Sunrise Cafe

The same faded sign has hung from the cafe facade since opening in 1921.

Located in a two-story block building in Staten Island, the Sunrise Cafe is an old favorite among the area's working class residents. It serves hot coffee and affordable breakfast food from 6am to 2pm, though is available in the evening for private bookings. A staple of the community, the Sunrise Cafe is known to take in troubled youth and parolees, putting them to work as a sort of rehabilitation.

The building itself has existed since 1859, when it was a three-story, wood-slatted brothel and inn. The old sailors at Snug Harbor, referred to as “Snuggies” would drink there. But in 1907 there was a fire, and that’s when a flat roof repair shaped the building to what we now recognize.