Queens Bubble Tea Spot Sweet Cats Opening First Manhattan Outpost in Union Square
By Abigail Nehring September 6, 2023 4:16 pm
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A popular Queens cafe is bringing its pastel-colored pastries to Union Square.
Sweet Cats Cafe — the Queens-based purveyor of bubble tea, plush toys, and desserts in colorful gift boxes — signed a seven-year lease to open its Manhattan flagship at 21 East 17th Street this fall, according to landlord broker Resolution Real Estate Partners. The husband-and-wife duo behind the popular Asian-inspired dessert cafe will have the run of 3,900 square feet spanning the ground floor and basement of the building. Asking rent was $185 per square foot.
The shop’s two current locations in Flushing and Fresh Meadows, Queens, have been “blowing up on social media” and drawing customers from Manhattan, so it made sense to open the next meow cafe across the East River, said Corcoran Group’s Nathalie Wang, who represented Sweet Cats in the deal.
Resolution RE’s Jonata Dayan and Brett Weiss represented the landlord, 77 NY @ 17th, for the space. It was previously occupied by the footwear department of Paragon Sports.
Dayan said Union Square is an “ideal location” for Sweet Cats, noting the area’s diverse demographics and the building’s proximity to the park and busy transit hub.
Abigail Nehring can be reached at anehring@commercialobserver.com.
