The team behind Raf’s and the Musket Room has unveiled its latest venture, Cafe Zaffri (also known as Zaf’s), inside the Twenty Two New York, a new hotel and private members club in Union Square.
Situated on the ground floor, the restaurant is open to the public, offering modern interpretations of Levantine cuisine and its diaspora.
Tapping into history
The venue’s setting pays homage to the historic roots of the building. Formerly the Margaret Louisa Home, commissioned in 1891 by heiress Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt, the space was originally designed to house single, independently minded women navigating a new city.
Fittingly, the current concept is helmed by a women-led team, including sisters Jennifer and Nicole Vitagliano, alongside executive chef Mary Attea and executive pastry chef Camari Mick.
Cafe Zaffri’s Old World elegance
A collaboration between Post Company and Child Studio, the restaurant’s design reflects an Old World charm, blending lush velvet drapery, brass accents, and marble mosaic floors with a palette of ivory, amber, and burgundy,
Upon entry, guests pass through a long art-adorned hallway leading into the bar room, an intimate space featuring plush velvet seating and Persian rugs.
The journey continues into a garden atrium under a steepled skylight, where marble tables, wicker chairs, and cascading greenery surround a reclaimed wooden fireplace sourced from a European chateau.
At the heart of the restaurant, the main dining room evokes elegance and warmth, with wood-paneled walls, a green marble bar, and soft orange banquettes beneath a Tiffany glass ceiling.
Custom furniture pieces by Child Studio founders Che Huang and Alexy Kos pull inspiration from archival materials from the building’s past, bridging history with the modern day.
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