In 2015, Football Cafe opened its stoop overlooking the midfield at Lions Gate Field, in the center of Chinatown, New York City. Known as a “superfood test kitchen” a menu of organic bio-hack shakes; foods-to-go for pre- and post-match athletics; and specialties found nowhere in the area — from raw fresh-cut coconut water and daily-made sprouted almond milk to custom-boosted MCT oil coffee, matchas, and ashwaganda teas. Rare nutrient-dense items from all over the world or locally sourced from the local tri-state farmlands.

Quickly, the Football Cafe stoop became a multi-cultural meeting place for locals or tourists including everyone from players coming off the pitch to neighbors from the buildings above to beer-drinking football supporters to students from local yoga schools to local skaters and rappers, all coming together to catch games on television or live action out front. And Lions Gate Field rarely stayed inside the cages; 100 Forsyth Street was also home to games between parked cars and NYC bike paths.

As the neighborhood changed, the Cafe and its ecosystem of neighbor businesses were all pushed onwards from the original 100 Forsyth Street location. But the essence of the stoop has carried on as a media platform and webshop, featuring a unique, colorful take on the football universe through fan merch and various media. Cafe serves as official customer service and pro shop for Nowhere FC (the only club the Cafe plays favorites for) and ships supporter artifacts to a network around the globe.

This unique community is also known as “mes que cafe,” a place for football culture from anywhere and everywhere, from physical to digital. Currently the group is searching for its next post-covid location and a return to in-person service.