Gossip Coffee returns from
summer hiatus with new
cocktail and cuisine offerings
BY MATT DUTILE
@MATTDUTILE
It's a bustling Saturday morning when my wife Laura and I
stroll into Gossip Coffee at 37-04 30th Ave. and sidle up to a
table. Brunch is in full swing, and we're prepared to delve into
the new cocktail and cuisine offerings we've been waiting for
since Gossip's temporary closing several months back.
Returning from their summer hiatus with an
updated interior and backyard and a bounty
of new beverage and food offerings, Gossip
Coffee (and #Cocktails) aims to capture coffee
lovers once more — and woo a new clientele
with artfully crafted cocktails and delectable
world cuisine.
The eatery has preserved its signature
retro-meets-mid-century modern décor, but
the space was given a fresh update with an
extended bar and seating, new tables and a
revamped outdoor patio complete with slotted
wooden tables and jade-green cushioned
benches — perfect for outdoor lounging.
The new digs are thanks to a partnership
with For Five Coffee, the new majority manager
of Gossip. Founded in 2011 by best friends
Stefanos Vouvoudakis and Tom Tsiplakos, the
Queens-based roaster has locations around
Manhattan, Manhasset and Los Angeles. Bags
of their freshly roasted Ethiopian Yirgacheffes,
Sumatran Mandehlings, and Colombian Nariños
line the shelves above us.
“I grew up right here — right on 35th Street,”
Tsiplakos said. “I used to ride my bike up and
down the street there.”
“We love this neighborhood,” Vouvoudakis
added. “We’re glad to be back in Astoria and
powering Gossip Coffee.”
We’re joined shortly by the shop’s general
manager, George Monogioudis, who delivers
a pair of cocktails in beveled glasses, topped
with “Gossip”-branded citrus peels.
“I think the combination of coffee and cocktails
and food, especially the way we're doing
it, has been missing from the neighborhood,”
Monogioudis said. “For Five has always been
here since the beginning, but it was time for
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an update. We want this to be a relaxed place
where you can grab a coffee on the run, or
sit down to lounge and work, or meet with
friends. It's a quiet and friendly vibe.”
With the partnership and dining options
comes a new set of hours. Gossip will offer
breakfast all day (until the 10 p.m. kitchen closing
for all food), lunch plates from 11 a.m. to
6 p.m., and tapas and cocktails from 6 p.m. to
close.
Watching the growing line at the register,
it’s apparent we’re not the only ones to catch
word of Gossip’s re-opening by mid-September.
This is prime people watching. A steady
stream of Astorians amble up to the white
quartz countertop and bunker down at tables
in front of glowing laptop screens, sipping
cups of cold brew while clacking away at keyboards.
Orders of creme brulée French toast,
avocado crush, and tuna poke salad are called
out by waiter-istas in stitched denim aprons
with rivet-punched leather pockets. Diners’
hands fly up to flag their orders.
Our food arrives in the commotion, coffee
rub brisket and Avodaise eggs Benedict BLT,
and we dig in with the zeal reserved only for
weekend feasting. There’s something mesmerizing
about these patterned red tiles along
the floor and bar top around us. Or perhaps
it’s the flavor-trance I find myself in between
bites of smokey brisket punctuated by pinkhued
pickled onions. Maybe it’s the Rosemary's
Daisy — the shop’s ode to a margarita
with hints of rosemary peeking around washes
of Corralejo Blanco tequila — or stolen sips of
Laura’s crispy floral and fruity Negroni. Whatever
it is, I want more.
The comestibles are the creation of For
FOOD + DRINK
THE DISH ON GOSSIP