New York’s newest cat cafe is purrfect.
Koneko, which means kitten in Japanese, opened the first Japanese-style cat cafe in America on Nov. 4. Cat lovers’ lives may never be the same.
No, you can’t bring your own cat (or your own bottle), but you can enjoy plenty of each in the trendy new space.
Dark gray walls with portraits of cats, minimalist black furniture and a menu of homemade bar snacks and Japanese beers make Koneko feel more like your favorite downtown lounge, but with a major bonus: live cats.
“We created a mixed-use space,” said Simon McGown of CO-Office, which partnered with Koneko founder Ben Kalb in creating Koneko. “What would traditionally be a tea shop with some cats in the background became a coffee shop with Japanese pastries and cats,” he said.
Those with allergies will be pleased to learn that a sealed-off partition allows visitors to ogle cats without any actual feline contact.
Paw your way over to 26 Clinton St., where adorable kitties from Anjellicle Cats Rescue, tasty pastries and a lengthy bar menu all await.
Take a look around!
