July 14, 2015 By Michael Florio
The owner behind Break Bar and Billiards and MexiBBQ opened a new coffee shop on 30th Ave yesterday.
Gossip Coffee, located at 37-04 30th Ave, opened Monday offering a variety of hot and cold brewed coffee and baked goods.
Founder James Paloumbis, who opened Break Bar and Billiards (32-04 Broadway) in 2003 and opened MexiBBQ (37-11 30th Ave) just across the street from the coffee shop in 2010, opened the shop because he said there is a need for a coffee shop on 30th Ave.
“30th Ave is in need of a coffee shop,” he said. “There was a need for a coffee shop where people can come in sit down enjoy a coffee and dessert and go on with their day.”
“People don’t have time to wait an hour for a coffee,” he added.
Despite the influx of cafes and coffee shops that have opened in Astoria, Paloumbis believes his coffee shop will be able to stand out.
One way he plans to stand out is with his doughnuts, which are made fresh by Chef Scottish Francis Legge, who was dubbed the “Donut King,” by Gordon Ramsey on season five of Fox’s “Master Chef.”
The doughnuts, which cost $4.50 each, will come in a variety of flavors including prosciutto and stout, which dubbed him his nickname on the show, orange creamsicle, lemon poppy seed, and doughnut holes rolled in espresso and chocolate bits.
Everyday there will be a 10-doughnut supply of the Gossip Doughnut, which is a caffeine-infused chocolate doughnut topped with gold leaf that cost $10 each. These are made twice daily.
These doughnuts are sold exclusively at the coffee shop.
“We are the only shop in America selling these doughnuts,” Paloumbis said.
The cafe also offers 10 rotating blends of coffee, along with 10 different cold teas served on tap.
Along with deep-fried treats, the shop offers a chilled rice pudding bar, featuring a rotating selection of nine different flavors of rice puddings at a time. Puddings will be available in four different sizes, made up of the four-ounce tease for $4.50, the eight-ounce selfie for $8.50, the 16-ounce date for $14.50, and the 32-ounce Entourage $28.
Paloumbis believe the design of the shop will also help it stand out.
The shop follows a “Googie-style” architecture design, similar to something seen in “The Jetson’s.” It features plush lime green and sky blue armchairs, and is decorated with bags of the shop’s signature coffee, wheat-grass planters, and retro memorabilia.
The backyard has an outdoor deck filled with wooden benches, with colorful plants and trees around the yard. There are yoga mats hidden off to the side for those who wish to use them.
The shop can seat 50 people total- 25 inside and 25 more in the backyard, according to Paloumbis. He said with standing room it can hold up to 75 people total.
It will be open from 7 am to 10 pm, seven days a week.
While Paloumbis says he is the founder of both Gossip Coffee and MexiBBQ, he runs both with his partner, John Bortolis.
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4 Comments
Awful. Got shut by DOH today
Haha he says 30th Ave is in need of a coffee place hahah I can’t stop laughing it’s so hysterical hahahaha
I think it was PT Barnum who said there is a sucker born every minute – sadly they will buy into this hype and shell out good money for overpriced trendy fried dough – give me a break !!!
Another trendy place in Astoria – $3 to $5 for a donut – WTF???