Black Star Bakery and Kitchen opened on the busy corner of Vernon Boulevard and 50th Avenue Thursday (Photo: Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)
March 12, 2021 By Michael Dorgan
A Long Island City couple have opened their latest café on the bustling corner of Vernon Boulevard and 50th Avenue, where the Dorian Café was located.
Black Star Bakery and Kitchen, which is owned by Long Island City residents Dan and Odehel Magor, opened Thursday at 10-01 50th Ave.– next to the Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue subway station.
The café/restaurant has undergone a complete overhaul since the owners took over the 1,500 square foot space last year.
The Dorian Cafe closed in November 2019. The space was taken over midway through last year by Dan and Odehel Magor (Image provided by Dan Magor)
The husband-and-wife duo have painted over the faded orange exterior that was synonymous with the Dorian, freshening it up with bright white paint.
The old canopies have been torn down and replaced with new black ones bearing the company name and logo.
“We want[ed] to add more color and life to the corner because that’s what it needs,” Magor told the Queens Post in October when he started working on the space.
“It’s been dull for a long time but we are going to give it some style, a nice finish and make it look really nice,” he added.
Inside, the café features white walls, porcelain tile counters, black menu boards and black chairs. The old booths, a feature of the diner, have been removed. There is also outdoor seating on 50th Avenue.
The couple have four other eateries, with one located at 2-10 50th Ave., two in Manhattan and another in Williamsburg.
Inside Black Star Bakery and Kitchen, located at 10-01 50th Ave., on March 11, 2021 (Photo: Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)
The new venue is similar to the couple’s other locations, offering sandwiches, pastries and breakfast items. Black Star also serves Mediterranean-style food such as shakshuka, hummus, and mezze. In addition, the café has a juice bar.
The café has a more extensive menu than its other locations since it has a larger kitchen, Dan Magor told the Queens Post last year.
The word “kitchen” has been added to the name of the café to signify the change. The other eateries are called “Black Star Bakery and Café.”
The Magors, who are both from Israel, live in Hunters Point and have a young son. They opened their first Black Star in Williamsburg in 2014 while their other Long Island City establishment opened in 2017.
The new café is open Mondays through Sundays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the company’s Facebook page.
The exterior of the new Black Star is similar to its other venues. East 24th Street (L) and Williamsburg (R) (Instagram).
