Some people love a daily coffee and a buttery croissant. Others love an aperitivo—the Italian tradition of enjoying drinks and snacks before dinner. Still others love a glass of red wine and an Italian supper. Who says one restaurant can’t have all three? Italian culture is being infused into more and more cafés in New York City, as they begin to transform after dark into sophisticated dinner establishments.
The trend works for a city that is known for never sleeping; while most coffee shops close their doors sometime in the early afternoon, making way for the bars and restaurants to open, there are select cafés expanding their food and drink menu enough to provide patrons a typical Italian meal throughout the day.