Dining Review: Al Capone Slashing Legend Once Filled The Walls Of La Cerveteca Cafe and Juice Bar

“Here’s the legend,” says Joe Komforti, owner of the newly opened La Cerveteca Cafe and Juice Bar (641 President Street between 4th and 5th Avenues).

“Al Capone was slashed in the face here. I don’t know what movie he was watching when it happened.”

Komforti should know; he’s been the owner of 641 President Street since 1991. He’s seen major changes in the neighborhood. And he wants to adjust with the times.

Komforti solved the mystery of La Cerveteca Cafe and Juice Bar on Friday, August 12 when he started inviting customers in for coffee, pastries, juices, smoothies, and salads. “And cold AC and free WiFi,” he adds, hoping that the place will become a comfort zone of sorts for those needing to get some work done.

Komforti walks around with a hefty leg brace nowadays. He injured himself, which delayed the opening of the place. “We’re on a test run, but we’re fully functional,” he says.

You wouldn’t know he was injured as he nimbly heads into the kitchen area to describe some of his plans for the space. “Right now, we’re beginning with the cafe,” he says. “But there are opportunities for guest chefs to come here to cook customized dishes.” Komforti points out a room upstairs in the building that could be refashioned from a conference room to a dining area.

Right now, the place is a clean, bright cafe. The refreshing Samba Blend smoothie ($6) consists of acai, bananas, and mixed berries.

But Komforti prides himself on his coffee.

The segafredo zanetti is “not something you’re going to find in many cafes around here,” he says. Agreed – the taste is deep without being acidic.

“We want to keep it a neighborhood place,” says the owner. “I hired employees who live right next door. It’s a fast commute for them.”

The previous restaurant in the space was El Jalapeño, which dished our Mexican food and some beloved watermelon juice. One of the owners died while the place was still open, and it folded in 2013.

Komforti divided the restaurant in half, so it’s narrower than El Jalapeño. “We’re starting out small,” he says. “It’s the best way to do it.”

The cafe is on (relatively) quiet President Street, just around the corner from the heavy foot traffic of 5th Avenue. But Komforti presses the intriguing history of the building that houses the new cafe.

641 President used to be a fully functioning bakery. And the building once housed a movie theater.

“It was called the Alhambra,” says Komforti. “You’d enter through 5th Avenue and then exit on President Street.”

Mob legend Al Capone lived in a series of apartments on nearby Garfield Place between 4th and 5th Avenues.

“This man [Capone] was a sleaze. He was not an American hero,” says Komforti. “He used to sleep with many married women in the neighborhood.” According to the legend, one of the cuckolded husbands once entered the movie theater and slashed Capone in the neck.

Whether the juicy myths are real or not, the juices at La Cerveteca certainly are. While the cafe is basic, it’s also pleasant and quiet — hopefully quiet enough to someday hear the walls speak.

Sounds like they have a lot to say.

The Dining Rundown: La Cerveteca Cafe and Juice Bar
Where: 641 President Street between 4th and 5th Avenues
Hours: Mondays-Fridays, 7:30am-6:00pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 9:00am-5:00pm
Phone: None at the moment.
Kid Friendly? Yes, they’ll be just fine. Cafe space with room.