BY KELLY MARIE MANCUSO
Just steps away from the bustle of Myrtle Avenue in Glendale is an enchanted place lined with giant tea cups in which to sit and enjoy freshly brewed coffee, teas and delectable pastries.
While this may sound like a scene from the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, this unique ambiance can be found at My Coffee Cup, a newly opened café bringing a touch of Wonderland to the heart of Glendale.
My Coffee Cup, located at 65-53 Myrtle Ave., has only been open for a week and has already garnered a loyal local following. This two-month-long labor of love first began when owner Evelyn Valentin experienced an unfortunate personal event.
“I lost my job in March, and at my age, I didn’t want to start again. I think it was a blessing in disguise,” Valentin explained. “So I decided to invest my savings and open up a coffee shop. I wanted to have something different and unique from everybody else. I just happened to see a picture online of a teacup ride and I said ‘That’s it!’”
Many of the café’s patrons enjoy stopping by for an iced coffee while snapping selfies at one of My Coffee Cup’s unique, oversized teacup booths. The booths seat seven and are similar to the teacups in the Mad Tea Party ride at Disneyland — though the cups in Glendale do not spin.
“I wanted something bright and different, something that was never seen in New York before,” Valentin added.
The tea cups were designed by Valentin, made in Asia and transported halfway around the globe to Glendale, with an interesting pit stop in customs along the way. Each teacup is painted in bright shades of blue according to the theme of the café and adorned with a gold filigree stencil design reminiscent to delicate, fine china.
In addition to a whimsical ambiance, My Coffee Cup also boasts an expanding menu filled with both traditional café favorites and unique offerings. The coffee menu includes hot and iced coffee, teas, cappuccino, lattes, hot chocolate, Chai tea and mocha beverages. The café liegeois ($3.75) is a decadent mix of ice cream bathed in a shot of hot espresso or special cold brew.
“I went through over 60 blends of coffee to find that perfect one,” Valentin laughed. “I was awake for weeks after because of the caffeine, but I got it.”
My Coffee Cup also serves real fruit smoothies in strawberry, blueberry and tropical fruit flavors, as well as sweet summertime frozen slushies. The expanding menu features breakfast frittatas, grilled cheese sandwiches and dessert items including apple turnovers and cheese almond Danishes.
My Coffee Cup offers a senior citizen discount daily, as well as a special rewards card. Valentin is also constructing a special sidewalk coffee cart for busy morning commuters.
Valentin hopes to expand the café, with an outdoor tea garden complete with large, LED-lit teacups on the horizon for next summer. She also hopes to someday franchise My Coffee Cup, with cafés throughout the boroughs and Manhattan.
“I’m hoping that maybe in the near future it becomes a chain, and I’ll have a bunch of teacups all over the city,” Valentin said.
RECOMMENDED STORIES
