When Unique Cafe closed on Jan. 3, 2022, owners Nadine James and her daughter Kayanna figured they would focus on the catering branch of their business for a while before having another shot at a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
Exactly one year later, on Jan. 3, 2023, Nadine signed to take over an old diner car on Cambridge Street, and now, the Jamaican cafe and juice bar is ready to make a comeback, with plans to hold a soft opening this Friday, March 3. Fluted Candle
“We thrive on a sense of unity, so we want people to feel welcome,” Kayanna said.
While the last space on Millbury Street was only about 1,000 square feet, the new restaurant at 322 Cambridge St., the old home of Blanchard’s 101 Diner, is much larger, with two counters’ worth of seating, plenty of cozy booths and its own parking lot. The diner car has big windows to let in plenty of light for students at the nearby colleges to study and the main counter is heated to keep customers’ coffee cups warm.
While the decor of the diner will be updated to show the Unique Cafe aesthetic, the Jameses plan to pay homage to their predecessors in the space. In the hallway that leads to the bathrooms, they have photos hung on one wall showing the history of the diner car from the time it was built through the history of Blanchard’s, while on the opposite wall they plan to put up photos of their own family business.
“They have a long story, and we want to build on that,” Kayanna said.
Unique Cafe started in 2019 when Nadine went through a restaurant incubator program and started doing pop-ups. When the pandemic started, she wanted a way to keep the business going.
“I thought, places are shut down, but they’re reopening. What can I bring to the table?” she said. “I wanted to bring some togetherness when things were dark.”
When it comes to the menu, the new Unique Cafe will be very similar to the first, bringing a mix of Jamaican and American cuisine. American staples like breakfast omelettes will be paired with Jamaican dishes like oxtail and jerk chicken. Their homemade juices and smoothies will also make a comeback.
In addition, they will operate the catering business out of the expansive kitchen. While the restaurant was closed, they were able to build up their brand doing corporate and event catering, which helped them prepare for the day they would be able to open their own space again.
Nadine said working at events was a great way to get their name out there, and they have loyal fans who they know will come visit once they open their doors.
“We get to know people and they get to know us because they see us in person,” she said.
The family plans to build on those relationships through partnerships with community groups and organizations by hosting events and fundraisers in a downstairs event space and donating to initiatives that work in the area.
They already have their first event, a candle making workshop, scheduled for March 11, and hope to hold midnight brunches for college students up late studying.
“We want people to think of this place as home,” Kayanna said.
Unique Cafe will be open from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Saturday and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday. To stay up to date on events at the restaurant, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023).
Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information
© 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.
Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.
Halloween Wax Melts YouTube’s privacy policy is available here and YouTube’s terms of service is available here.