Caffe Vivaldi

Caffe Vivaldi opened its doors on Jones Street in 1983, occupying a space that previously served as a laundromat. The original owner, Ishrat Ansari, moved to the neighborhood from Pakistan in the 1970s and first ran a nearby magazine store. He named the cafe after the composer Antonio Vivaldi, honoring the musical enthusiasm of the man who had operated the laundry service there before him. While the cafe grew into a legendary venue, its roots remained tied to this transition from a functional local business to an artistic gathering place.