Tres Gatos to buy Centre Street Cafe

The owners of the restaurant and book-and-music store Tres Gatos are closing on a deal to buy Centre Street Café and relaunch it as an Italian restaurant.

Tres Gatos owner David Doyle and his business partners decided to buy the restaurant, located at 669A Centre St., once they found out its owner, Felicia Sánchez, was looking to retire.

The plan is to close the Café for a month or two for renovations, and reopen with the same name and a new, Italian/Mediterranean menu in the spring, Doyle said. The current menu is an eclectic mix of multicultural foods.

Centre Street Café has a popular Sunday brunch that will continue under the new menu.

The main obstacle at the moment is transferring the wine license to the new owners, Doyle said.

“We plan to put in a really great wine list. We won’t open this restaurant unless we get that license. That’s a piece that needs to fall into place before we even do any work in the space,” Doyle said.

Doyle also plans to keep the restaurant’s association with Stillman Farm, which provides fresh, regional vegetables.

“We really can’t wait. We love the location and the history of that place,” he said.

Sánchez helped manage Tres Gatos when it opened over two years ago. She told the Gazette she’s ready to sell her restaurant after 25 years.

“It’s time to do something new,” she said. “David’s been a good friend over the years. [He and his partners] will keep the Café as an institution.”

The Centre Street Café earlier this week. (Gazette Photo by Peter Shanley)

The Centre Street Café earlier this week. (Gazette Photo by Peter Shanley)

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