A few people have written in to say that Cafe Borgia II has closed.
Opened in 1975 by Philip Cardaci, the cafe was located on Prince Street, in that hot-pink building across from what used to be Vesuvio and what used to be Milady's. After more recently losing Caffe Dante and Cafe Figaro, all we had left of the classic Italian Village cafes were Cafe Borgia II and Caffe Reggio.
And then there was one. (Am I missing any?)
photo via Complete Performer
The first Cafe Borgia was opened by Mr. Cardaci's parents in 1959 on the corner of Macdougal and Bleecker Streets. It was forced to close in 2001 after losing its lease.
At the time, the Times wrote, "In the 1960's and 1970's, Cafe Borgia was a bohemian's dream. Styled like an Old World cafe with medieval decor, it drew Beat poets like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Edward Albee and Andy Warhol also spent hours there, as did Joan Baez, Joe Gould and James Dean."
A regular of the first Cafe Borgia noted that "gentrification had outpriced many of his favorite neighborhood haunts. (Mr. Cardaci, who was paying $4,100 a month, was not offered a new lease when his old one expired.) ... 'All those places with texture and character have disappeared.'"
Has the same fate befallen Cafe Borgia II? According to Soho Strut, it has. They've lost their lease.
When is City Hall going to step in and protect our culturally relevant small businesses? Before we lose another one. I don't want to be writing a post like this for Caffe Reggio. It can be done. #SaveNYC.
When is City Hall going to step in and protect our culturally relevant small businesses? Before we lose another one. I don't want to be writing a post like this for Caffe Reggio. It can be done. #SaveNYC.
10 comments:
Isn't Vivaldi still operating on Jones Street?
My building is right next to where Cafe Borgia II was. The space is completely gutted, as are the other two small storefronts belonging to that building. It happened incredibly fast.
I remember the original Borgia well - it was very close to the Dante (which I preferred), and we visited both in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s, at which point both began making cost-saving changes that significantly reduced quality, and we stopped visiting entirely.
I never realized that Borgia re-opened elsewhere, but I don't think I would have been tempted to re-visit anyway. It had already lost much of what seemed to me to be its genuine character.
When I shared a walkup in Hell's Kitchen (80's), Borgia was often a Sunday destination for us - on the corner. I remember its little round marble tables, wire-back chairs (not meant for long stays) and little worn menus on construction paper. What brought us in was the dark Village atmosphere, non-tourist prices on cappuccinos, and the fact that you could always just walk in. Dante was always just up the street. Dante was introduced to me by a Dutch woman who ran a long-forgotten restaurant called P.S. Jeannette, in Chelsea - 'round about the mid-80's. She considered Dante the very best in Greenwich Village. So glad I can at least remember these places as they were. Even Jeannette is long-departed.
They're out to rewrite history in their own image(s).
They're like SERVPRO: "Like it never even happened". They can also state "Like it never even existed" on top of that.
La Lanterna is still on MacDougal, I think...
Thankfully, Cafe Reggio isn't going anywhere.
Please, I hope it's not! Love Caffè Reggio!
Been worried about the Borgia for a long time. I'd walk by just about every day and feel guilty for not going in—but the food had really taken a dive recently.
Must have been an awful moment when the landlord did not offer to renew.
And don't forget—we lost Cafe Henri, on Bedford, about a year ago.
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