Cafe Fulya to return under original owner
Cafe Fulya, the sweet little Turkish cafe at Second and Monroe Streets in Queen Village, has closed after nearly eight years, but it won't be closed for good.
Tristan English, who operated it for about four years, issued a statement Tuesday saying he was out: "Cafe Fulya has been a local favorite and much-loved neighborhood restaurant. Business has been great and the staff are wonderful. The reason for leaving, however, is because of landlord issues, and we can't stay at this address. We'll be looking for a new location and hope to re-open (probably under a different name) within the next year."
But on Wednesday, landlord Ilker Ugur reached out to address the "landlord issues." He said the business had closed because English did not make good on an agreement.
First, Ugur said, they will redecorate the dining room. "Cafe Fulya will start serving a better, cleaner, fresher all-day breakfast and pastry products," he said. In addition, they plan to serve pizza along with their Turkish dishes at lunch and dinner.
They're looking for a partner, he said. Both brother and sister now live in Florida.
In a follow-up email Friday, English disagreed with Ugur's characterization of the partnership.
(Updated post)
