STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A new café serving halal food, smoothies and coffee has opened in West Brighton at the site of a former florist shop, and traces of that past are still blooming throughout the space.
Garden Gourmet Café opened three weeks ago at 814 Forest Ave., the longtime home of Sam Gregorio’s Florist, which operated there from January 2010 until its closure in 2023. The café’s name references the building’s floral past and leans into the theme with hanging plants, butterfly murals, wildflower imagery and signs that proclaim: “Welcome to our garden” and “The Garden is my happy place.”
Though only a few weeks old, Garden Gourmet is settling into its new home on Forest Avenue.
The café operates daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and offers a bakery counter, salads, wraps, smoothies and a coffee bar…