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Caffe Dante Closed For Good, Regulars and Reports Say

By Danielle Tcholakian | March 23, 2015 4:16pm | Updated on March 24, 2015 4:08pm
 Caffe Dante was closed midday Monday. A regular who had relocated to a nearby cafe in SoHo said the cafe's last night was Sunday.
Caffe Dante was closed midday Monday. A regular who had relocated to a nearby cafe in SoHo said the cafe's last night was Sunday.
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DNAinfo/Danielle Tcholakian

GREENWICH VILLAGE — Caffe Dante was shuttered on Monday after serving up a century of cannolis and cappucino — and reports said the closure would be permanent.

The closure of one of MacDougal Street's oldest eateries was first noticed by Gothamist. Longtime friend of the owner and 30-year regular Danny Bellino, 51, confirmed the restaurant served its final meal Sunday night.

Owner Mario Flotta, Sr, who insisted in February that reports of the cafe's closure were "rumors" spread by "a lunatic," did not immediately return messages left on his home answering machine.

Bellino said it was heartbreaking to watch Flotta on Sunday night take down all of the framed photos of himself with celebrities that covered the walls and close up shop for good.

Bellino said that Flotta told him the space was "still gonna be a cafe" and that the new owners are keeping the name, though "they're taking the gelato case away."

"If it's called Caffe Dante, I'll still go there, but it won't be the same without Mario," Bellino said.

A company called Figure of 8 Trading, LLC, applied for a liquor license at Caffe Dante's address at 79-81 MacDougal St. for "a full service restaurant serving European-inspired fare," according to its application to Community Board 2 in December.

A State Liquor Authority spokesman said on Monday they had no application on file for the address.

A man who answered the phone at Figure of 8 Trading, Inc. said the company had "no further information at this time."

Longtime customer Nanette Funk, 73, mourned the restaurant's closure on Monday.

“I feel a little bit in shock. It’s like a loss in the family.”

Correction: Due to an editing error, Caffe Dante's address was listed incorrectly.