Barryville General has begun a soft opening at 70 Avenue A, serving up $3 espressos, a plantain latte and dairy-free soft serve as it eases into an expanded market and cafe ahead of its official debut set for October 16. The East Village shop, known for its mix of specialty foods and apparel, has spent the past several days testing its new food-and-drink operation on shoppers between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.
The expansion, first reported by EV Grieve, has Barryville General growing into the storefront next to its existing shop, giving the market more room for a cafe counter alongside its pantry staples. The outlet notes the market started with a limited selection of food, drinks and pantry items before the cafe buildout took shape. Barryville General is co-owned by Eric and Sharone Komoroff and Sean Naughton, according to whatnow.com, which reported that the cafe will serve espresso from a local Cuban coffee roaster alongside grab-and-go Cuban-inspired fare, baked goods and nondairy soft-serve ice cream from Lavender and Truffles.
What's on the Opening Menu
During the soft-opening stretch, the lineup includes coffee from Café Aroma, baked goods from Party Bus and dairy-free soft serve from Lavender and Truffles, per the same EV Grieve report. The soft serve is available on Fridays for now, giving regulars a reason to swing by at the end of the week while the rest of the menu settles in.
The coffee program is already fairly built out for a soft launch. It includes $3 espressos, a café bonbon, a cortado, a house latte and a sweet plantain latte made with housemade plantain syrup, the report notes.
Hours Will Shift After the Official Debut
Right now, the market is generally open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. while the soft opening continues. Once the official debut arrives on October 16, regular hours are expected to stretch to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to the same EV Grieve account.
Per whatnow.com, customers will be able to access the cafe either through a pass-through connecting the two buildings or via its own separate entrance, a layout that should help with flow once foot traffic picks up for the full opening. Reports differ on where exactly Barryville General's Avenue A footprint began: whatnow.com has described the original shop as opening at 68 Avenue A before expanding into 70 Avenue A, while an earlier EV Grieve post placed the opening at 66 Avenue A between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.
From the Delaware River to the East Village
Barryville General's path to Avenue A has been a long one. The company began with a store in the small upstate town of Barryville along the Delaware River, opened a Southampton location in August 2024 as an extension of its original store, and later opened its first New York City store at the very end of 2025, bringing specialty foods, apparel and accessories to the East Village. The clothing side of the business, Barryville General Goods, debuted that same December, whatnow.com reported, with the company also continuing to operate its Southampton location.
On the East End, Barryville General has drawn comparisons to other high-end, specialty and gourmet food markets in the area, like Provisions and Citarella, according to 27east.com. Whether the Avenue A cafe earns similar standing in the East Village remains to be seen, but for now, neighbors can grab a cortado or a scoop of dairy-free soft serve while the countdown to October 16 continues.
