Despite a rumor that was seemingly confirmed by an employee, 100-year-old Caffe Dante will not be closing anytime soon. "It's not closing," the cafe's owner Mario Flotta said in no uncertain terms over the phone this afternoon. "I'm telling you right now it's not closing."
The story began Monday when a tipster told Jeremiah's Vanishing New York that a group of Australians had bought the business and would be taking over imminently. No one answered when we called last week, but staffers confirmed to Vanishing New York that the cafe was closing. Flotta now says there must have been a misunderstanding; DNAinfo broke the good news this afternoon.
"Somebody who works here is having a good time pulling these rumors," Flotta told us by phone. "I think I know who she is. I don't know...she must have misunderstood because she likes to be in everyone's business. She must have overheard somebody talking and she misunderstood the whole situation."
"We still have the best espresso not just in the Village, but in the whole city and more," Flotta continued. He also hoped their revamped menu would continue to serve the next generation of Greenwich Village residents and visitors. As for the gossipy employee, Flotta has some plans in store. "Now she's away, she's in Santo Domingo with her husband. I'm waiting for her to come back to give her a piece of my mind!"
