New York’s Very First Dog Cafe Will Open This Year

New York is coming to its senses, getting over its weird cat-cafe obsession and finally getting a dog-friendly cafe in the East Village dubbed Boris and Horton. DNAinfo reports that Coppy Holzman and his daughter Logan will open this lil patch of heaven inside the space on the corner of East 12 and Avenue A, previously occupied by the East Village location of Ost Cafe.

Named after Coppy and Logan’s respective dogs, Boris and Horton will be a regular coffeeshop-and-wine-bar hybrid, just with a plexiglass wall encasing neighborhood pooches.

The wall is per guidelines set by the DOH, which allows the cafe side to serve food and beverages, while the other side of the wall will have space for dogs to run around. There’s also photo booth and a retail portion selling pet supplies. Human visitors will be allowed to move between the two spaces but dogs will only be allowed on their designated side. And yes, the dog-less are welcome, too.

The question is, just like doggy day care places have to vet potential playmates, will there be a screening process to bring dogs into the cafe? Because anything from kennel cough to a dogfight could spoil a party.

According to DNA, Boris and Horton is set for a December 2017 opening. Stay tuned for more news as it becomes available.

• Dog-Friendly Cafe to Take Over Former Ost Cafe Spot in the East Village [DNA]