Tatte Café and Bakery, the Israeli-inspired fast-casual café chain that has taken Boston and Washington, D.C., by storm, is coming to New York City.
Pronounced like “latte,” the café — known for its coffee, pastries and full menu, including three varieties of shakshuka — is set to open at 310 Park Avenue South.
Earlier this week, eagle-eyed New York City foodies noticed signage posted at under-construction location in Flatiron and documented the development on TikTok. The location is not on the list of new stores on Tatte’s website, and the company did not respond to numerous requests for comment about an opening date.
“It’s a GREAT day! Tatte is coming to NYC!!!!” one TikToker wrote. A flood of comments followed, surfacing everything from passionate exuberance to culinary and cultural criticism to, in one case, an antisemitic blood libel that appeared to refer to the war in Gaza.
“Aren’t they a bunch of Zion@zis?” one commented wrote. After a second replied, defiantly, “Yessss that’s why the food is so good!” a third piped in, “The blood of civilian makes the food good??”
The exchange hints at the challenges Tatte will face as it widens its push into a third market. Founded in Boston in 2007 as a farmers-market stall by Israeli baker Tzurit Or, Tatte — named for the Yiddish word for “daddy” — has since expanded to more than 20 locations in the city, where it has garnered a cult following, along with its share of critics. In 2020, the chain expanded to Washington, D.C., where one of its 18 locations in the area became known as the go-to lunch spot for former President Joe Biden’s staff. Tatte also has two recently opened outposts in New Jersey, in Ridgewood and Morristown.
In the years since its takeover of two major American cities, the chain has seemingly become ubiquitous there. In fact, as with Starbucks in the early 2000s, its critics have coined a term for its effect on its environment: “Tatte-ification” has come to represent something of a stand-in for gentrification.
In 2016, Ron Shaich, the former CEO of Panera Bread and Au Bon Pain, who is Jewish, purchased a majority stake in the company. Or stepped down as CEO in 2020 following allegations of mismangement and racism at the company, but she remains a creative advisor.
The Flatiron location will be the chain’s first in New York City, though a location opened in May in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and an outpost is forthcoming in Garden City on Long Island, per Tatte’s website. Though the opening dates remain unknown, it’s easy to surmise what the new spots will look like: Every Tatte location shares the same design, with airy, brightly lit interiors, honeycomb tiled floors and marble tabletops.
“I haven’t been to D.C. in a while, but I remember really liking their pastries and baked goods,” said Ezra Fax, a 26-year-old photographer who lives in the East Village. “A wider variety than most places. Also, I’m a coffee snob, and they had a really good latte.”
Tatte offers seasonal Jewish holiday items, such apple babka, round honey-baked challah and apple and honey cake for Rosh Hashanah. The cafe’s wide-ranging menu includes several Middle Eastern items, like bourekas, Jerusalem bagels (ka’ak) and krembo, a chocolate-covered marshmallow treat that’s popular in Israel.
The chain has devoted fans. In a video posted by TikToker RachelInaRealWay, the content creator wrote, “The only reason I ever considered moving to dc is over.” She then defended the cafe’s food against criticism from commenters, saying, “I dream about their sandwiches this is a hill I will die on.”
Indeed, others online were quick to describe Tatte as “mid” — Gen Z slang for mediocre — or charged that the cafe’s quality had diminished during its rapid expansion. Others took issue with the cafe’s Israeli connection, with multiple commenters saying they would not shop at a chain owned by a former IDF soldier.
Or, who grew up on a kibbutz and finished her stint in the IDF in 1992, has said her two years in the army were pivotal to her career. “That experience of mentoring, supporting, and leading a group of soldiers shaped who I am today,” she said in a 2018 interview.
A job listing for a head chef and general manager for the Park Avenue location, posted in early August, is still live.
While Tatte is not kosher, another Israeli café chain with a similar vibe — this one based in Miami — is also coming to Manhattan. One of Motek’s locations, opening in 2026, will be kosher-certified.
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