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Swedish Cafe Fika To Open Its First Upper East Side Outpost

By Shaye Weaver | June 26, 2015 5:36pm
 Upper East Side residents will have a Fika store of their own starting next week.
Fika Coming To The Upper East Side
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UPPER EAST SIDE — A Swedish cafe chain is opening an outpost on Lexington Avenue, featuring hand-rolled truffles, baked goods and Swedish meatballs.

Fika, which has a 16 other locations in Manhattan, is launching at 1331 Lexington Ave. between 88th and 89th streets on Monday, according to co-owner Lena Khoury. 

“What is special about New York is that you can have 16 locations in the city and some people still haven’t been to Fika,” Khoury said.

“The Upper East Side is a fantastic area and a very busy area and one where we don’t have a presence at all. We have a few locations in Midtown and Chelsea, but we haven’t put our stamp on the Upper East Side. There is a great coffee culture in that neighborhood.”

Fika, named after the Swedish word for coffee break, opened its first store in Central Park South in 2006 and most recently opened a third Chelsea location on Ninth Avenue in February.

Fika's coffee is primarily sourced from Brazil, El Salvador and Ethiopia, and roasted in Brooklyn using a Swedish technique that produces a bold but smooth taste, Khoury said.

The cafe will also offer a variety of sweet and savory treats to pair with coffee, including salted caramel truffles, a matcha latte and a seaweed bread, which will be added to the menu soon, she said.

Within four weeks, Khoury expects the new Fika location to start serving beer and wine.

“We’re not trying to be a wine bar, but it makes sense that a couple of truffles might be a nice addition or people might like to have a glass of wine with lunch or with their chocolate.”

Fika will be open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.