Prediction: 2018 is going to be better than 2017. New York City’s first-ever dog café, Boris & Horton, is opening in the East Village in January and it’s going to make all your dog dreams come true.
The cafe on the corner of 12th and Avenue A will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m, serving light bites for both dogs, their owners and anyone else who just wants to watch some puppies on their lunch break. Unlike the city’s cat cafés, Boris & Horton is a bring your own dog place.
“We’re trying to provide a solution for New Yorkers that have to leave their dogs at home when they go out or those that have to leave the dogs tied up outside,” said Logan Mikhly, part of the daughter-father duo opening the cafe. The café is named after her and her father’s dogs, Horton and Boris.
Founding the city’s first New York City Department of Health dog café took some creative thinking. Dogs aren’t actually allowed in establishments that serve food and drink, but Boris & Horton is working around that by having two separate glass-partitioned areas. Dogs and their owners can head to a walk-up window on the outside of the building to order and pick up snacks in sealed to-go containers before heading into the dog-friendly area that includes a gif booth. Those that want a regular café experience with the added bonus of watching cute dogs can head straight into the other side that will look like a standard coffee bar, with tables and seats to watch the pooches from.
Boris and Horton will offer bakery selections, toasts, cold-pressed juices, espresso drinks and coffee as well as a selection of beer and wine and cheese plates from Murray’s Cheese. Basically everything you need to have a coffee break or happy hour with your dog.
If visiting a dog café makes you really want a dog, Boris & Horton has you covered: They’re planning to host rescue events with organizations such as Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue, Pupstarz, Mighty Mutts, Pound Hounds ResQ and Foster Dogs NYC.
