Koneko Cat Cafe Debuts on Clinton Street Today
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So, it turns out America’s first “authentic Japanese-style cat cafe” needed an extra two days to put things in order. The Koneko cat cafe will actually open today, as opposed to its initial goal of Monday afternoon.
“Opening up the shop has been like herding cats…literally,” Koneko owner Benjamin Kalb wrote on its Facebook page. “We’re therefore pushing the launch till Wednesday.”
Mad dash would accurately summarize the situation yesterday evening, on the precipice of its opening. A half-dozen folks were busy preparing the insides of 26 Clinton Street (and garden) for the inaugural.
Koneko seats twenty patrons in its cafe space, which, per Department of Health regulations, is situated separately from the “Cattery.” The latter area is ruled by the kitties, and includes a variety of designated play elements. Apparently the Cattery is split in three – upstairs, downstairs, and the aforementioned outdoor cat garden.
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As previously reported, they’ll serve “breakfast food such as baked goods, oatmeal, fresh fruit” and for lunch/dinner, “Chirashi, Hiyayakko, salads, and sandwiches.” Stumptown coffee, “hand-picked teas,” and selections from Kalb’s “favorite local bakeries” round out the menu.
Here are Koneko’s hours of operation…
Cafe:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 7am – 10pm
Friday – Sunday 7am – midnight
Cafe and Cattery closed Tuesdays
Cattery:
Monday, Wednesday through Sunday 11 am – 9 pm
(closed from 2-3 pm for cat naps)
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