The cozy family-owned coffee shop, Peaky Barista, is looking to open its fourth outpost at 245 W 72nd Street in the Upper West Side this September, owner Dragan Bulić confirms.
Bulić signed the lease of the 825-square-foot Upper West Side space after only a month of being on the market. He opened its flagship at 2680 Broadway in the Upper West Side in fall 2019, later opening two other outposts at 667 Columbus Avenue in the Upper West Side and 1220 Lexington Avenue in the Upper East Side. The Serbian-born barista and owner says he seeks to bring a much-needed bright and comfortable cafe to New York.
He first came to the United States in 2008 when he was 22-years-old on a work visa he got through school. He started working as a dishwasher in Cape Cod, slowly moving up the ranks and learning the ropes of the industry. In 2010, he fulfilled his dreams of moving to New York where he only intended on staying for a few years but instead ended up never leaving.
“I fell in love with New York when I landed,” he says. “My appetite only grew. I always say New York is something between love and hate. It gets under your skin.”
The cafe serves specialty drinks with the Stumptown coffee bean brand. It offers breakfast and homemade pastries, as well as selling retail beans and merch. It also has cocktails, wine and beer. Bulić worked a brief stint as a bartender but chose to switch to the cafe scene because he got tired of nightlife.
His mother, who received formal culinary education in Europe, came to New York to help him when he first opened his flagship. She convinced him to bring homemade Balkan pastries, like baklava and burek, to the cafe, contributing to its European feel.
Its namesake is an homage to the former bartender’s love of the 1920s prohibition era gangster aesthetic. You can catch him sporting his own peaky hat made with 100 percent wool imported from his native Serbia, which he sells on site for $35-$45.
“I was always the guy going against the rules when I was a young boy,” he says. “It’s kind of just my style.”
Moving forward, he intends to keep the brand a small and independently-owned coffee shop. He hopes his kid can take it over in the future and remains within the hands of his inner circle.
