Former Cafe Lafayette To Become Italian Bistro In Fort Greene

Patch
The regional Italian restaurant will have a soft opening in the Portland Avenue spot next week.

FORT GREENE, BROOKLYN — What was once the long-time restaurant Cafe Lafayette will soon open as an Italian bistro, Browntoner reports. The 99 South Portland Avenue spot will be taken over by restaurant Fradei this month.

The restaurant will hold a soft opening for the new eatery on Thursday, Dec. 20. It will serve regional Italian food for both dinner and brunch and include a diverse selection of wines, rotating weekly.

"Federico Armagni, one of the owners, told Brownstoner they noticed that a restaurant that reflects the 'experience of a real Italian trattoria' was missing in the neighborhood,'" Brownstoner reported.

The Portland Avenue Space was previously the French-Moroccan restaurant Cafe Lafayette, which operated there for more than a decade before closing last year.

Brownstoner noted that Fradei does not yet have its liquor license, but has put a new sign on the awning of the building and updated the interior. Other owners of the restaurant include Lorenzo Baricca, Clement Besset and Simone Finotto, Brownstoner said.

Photo by GoogleMaps, May 2018.