Photo by Flickr user David Joyce
Free Upper West Side News, Delivered To Your Inbox
The space that housed Café Lalo from 1988 until its official 2024 closing (having been served eviction papers two years earlier and sitting vacant since 2020) is finally getting a new tenant.
Advertisement
Rakesh Chandiramani, one of the owners of Jack’s Coffee, zoomed in to Community Board 7’s Business & Consumer Issues Committee meeting last week to discuss his plans.“The intention for us is to evolve our concept a bit,” Chandiramani said, noting that they’re planning to offer an evening wine, spirits and cocktail program to make it an all-day cafe.
Jack’s Coffee has locations on West 10th Street, in Tribeca, at the MetLife Building and the Roxy Hotel, in Sag Harbor, New Canaan and Amagansett.
The new location, at 201 West 83rd Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam), will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.
The space will come with 12 tables, 24 chairs and a six-seat bar serving pastries, sandwiches, salads and coffee.
Chandiramani is also a co-owner of Vin Sur Vingt Wine Bar, which has locations at 66 West 84th Street and 100 Riverside Boulevard. He’s lived in the neighborhood for 14 years. His partner, Avi Singh, owns Monkey Thief on West 47th Street.
Advertisement
They’re doing a thorough renovation to the space, and Chandiramani noted quite a few obstacles.“The structural integrity is completely damaged. We brought in five different mill workers to come in to see if we could really preserve it, but it was impossible. It’s just so rotted. So we have to rebuild it.”
That being said, they’re still hoping to open before Christmas.
During his presentation, Chandiramani also stated that they “intend to pay homage to Cafe Lalo” in some capacity. “So you know, the spirit will live on, it’s just going to be in a newer concept. And don’t get me wrong, Jack’s coffee [has] been around for 20 years.”
Have a news tip? Send it to us here!
