Restaurants & Bars
Chinese Bakery Opens In Rego Park, Replacing Ben's Best Deli
A Chinese bakery and café has opened in the Rego Park spot that was home to Ben's Best kosher delicatessen for over seven decades.
REGO PARK, QUEENS — A Chinese bakery and café has opened in the Rego Park spot that was home to Ben's Best kosher delicatessen for over seven decades.
Cafe Mocha opened its doors Monday at 96-40 Queens Blvd. following a grand opening celebration with a traditional Chinese dragon dance, manager Ken Lin said.
Offerings include bubble tea, flavored ice teas, birthday cakes and European-style and Chinese-style pastries, according to Lin. The Chinese desserts include buns in flavors like chocolate pineapple and orange cream, Yelp reviewers said.
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Starting this fall, hot sandwiches and other more savory options will be added to the menu.
The storefront was home to Ben's Best for 73 years, until the deli closed in summer 2018 due to declining business, the New York Daily News reported.
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Owner Jay Parker had claimed the downturn was a result of new protected bike lanes along Queens Boulevard that had eliminated nearly 200 parking spots.
"Since they've gone in I've watched my business drop week after week," he told the Daily News in June 2018.
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