Little Canal, a new cafe on a conspicuous corner across from Seward Park, soft opened this week. It’s a spot for good coffee, as well as simple breakfast and lunch items. When the menu is finalized, there will also be dinner service, plus beer and wine.
The restaurant is located at 26 Canal St., at Essex/Rutgers Street, right next to the F Train stairwell. Big windows on two sides create a fishbowl effect, offering customers a view of the bustling street scene. There’s a turntable behind the coffee bar. You can expect to hear music from the 60s, 70s and 80s.
Owner Jereme Barnas told us yesterday he’d “had it in his head to open a coffee shop” for a long time. Once he found the space, it made sense to add food. It’ll be a vegetarian-centric menu with meat options to satisfy the carnivores. Look for egg sandwiches in the mornings and breakfast bowls, sandwiches and salads for lunch and a “vaguely Italian” menu for dinner. Barnas said he’ll probably offer Burrata and some straightforward pasta dishes, among other items. He’s built the place to feel like a comfortable, casual hangout featuring the kind of food he personally likes to eat. Barnas has lived on the Lower East Side for the past eight years, so he’s got a good sense of the neighborhood.
For now, Little Canal is open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Once the kitchen is up-and-running, the restaurant will stay open until midnight weekdays and 1 a.m. on weekends.
