HESPERIOS

Hesperios NYC Founder Autumn Hruby Just Opened a Cafe in Her Dreamy Manhattan Shop | Bon Appétit

"Tucked into a calm Nolita storefront that doubles as an all-white retail ‘city retreat’ for a cozy minimalist fashion label, the cafe sits quietly beside racks of soft knitwear, ceramics and perfume oils from Tangier’s Madini family. Founded by Autumn Hruby and helmed by Selma Slabiak (formerly head bartender at Aska/Edda), the small operation emphasizes seasonality and carefully earned menu items sourced from the farmers’ market. Drinks include a precisely steeped milky oolong served from a temperature-programmed filtration system, a blueberry-lavender shrub that is lightly floral and explosively juicy, a slightly sour seabuckthorn-and-citrus soda that channels childhood orange crush, a curated tea list from House of Waris and Scandinavian-style pour-over coffee from Irving Farm. The food program leans Danish and Nordic: crusty loaves from Meyers Bageri, pastries from Burrow, and a show-stopping cheese plate assembled with Saxelby Cheesemongers—Seal Cove goat, Old Chatham triple crème and a blue d'auberge from Hervé Mons—served with lingonberry and sea-buckthorn preserves, spelt crackers, dehydrated orange, berries and local honey. Two clementine trees and a waking fig frame the entrance and a planned garden by Miranda Brooks (featuring Hesperis, wisteria and herbs) reinforces the oasis-like, shop-and-sit experience; a wine and beer license is in the works, but the nonalcoholic offerings are already compelling enough to warrant a visit." - ByAliza Abarbanel