Jonathan Cordeiro and his Wife, The Owners of the Alcove (Photo: Queens Post)
Dec. 20, 2015 By Christian Murray
A new bar/restaurant is expected to open in Sunnyside before year’s end, taking over the space that was previously occupied by Café Marlene.
The owners of the 41-11 49th Street establishment, called The Alcove, have rebuilt much of the interior with 1800s reclaimed wood from Pennsylvania. A new bar has been constructed with wood from an old barn, alongside new timber seats and tables. One of the wooden doors is from a monastery.
The establishment is larger than the former Café Marlene, since the new owners have been able to incorporate space that was previously occupied by Pronto Car Service, which is located next door.
Jonathan Cordeiro, a Woodside resident who owns the establishment with his wife, took over the venue in July and had hoped to reopen it with a new name and concept within a month or two.
“We are new to this, so it took a lot longer,” Cordeiro said. Furthermore, he said, “We have changed the concept, we have changed everything. We have really tried to create something unique.”
Cordeiro, who worked at the Copper Kettle (located on the corner of Skillman/51st Street) for 17-years, said the Alcove is able to seat 22 people at tables, 12 at the bar and five alongside the walls.
“We will have a limited food menu at first, but it will be ethnically diverse,” Cordeiro, who was raised in Astoria, said.
“My wife is Colombian, my father is Brazilian, my mother is Italian…we will have things from everywhere,” he said.
Some of the menu items they will be offering include tacos, arepas and smoked burgers.
There will be a focus on cocktails such as mojitos.
The establishment will offer eight beers on tap, including craft beer from the Long Island City-based breweries Rockaway and Big Alice.
Cordeiro said he selected the name Alcove since it characterizes the establishment.
“When you think of an alcove, it’s a cozy, warm hidden place with a lot of character,” he said.
The Alcove is very much going to be a family business and Cordeiro and his wife Maria Posada will be working there full time. Cordeiro said his father, who has been in the restaurant business for decades, helped design the menu while his cousin was the carpenter who selected and worked with the wood used to revamp the restaurant.
Cardeiro and his wife live just three blocks away on 51st Street.
The Alcove will be open seven days per week from 4pm through 2am.
However, in time, Cordeiro plans to open much earlier in the day for the café crowd.
He said that they will offer coffee and fresh fruit, among other items, in the morning—and by 2pm to 3 pm transform the venue to a bar/restaurant.
They do have downstairs space, although it can’t be used at present since it doesn’t comply with building regulations. Cordeiro said he plans to get it up to code in the future. However, it is a project on the backburner for now.
His primary concern right now is opening.
“We should be open between Christmas and New Years,” he said.
New space is larger (Queens Post)
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35 Comments
I hope the owners are still reading this as I refrain from putting this on Yelp. First…we love, love your place. This neighborhood is in need of a place with better food and drinks. Please go back to making the fries you had the first couple of weeks. We visited again last weekend and the Panko crusted fries are not good. i know this may seem minor but for the price of the food, the drinks and fries have to be good.
Best of luck. We hope you are successful. We need places to go that are nearby and provide quality food and drink. It will definitely be competition for the kettle and Aubergine. Sometimes I think these two establishments have become too comfortable and forget that the customer is important.
Good Luck Jonathan
Pat won’t be working for Jonathon……he and his wife have relocated their massage parlor down by the YMCA….first I heard about Shelly’s though? Hope its not true…. He has always been a class act and I hope he continues the annual golf outing …a happy ending all around
I want to throw up. You need to get out more. There is more to life than hanging out in Sunnyside bars. Yeesh.
Amy,El DopeO seems to have a problem with anyone that enjoys themselves with the social entertainment in sunnyside
Good luck! Adrian and I will be there!
So happy for Jonathan & Maria. They have worked very hard to open this new establishment and I know it will be a hit. Something different in this wonderful neighborhood. Missed the soft opening, but will be there very soon.
Its the Sunnyside Post Cesare, there are always a couple haters with something nasty to say for no reason. Walked past last night and the place was jammed for the soft opening 🙂
Delighted to read such positive and encouraging comments until I got to these last three.
The owner is gonna be working there all the time??? Great idea. Can’t wait to go in there so that this guy can fall asleep in my soup. And also – NEWS FLASH, pal: nobody cares about your wife is from Colombia. All guys who work in restaurants say stuff like that. Good choice to use a monastery door, though, because this country dump is gonna need a damn healthy prayer if it hopes to attract any business. Please.
Are you that gray-haired guy with the moustache in the Mets shirt with the yellow stains down the front who’s always looking for deals in the kitchen towel section of the Rite Aid on 43rd Ave?
Tall drink – I’m afraid you are correct. We tried everything we could to save him. Different schools, different sports teams, practical hygiene…nothing worked.
that was me. Lets go Mets.
8 beers on tap. Wow. At least not another Irish bar. Thank god.
well at least the irish get off their asses and do open business and contribute to the community…now what have you done lately for your community
What a stupid letter. Go to one of those bars at about 11:00 pm on a Saturday night and most of the Irish are on their asses passed out.
hmmm…something tells me your visits to bars after 11.00pm are not too frequent
So…..went tonite for a soft opening!!! Yeah…..Its gonna be AWESOME!!!!! The space is totally cool in an intimate way (hooray for reclaimed wood) and msot importantly is the people who work there are absolutely amazing!!! Jonathan, his wife, and the 2 bartenders truly personify what a local bar should feel like….COMFORTABLE!!!! WiIl post food pics soon @ my site (www.simplygoodeats.com) but initial feel is…YOU MUST GO VISIT!!!!!!!!
Such a warm, friendly, and dedicated couple! I’m very happy and excited for them and for the neighborhood to have a new addition! Congratulations and good luck 🙂
Jonathan is a natural behind the bar and he’ll be even better as the owner of this place. Looking forward to stopping in and checking it out. Good luck!
Sounds great. Can’t wait to check it out. Congrats and good luck!!!
Yay! Glad to see a local owner in here! Happy to show support, and looking forward to seeing you again Jonathan.
Wish them lots of luck! Arepas are delicious and a nice addition to the food choices on the north side.
Nyce, GOD bless you
Finally Sunnyside gets something new and interesting! Can’t wait to try it! Congratulations!
It does look great! But thought there was supposed to be a lounge downstairs and music?! We really need lounge and music in the hood
Good luck. I can’t wait!!!!
Looking forward! More newness,best of luck!
Congratulations, looking forward to going to a new bar and restaurant.
Good Luck!
Nice… nothing against Irish bars, but it’ll be nice to have options in Sunnyside for a change. Wish them best of luck
Very excited to try this place out! Best of luck with the opening!
So looking forward to seeing this space…,will be great to have somewhere new to hang out in the neighborhood. Congrats Jonathan and Maria??
It looks adorable! Good luck!
Looks great! Can’t wait to try it!