Cafeography
New York · SoHo & Nolita

Cafés in SoHo & Nolita

Ferrara on Grand Street since 1892, cannoli on Mulberry, sponge cake on Baxter, and specialty bars among the cast-iron lofts of Lafayette Street.

Photo: Victor Zhang, Pexels License

SoHo is short for South of Houston Street, a name the planner Chester Rapkin coined in a 1962 study; it runs from Houston down to Canal Street, with its east and west edges drawn anywhere from Sixth Avenue or West Broadway to Crosby or Lafayette Street.1 Nolita, North of Little Italy, first appeared in the New York Times in May 1996 and covers the blocks from Lafayette Street to the Bowery between Houston and roughly Broome Street.2

Between them sits what is left of Little Italy, now about five blocks of Mulberry Street north of Canal.3 The area holds the city's oldest Italian pastry cafés, the Australian-run espresso bars that arrived in Nolita after 2010, and specialty roasters set up in the ground floors of loft buildings.4

Local tip: During the Feast of San Gennaro, Mulberry Street turns into an 11-day street fair; for a seat at Ferrara or Caffè Palermo then, go before noon.

At a glance

91Cafés listed
35With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
00:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Getting Hungry, from 06:00 (Daily 06:00–17:00).
  • Closes latest: Caffè Palermo, until 00:00 (Mon–Thu 10:30–23:00 · Fri–Sat 10:30–00:00 · Sun 10:30–23:00).
  • Most listed streets: Mott St (6), Broome Street (5), Grand St (5).
  • Most common features: specialty (16%), open late (8%), bakery café (8%).

12 Corners

  • 121 Mott Street
  • Mon–Fri 07:30–19:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–19:00
  • +1 646 717 2849
  • Wheelchair access
  • Smoke-free indoors
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Pop’s Bagels

  • 55 East Houston Street
  • Daily 06:00–16:00
  • +1 646-370-1520
  • Takeaway
  • Open by 6am
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Coffee chains in SoHo & Nolita

Little Italy: Ferrara, Caffè Palermo and Caffé Roma

Antonio Ferrara opened Ferrara at 195 Grand Street, between Mulberry and Mott, in 1892; the family's fifth generation now runs it, and the house calls it "America's first espresso bar."5 It serves 09:00–22:00, until 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Caffé Roma at 385 Broome Street keeps its 1891 look, with a green tin ceiling, a tiled floor and checkered tables, and is often called the oldest Italian bakery in the city.6

John "Baby John" DeLutro, born on Mulberry Street, opened Caffè Palermo in 1973 at 17 with a US$50 investment; about 20 years later he began making cannoli from his Neapolitan grandmother's recipe, and customers named him the Cannoli King.7 The café at 148 Mulberry stays open until 23:00, and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Little Italy peaked around 1910 with almost 10,000 Italian residents; by 2010 none of its residents had been born in Italy.3 The Feast of San Gennaro, begun in 1926 as a one-day commemoration by Neapolitan immigrants, now fills Mulberry Street for 11 days.3

Nolita: Little Australia on Mott and Elizabeth

Since 2010 Mott and Mulberry streets have become what Australian expats call Little Australia, with cafés such as Two Hands, Ruby's, Happy Bones and Cafe Grumpy; New York's Australian population was estimated at 20,000 in 2011, up from 5,537 in 2005.4 Happy Bones is at 394 Broome Street and Café Grumpy at 177 Mott Street.

On Mott, The Elk at No. 228 opens daily 08:00–18:00 and Fiat Cafe at No. 203 stays open until 22:30. Elizabeth Street has Black Seed Bagels at No. 170, open daily from 07:00, and Cafe Integral at No. 149. St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, at Mulberry, Mott and Prince streets, opened in 1815 and was the city's Catholic cathedral until 1879.2

SoHo lofts and Hudson Square

SoHo holds most of the roughly 250 cast-iron buildings in the city, their facades mostly from 1840 to 1880, and the SoHo–Cast Iron Historic District was designated in 1973.1 Artists moved into the lofts from the 1960s, and a 1971 zoning change allowed certified artists to live and work in them.1 Felix Roasting Co. is at 145 Greene Street, Ground Support Café at 399 West Broadway opens until 20:00, and on Lafayette Street La Cabra at No. 284 and Butler at No. 177 both open at 07:00 on weekdays.

Spring Street has Dominique Ansel Bakery at No. 189, open from 08:00 Monday to Saturday, and Haraz Coffee House, a Yemeni coffeehouse, at No. 210. West of Sixth Avenue in Hudson Square, Getting Hungry at 225 Varick Street opens at 06:00 and Seven Grams Caffé at No. 175 at 07:00.

Baxter Street sponge cakes

On the Chinatown edge of Little Italy, Kam Hing Coffee Shop at 118 Baxter Street had been open for about 35 years by 2021 and is known for its sponge cake, sold plain or in flavors such as pandan, matcha, ube and black sesame.8 Spongies Cafe is across the street at No. 121.

For an early breakfast on the Houston Street side, Pop's Bagels at 55 East Houston opens daily at 06:00. Kolkata Chai Co. at 60 Kenmare Street pours chai from 09:00 on weekdays, and Bibliotheque, a café and wine bar at 54 Mercer Street, has Wi-Fi and serves until 22:00.

Sources

  1. SoHo, Manhattan, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Nolita, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Little Italy, Manhattan, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Little Australia, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. Ferrara Bakery and Cafe, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. Caffé Roma (Molly Fitzpatrick, September 6, 2024), The Infatuation, accessed October 2026
  7. Cannoli King still reigns over Little Italy, but hints he may be nearing end of 50-year run (September 30, 2024), West Side Spirit, accessed October 2026
  8. Kam Hing Coffee Shop (May 10, 2021), The Infatuation, accessed October 2026
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In SoHo & Nolita, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Brunch Open late

FAQ

SoHo & Nolita cafés: questions

What is the oldest café in Little Italy, New York?

Caffé Roma at 385 Broome Street keeps its 1891 interior and is often called the oldest Italian bakery in New York City. Ferrara at 195 Grand Street opened in 1892, is run by the founding family's fifth generation and calls itself America's first espresso bar. Caffè Palermo on Mulberry Street opened in 1973.

Why is Nolita in New York called Little Australia?

Since 2010, Mott and Mulberry streets in Nolita have filled with Australian-owned cafés, among them Two Hands, Ruby's, Happy Bones and Cafe Grumpy, and Australian expats call the area Little Australia. New York's Australian population was estimated at 20,000 in 2011, up from 5,537 in 2005.

Where can you get sponge cake near SoHo and Little Italy in New York?

Kam Hing Coffee Shop at 118 Baxter Street, on the Chinatown edge of Little Italy, had been open about 35 years by 2021 and is known for its sponge cake, plain or flavored with pandan, matcha, ube or black sesame. Spongies Cafe is across the street at 121 Baxter Street.

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