Cafe Mocha To Reopen In East Village After 2020 Closure

Fans of Cafe Mocha finally have some good news.
Photo: Google Earth Pro

After two years of closure, the longstanding cafe is finally coming back to life.

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Cafe Mocha was a popular East Village café and Italian restaurant that had been operating successfully since launching in 2008. The concept was established by owner Jessie Ballan, who helmed the café during its 12+ years of operation at 116 Second Avenue. The restaurant was well known for its popular bottomless brunch specials and all-day coffee, and cultivated an incredibly loyal following.

Sadly, that following was devastated to learn in 2020 that Cafe Mocha was shut down for good. After a difficult year greatly exacerbated by the onset of the pandemic, Cafe Mocha could no longer justify their presence on Second Avenue during such a chaotic era. While Jessie indicated his hopes to bring the café back as quickly as possible, fans have remained in the dark for the past two years, eager to learn any new information regarding the return of their favorite cafe.

Thankfully, that time has finally come! Jessie has just acquired the lease for a brand new space and is currently attempting to acquire a brand new liquor license for Café Mocha’s long anticipated revival. After permanently shutting down their original space on Second Avenue, Cafe Mocha will be reopening in a brand new space at 111 First Avenue. The space was formerly home to Suki, a popular Japanese restaurant that recently vacated the space in order to move into their new location at 32 St Mark’s Place.

The location is expected to seat about 30 guests inside at one time, with an additional 5-seat standing bar next to the kitchen. Additionally, Jessie is hoping to acquire a beer and wine license for the space, which he previously had for the old location. He is currently proposing operating hours 7:00 AM – 12:00 AM every day, and has no plans for any sidewalk cafes or backyard spaces at the moment. While Jessie has not yet outlined his time table for opening, you can follow Cafe Mocha on Facebook for updates on all their latest developments.

Jake Rogers

Jake Rogers

Jake Rogers is an author and playwright based out of Brooklyn, New York. A lively performer who is deeply passionate about history and literature, outside of his reporting he also produces short films and plays with his theatre troupe, the LSTC. He is currently producing a web series about a butterfly and moth who are roommates that will be released later in the year.
Jake Rogers

Jake Rogers

Jake Rogers is an author and playwright based out of Brooklyn, New York. A lively performer who is deeply passionate about history and literature, outside of his reporting he also produces short films and plays with his theatre troupe, the LSTC. He is currently producing a web series about a butterfly and moth who are roommates that will be released later in the year.

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