JACKSON HEIGHTS — A former sushi restaurant manager has opened a new Japanese cafe, hand-crafting beloved onigiri, or rice balls, alongside specialty drinks.
Oda Mitsumine opened 969 NYC Coffee last week in a ground-floor retail space inside an apartment building on 80th Street, steps from Roosevelt Avenue.
After moving to Queens from Chiba, Japan eight years ago, he worked at various Japanese restaurants in Manhattan before deciding to open his own restaurant.
A heart-shaped onigiri at 969 NYC Coffee in Jackson Heights. (DNAinfo/Katie Honan)
His drink menu includes coffee, tea, and iced and hot matcha, with different flavors available.
His limited menu will expand in the coming months to include miso soup and desserts, but for now he's been busy selling onigiri — white rice wrapped around savory fillings like salmon, Spam and beef.
"I listen to the customer," he said, of taking feedback from those who've popped in since last week. "If they want it, I try it."
Mitsumine designed cafe's faux-brick interior and outdoor seating area himself by looking up coffee shop interiors on the internet.
"I didn't need an architect," he said.
969 NYC Coffee, 37-65 80th St., is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.
