While quaint cafes, lively bars, and avant-garde galleries have steadily popped up all over Lower Lawrenceville in the last decade, the area known as Upper Lawrenceville has yet to experience the same new business boom. While a few bars and restaurants offer those above 50th Street appetizing dinner options, a new eatery called MauraMori Café is possibly the only spot for the first meal of the day.
"There's a lot of the neighborhood you don't see," says David Mori, co-owner of MauraMori. There's still a lot of workforce in the mills and big companies along the river, so I wanted to give them the opportunity to stay local for breakfast and lunch."
Mori, who has owned the pizza shop That's Amore! since 2001, opened the café four weeks ago with friends Steven and Maura Booher. The roughly 1,000-square-foot space located at 5202 Butler Street has been completely rehabbed by
Wylie Holdings and features exposed brick walls, vibrant colors, seating for 30, and locally produced artwork for sale. In the near future, both Mori and Booherr hope to support more local artists by offering openings and other art events.
While the interior is that of a classic café, Mori jokingly says that they serve "cafiner" food, a portmanteau of café and diner. The large menu features affordable, freshly prepared favorites like pancakes and waffles for breakfast and club sandwiches and burgers for lunch.
"We've had suits in here today, we've had electricians in here today, and we've had bikers in here today. We've been developing the idea of who is going to eat here. It's pretty much everybody," says Mori.
MauraMori Cafe is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
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Writer:
John FarleySources: David Mori and Maura Booher
Photograph copyright John Farley