New Dining Options On 5th Ave: Masala Mix, Sweetwaters, Kung Fu Tea
PARK SLOPE – Fifth Avenue recently welcomed a new Indian restaurant. Masala Mix debuted at 396 5th Avenue between 6th & 7th Streets on April 4th, taking the place of another Indian eatery, Taj Mahal.
Executive Chef and co-owner Ravinder Kumar offers traditional cuisine including Samosas, Onion Bhajia, and Malai Kabab appetizers and Chicken Curry, Chicken Chettinad, and Lamb Madras entrees.
The restaurant also offers a variety of options for vegetarians and vegans including Malai Kofta (veggie dumplings), Dal Makhni (slow cooked black lentils), and Chana Masala (chickpeas cooked in spices).
Starting in May, the restaurant will welcome diners to its back garden with outdoor seating for 30.
Masala Mix is open daily from 11:30am to 3pm for lunch and 5pm to 10:30pm for dinner.
Coming soon to 55 5th Avenue between Bergen Street and St. Marks Avenue—in the former home of Brooklyn Bagels—will be Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea. Slated to debut this summer, the 1,400-square-foot café will offer a “globally-inspired menu” featuring coffee, tea, pastries, salads, sandwiches, and more.
Kingsley Sosoo is opening this outpost of the national franchise. “As an immigrant, opening this café is an opportunity for me to give back to my community,” he said in a release announcing the new shop. Sweetwaters focuses on community engagement with locations hosting events and collaborating with local organizations.
Menu offerings include classic coffee drinks along with the Dragon Eye and the French Vietnamese Au Lait—each made with sweetened condensed milk—as well as a selection of hot or iced teas including Thai iced tea and chai. Frozen drinks including coffee, frappes, and shakes are also available.
Sweetwaters was founded in 1993 by the husband-and-wife team of Wei and Lisa Bee in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The chain has 100 locations across the U.S. from Colorado to Texas to New Jersey. The Park Slope location will be the company’s first in NYC.
And spotted last night—a new bubble tea shop, Kung Fu Tea is coming to 76 5th Avenue between St. Marks Place & Warren Street. The storefront was previously occupied by Tabeel Aromatherapy Gift Shop for 21 years before the business closed in October 2017.
Kung Fu Tea offers classic bubble teas, milk teas, punches, slushes, and snow cream. The business has locations across the U.S. as well as in Australia, Canada, Taiwan, and Vietnam. There are currently five Kung Fu Tea outposts in Brooklyn in Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Downtown, Sheepshead Bay, and Sunset Park. The new location will open just a few doors down from another bubble tea shop—Mr. Wish at 86 5th Avenue.