Landmarks

Troubling Signs: 71-Year-Old Cup & Saucer’s Building Is For Sale

Photo: Angelo Fabara

One of Chinatown’s hidden gems is the Cup & Saucer Luncheonette, a small, quaint diner that, according to one of the owners, John Vasilopoulos, has been in business for 71 years. This week, a sign went up indicating that its building is for sale. Vasilopoulos, who has run the diner for 23 years (he says the previous owner also ran the joint for twenty-some-odd years, as did the original owner before him), tells us he’s not really worried — “we hope the new [building] owners will continue to let us be here.” Apparently 89 Canal Street was bought by a “big corporation” earlier this year, and “they want to do business,” but Vasilopoulos is hoping he’ll get to stay.

So do we: Even though the Cup & Saucer closes before we get out of work (making it a luncheonette in the truest sense), we love everything about it, from the classic Coca-Cola sign to the cheery morning service (the owners will occasionally throw you a free coffee or newspaper) to the cheap heaping helpings. It holds a place in our heart (or, more accurate, our shallow pockets) right next to the Landmark Coffee Shop & Pancake House.

Troubling Signs: 71-Year-Old Cup & Saucer’s Building Is For Sale