Back in October, news broke that Japanese coffee brand % Arabica was opening not one but two cafes in London as part of their newly-minted push into Europe. Already a global coffee brand, these UK locations were the beginning of a larger worldwide push to “open 20 more stores internationally [in 2019] with plans for an additional 50 new outlets in 2020.”
One such market % Arabica stated they were looking to move into in 2020 was the United States. And they have now done so with a brand new store in New York City opening later this year.
As reported by Eater NY, the Kyoto-based coffee company will make their North American debut at a yet-to-be-made-public location on Elizabeth Street in NYC’s Nolita neighborhood. The announcement came via Instagram post, where % Arabica shared finalized renderings of the cafe, designed by French architecture firm ciguë. Based on the shared images, the NYC cafe will keep with the minimal aesthetic associated with all % Arabica, right down to the customized Slayer espresso machine.
The exact opening date of the Nolita coffee shop remains unknown. Per the Instagram post, the plan is to open “when the corona [calms] down, hopefully soon.”
% Arabica Elizabeth Street is not the end of the brand’s expansion plans, far from it. Already with 56 cafes in 13 countries, % Arabica has cafes “opening soon” in Indonesia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, and Malaysia, with more in the works in Canada, Egypt, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Myanmar, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and Vietnam.
For more information, visit % Arabica’s official website, and to track the progress of the Nolita cafe, follow them on Instagram.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
Top image via % Arabica