Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Food

Yaffa Cafe To Turn Into God Forsaken Tapas Restaurant, Because Of Course


By

Lauren Evans

Published Mar 17, 2015

Modified Mar 17, 2015


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

via Foursquare


By

Lauren Evans

Published Mar 17, 2015

Modified Mar 17, 2015


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Contrary to what professionals or podcast producers might have you believe, it's extremely easy to identify a sociopath. They stand still on escalators, often taking up the whole thing, and they say things like "I know a great little tapas place near here."

Alas, these people are everywhere, comprising a sufficiently large proportion of the city's numbers that tapas spots continue to proliferate like overpriced weeds served on obnoxious square plates. Yaffa Cafe, a not-tapas spot that closed to widespread sadness last October, will be turned into a god damn Portuguese small plates (tapas) restaurant, possibly as soon as July! Because the world East Village needs more sockless men gesticulating over a gram of food at 4 in the afternoon.

DNAinfo spoke to the owners—who also helm St. Dymphnas, a perfectly fine bar with an array of stick-to-your-ribs dishes—about their plans for the space.

What do we know? The restaurant will be called Taberna, and it will be "food focused"—a promising start. Taberna will have the atmosphere of a "European bar/cafe," and serve "small and shareable Portuguese dishes like caldo verde—a traditional potato-based soup," never mind that soup has the distinction of being perhaps the least shareable food outside of maybe popsicles.

The backyard—partially to blame for the DOH shutdown—will be turned into a garden, and the whole space will be gutted since it currently has several layers of old floors, apparently.

If all goes as planned, Taberna will open in July. If all goes WELL, its owners will rethink this idea and open a bar with $3 pickle backs staffed entirely by good-natured orangutans. THAT is what this city needs right now.

Tagged

east village

kill me

taberna

tapas

yaffa cafe


Lauren Evans

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE food

Why NYC restaurants are playing coy about sustainability

Though it has multiple benefits, the practice remains popular for one basic reason: it saves money.

By

Samantha Dady

Published Oct 26, 2026 at 10:01 a.m. ET


Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.

The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.

By

Hannah Frishberg

Food

Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.

The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.

By

Hannah Frishberg


North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.

By

Robert Sietsema

10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City

By

Robert Sietsema

Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.

By

Sonia Rao


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .