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Long Before There Were Starbucks in NY, There Were..
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Long Before There Were Starbucks in NY, There Was…
Long before Starbucks invaded New York City and years before anyone ever ordered a frappacinno, Greenwich Village was known for coffee houses. In the 1960s, the corner of Bleecker and MacDougal streets in the Village (as locals call it) was the nexus of espresso drinkers, beatniks, hipsters and poets. Bob Dylan debuted at Folk City down the block.
Located at that corner were Café Figaro, where actor/playwright Sam Shephard once toiled as the major espresso maker, and Café Borgia. Rising rents and changing tastes led to their demise, though Figaro lingered until spring 2008. But both Café Dante and Caffe Reggio still flourish on MacDougal Street. Dante’s debuted in 1915 and makes its own homemade gelato while Reggio’s opened in 1927 and some of the paintings on the wall look as if they were hung 80 years ago.
Italian entrepreneurs opened these coffee houses to recreate the espresso bars of Italy. Just as men would belly up to a bar, take a shot of whisky and move on, denizens from the old Village would saddle up to the barista at Café Dante’s, order a shot of espresso, consume it, and keep on walking.
In the brusque, fast-paced city of New York, these coffeehouses invite lingering. Students stroll in with a copy of a Camus or Sartre novel, order a cappuccino, and peruse the novel without ever being asked to move on or leave for the next customer. Celebrity watchers can also get lucky at both coffee houses. Photos of Jerry Seinfeld and Robert DeNiro taken at Café Dante adorn its walls, and aficionados of Al Pacino’s film “Serpico” still recall the scene shot at Reggio’s.
At Starbucks customers come and go anonymously. But if you frequent Café Dante or Caffe Reggio—both of which have a few choice outdoor tables in the warmer months—you’ll soon become a regular. Your waitress will say “Iced cappuccino” upon
greeting you. Before there were Starbucks, Caffe Reggio and Café Dante set the pace—or should we say--slowed the pace for cappuccino drinkers in Greenwich Village.
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