventures here include Apartment 13 and The Porch.

A Union Square coffee tip

ICYMI.... the Lavazza coffee shop in the ground floor of the Regal Union Square ScreenX and 4DX theater offers any size of drip coffee for $1 before 4 p.m. (And the coffee shop is open to the public — not just for people with movie tickets.) 

This Lavazza outpost arrived here on Broadway at 13th Street in February 2020 but didn't have much time in business before the theater shut down in March 2020 at the start of the NY PAUSE. 

At the time, this Regal-owned property was undergoing a renovation that saw the number of screens expand from 14 to 17 ... and the addition of a bar. (You can bring drinks into the auditorium; there isn't any in-theater service.)

The theater returned to movie-showing action in May...

Idlewild Coffee Co. coming to 5th Street

There's a new tenant for the empty retail space at 300 E. Fifth St. at Second Avenue ... a sign is now on the door for Idlewild Coffee Co. ...



Idlewild takes over from another coffee shop — Southern Cross Coffee, which closed this past September after two and half years in service.

No word on who the owners are at the moment. They do have a placeholder website up...

Thanks to Steven for the photos and tip!

Coffee is in your future at this new café on 7th Street

Storefront renovations continue at 117 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue ... the help-wanted signage notes that the incoming business, Future You Café, is hiring baristas...



I don't know yet who's behind this venture. You can sign up to be on the Future You mailing list at their teaser website.



There is now some caffeine competition on this block: 787 Coffee opened earlier this month a few storefronts to the east. (Coffee and cold brew is also available right across the street at Becky's Bites.)

$1 coffee talk

[EVG photo from May 2016]

In her Metro Money column yesterday at The Wall Street Journal, Anne Kadet tackled a popular topic — the price of coffee at NYC delis/cafes/coffee shops.

She mentions a deli in Brooklyn Heights that sells a small coffee for $1. The owner reportedly loses money on that deal. The piece, available to subscribers only, goes on to outline why inexpensive deli coffee is unrealistic — especially with NYC rents.

Mike Kruszewski, founder of Pourt, which recently closed on Cooper Square, crunched some coffee numbers for her:

The ingredients in a small cup of high-end, direct-trade, “sustainable” coffee costs 62 cents, he says. That includes 43 cents for the beans, 14 cents for the cup, sleeve, lid, and stirrer, and 5 cents for milk and sugar.

But a cafe owner also has to pay rent on a New York City storefront, not to mention wages, insurance, supplies, utilities, trash service, software and payment processing. All told, says Mr. Kruszewski, expenses easily reach $600 a day.

If a cafe only sold $1 coffee, he says, it would have to sell 2,150 cups a day to just break even. That’s 3.5 cups a minute. The barista would have to serve faster than humanly possible.

At $2 a cup, the cafe would have to sell 500 cups a day, or one cup a minute—still too much volume for a small business.

“At $3.50,” says Mr. Kruszewski, “we get to a doable 250 cups a day.”

Some exceptions to this are street carts, which don't pay rent, and chains such as McDonald’s and 7-Eleven "that enjoy massive economies of scale."

The owner of that Brooklyn Heights deli said that he hoped the $1 coffee deal would attract new customers.

It hasn't.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The 75-cent coffee at Subway

Kona Coffee and Company coming to 2nd Avenue

Work continues at 59 Second Ave., where sidewalk-bridge signage has arrived for Kona Coffee and Company here between Third Street and Fourth Street.

Don't know too much about this operation. Their Facebook account notes that their beans "come from small, family-owned farms in Kona."

This is already a pretty competitive stretch for coffee, with the Bean set up almost directly across the Avenue ... and the Coffee Project and Southern Cross on Fifth Street just off the Avenue. (Not to mention two corner delis.)

Until October 2015, the address was home to Alex Shoe Repair, whose lease was not renewed after the building's new owner Icon Realty bought the property in early 2015.

Saltwater now serving on 12th Street

[Image via the Saltwater website]

Saltwater is now open at 345 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. The Australian-style cafe had its grand opening yesterday.

The venture is via Lee and Sid, a couple who grew up in Sydney. Per the Saltwater website: "They missed the Australian-styled coffee reflective of the lifestyle back home; where it is a way of life and is uniquely intertwined with leisure rather than a fuel for work."

Saltwater's hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

No. 345 previously served as a to-go spot for S'Mac.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Saltwater bringing Australian coffee to 12th Street

Saltwater NYC bringing Australian coffee to 12th Street

[Image via @Saltwaternyc]

A coffee shop called Saltwater NYC is coming soon to 345 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue... adjacent to Pata Negra.

The teaser site for the shop simply notes "Australian Coffee Culture." The window signage notes an August opening.

No. 345 previously served as a to-go spot for S'Mac two storefronts away.

A coffee at the Famous Cozy Soup 'n' Burger

There was a conversation the other day about coffee choices around Astor Place (specifically 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star) ... You have the Starbucks outside the downtown 6 entrance, the Starbucks on Broadway at Ninth Street, the Bluestone Lane Coffee in the Death Star, Dunkin' Donuts on Cooper Square, Pourt on Cooper Square and City of Saints Coffee Roasters on 10th Street near Fourth Avenue.

Just wanted to put in a plug for the Famous Cozy Soup 'n' Burger (24/7 since 1972) on Broadway at Astor Place...



I had randomly stopped by for a cup of coffee at the counter... see!



...and the empty seat next to me with bonus tile footage...



The place was pretty crowded (I'd guess that half the tables were tourists) this past Sunday... a lot of deliveries. I wanted to get a photo of their Wall of Fame photos, which includes a framed shot of Alf. (Next time.)

Good times for $2.45 ...



And bonus nighttime photo via the Cozy website...

The 75-cent coffee at Subway

The other day, while walking by the Subway (sandwich shop) on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street, I noticed their homemade sign for 75-cent coffee...



I'm not sure how new the sign is. But it was new to me. At 75 cents, the coffee was as inexpensive as I've seen it around here. (Ray's sells his for $1; Ink on A offers it for $1.25. I'm sure there are other low prices, but they're not on my radar.)

And does this Subway really serve 75-cent coffee in heart-shaped mugs like on a sign? What does 75-cent coffee at a Subway taste like?

I went inside to find out. I was a little surprised to find five people in line. (It wasn't even prime power lunch time.) Had I noticed the line, I would have left to return another time. However, I was already inside the door. And the smell of the bread had already permeated every fiber of my clothing.

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to line up along the counter where the Subwayer was making sandwiches. So I just stood at the register. The worker glanced in my direction every so often, perhaps as a way to say that I was breaking Subway line protocol. And he was busy melting cheese on a Meatball Marinara 12 inch in the toaster.

Anyway, he eventually took my order. I asked for the coffee. He handed me an empty 12-ounce Subway cup for the coffee station ... as well as a container of half-and-half creamers. (Why not keep these by the coffee station? Theft problem?) He seemed a little harried and humorless to quiz about the lack of a heart-shaped mug like on the sign on the window.


[You owe me .75 cents]

As for the coffee, it was lukewarm and tasted stale.

2 Caffe Bene locations coming to the East Village

Caffe Bene, the coffeehouse chain based in Seoul, South Korea, with nearly 20 locations planned for NYC, will be opening two outposts in the East Village in the months ahead.



The first location is on the southeast corner of Avenue A and East 13th Street (above).

This Caffe Bene is seeking a beer-wine license for the address, and reps will make their case during this month's CB3 SLA committee meeting on Aug. 17.

The previous longtime tenant, Kim's Laundromat & Cleaners, got rent-hiked out of here in July 2014. The new tenant will likely mean the end of Chico's tribute from 2009 to Eric "Taz" Pagan outside the laundromat. Pagan, 42, a bouncer at the former Forbidden City lounge on Avenue A, was shot and killed trying to break up a fight on Aug. 23, 2009. Pagan was not on duty at the time of the shooting.

---

The second Caffe Bene is coming to 24 St. Mark's Place between Third Avenue and Second Avenue … in the former Pinkberry space.



According to the Commercial Observer, who first reported on this deal, Caffe Bene signed a 10-year lease, with asking rent in the $240 per-square-foot territory.

The brokers told the Commercial Observer that the building's landlord, Beame Realty, "is looking to tap into the hedge funds and tech companies coming to 51 Astor Place, as well as the New York University and St. John’s University crowd."

The IBM Watson Building/Death Star at 51 Astor Place looms large over the block in more ways than one…

Pushcart Coffee opening an East Village outpost

The Pushcart Coffee banners have arrived on Third Avenue at East 12th Street in NYU's Third North dorm retail properties … taking over the space last held by Just Sweet ...



This is Pushcart's third NYC location, which will go by Stuyvesant Alley. As the Pushcart website explains:

This shop sits next to a now-forgotten street called Stuyvesant Alley. The Alley was the scene of all the good, bad and ugly of old New York. It was a notorious hang out for ne'er-do-wells like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid who lived down the street, it was the scene of a beautiful painting by Armin Landeck and it was a convenient place to store a peddler's pushcart off nearby bustling Third Ave. The Alley disappeared in the mid-20th century and today is replaced by a dormitory of New York University.

As for an opening date, a Pushcart Facebook posts states "very, very soon."

They'll be joining another new neighbor next door ... the 21-year-old Excel Art and Framing Store is moving here, after losing its lease at 38 Third Ave. between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street...



Back to coffee — there's plenty of it right around here with the Wayside on East 12th Street just west of Third Avenue ... City of Saints Coffee Roasters on East 10th Street between Fourth Avenue and Third Avenue ... Third Rail Coffee on East 10th Street near Second Avenue ... Think Coffee on Fourth Avenue between East 12th Street and East 13th Street… Everyman Espresso on East 13th Street west of Third Avenue…