New Kid on the Block: A Summer Day Café

“Summer Day Every Day” is the motto of A Summer Day Café, opening tonight for dinner at W. Broadway and Reade. The goal, says restaurateur Matt Abramcyk, is to evoke the carefree feeling of summer, and the decor certainly brings to mind a visit to the beach: The space has abundant light, nautical stripes, yellow and blue accents, and cute illustrations painted here and there. The entrance is now on W. Broadway, into the center of the atrium, flanked by a bar on one side and prime tables and booths on the other. (The people-watching will rival anywhere in Tribeca.) Up on the main level are more tables, some with banquettes of slatted wood and nestled among a nursery’s worth of plants.

“I tried here before and failed,” says Abramcyk, referring to the short-lived Super Linda. “We’re always trying to create the best version of a space, and I truly believe this is it.”

The appealing coastal Italian menu by chef Michael Matteo—formerly of Yves and, before that, Locanda Verde and Lafayette—is loaded with seafood, raw and cooked. (The menus are below.) “It’s fresh and light, leaning toward the healthy side,” says Matteo, but don’t worry, there’s also room for watermelon margaritas and frozen rosé from the slushy machine on the bar. The restaurant will likely start serving brunch in a couple of weeks, with lunch following soon after. Breakfast remains an open question.

“This is such a beautiful corner,” says Abramcyk. “You can sit in the atrium with a cocktail and a seafood plateau with the World Trade Center in the background. We really wanted to capture that perfect New York–ness, that Tribeca-ness.”

Also now open, on the lower level, with its own entrance on Reade: Holy Ground, a bar with smoked meat and a wildly different vibe. Full report to come….

A Summer Day Café is at 109 W. Broadway (at Reade); 646-882-0420; summerdaynyc.com.

Recent New Kid on the Block / First Impressions articles:
Seamore’s
Gitano
Allied Maker
Trader Joe’s
Twenty First Gallery
Noted Tribeca
Royal Green Appliance Center
A Tea Room by Ato

 

9 Comments

  1. Does anyone else notice the MAJOR trip and/or fall hazards? Alcohol is not your navigational friend. #TruthBeTold

  2. I still miss Delphi.

  3. Very pretty space.

  4. Reason why the first space didn’t work was because they rejected the neighborhood. How can you open so many spaces in this neighborhood and not really care about the neighborhood?

  5. Best of luck! I’m not normally one to gravitate towards the enthusiasm of a summer day, but will definitely give it a shot.
    The happy hour is during what hours?

  6. are they saying cappuccinos cost 12$? Crazy world!

Comment: