Beloved East Village Café Closes After 36 Years
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Liza Schoenfein October 16, 2017
Café Orlin, a beloved eatery in Manhattan’s East Village that served hummus and other Israeli/Middle Eastern dishes — along with popular, inexpensive breakfasts and other classic American fare — is closing its doors today after 36 years in business.
Once one of the only places in New York to offer the flavors of North Africa and the Middle East, the café was owned by Rivka Orlin, who is originally from Essaouira, Morocco. Orlin is also the proprietor of the Moroccan restaurant Café Mogador. Both restaurants are on St. Mark’s Place.
The closing was first reported in September by Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, which updated its post to say that Grub Street confirmed the closing and reported that Café Orlin’s owner also owns the building it’s housed in — and would likely open a new restaurant in its place.
Liza Schoenfein is the food editor of the Forward. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter, @LifeDeathDinner
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
— Alyssa Katz, editor-in-chief
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
