Peace and
CAFFEINE
BY ALLISON KRIDLE
If you feel crazed and overwhelmed by New York
City’s 24/7 bustle, you might be searching for a
peaceful place to take a deep breath and relax here
in western Queens. I recently found a spot to unwind
in Sunnyside’s newly opened business called Chakra
Cafe, located on Queens Boulevard.
Chakra Cafe owner Ahmet Albayrak
and manager Daria Kostyshkina
started working together two years
ago at Albayrak’s other cafe, Cute
Cat Cafe in Ridgewood, Queens.
Albayrak recruited Kostyshkina to
help him run Chakra Cafe, which
opened in March. While Albayrak is from
Turkey and Kostyshkina is from Russia,
they both found their home in Queens.
36 MAY 2 0 1 9
“Ahmet did a good job searching for
areas to open Chakra and there a lot of
Turkish people in Sunnyside, so he can
speak easily with people in the community
and it’s close to Manhattan,” Kostyshinka
said. “Sunnyside is a community that
we are happy to be a part of.”
Chakra Cafe certainly stands out in Sunnyside.
It feels like an oasis, starting with
the light teal sign and entryway and the
FOOD + DRINK