Hope Café to relocate to former Village Burger site on Old Liverpool Road

LIVERPOOL — One of the most innovative small businesses in Liverpool — Hope Café and Tea House — will move from its present location at the Village Mall to 920 Old Liverpool Road, the former location of Village Burger.

Hope Café owner Matt Cullipher announced his decision on Feb. 25 on Facebook and predicted the move will be made on May 1.

Hope Café and Tea House in Liverpool is known for its inventive Peruvian recipes, vegan options and gluten-free recipes.

“This pandemic has devastated small business, including ours,” he wrote. “We barely survived this past year and have had to readjust our strategy repeatedly.”

So when approached by Mark Cardone from Rooftop Realty about the opportunity to lease the place on Old Liverpool Road, Cullipher jumped on it.

“We’ll have tons of comfy seating [there] including an outdoor patio plus a drive-thru window,” Cullipher noted. “We have to adjust to these new times and we found the perfect fit.”

After opening its doors at the Village Mall, 305 Vine St., on Aug. 18, 2017, Hope Café was chosen by voters in the 2018 Syracuse New Times Best Of poll as the Best Vegan Restaurant in Central NY and the Best New Restaurant.

Cullipher’s inventive Peruvian recipes, vegan options and gluten-free recipes have accounted for its popularity.

Vegetarians revel in the café’s black bean arepas, made with gluten-free maize bred, and enjoy caprese paninis and salads of baby organic spinach, tomatoes, onion, cubed mozzarella and Peruvian olives.

Carnivores savor bacon and sausage omelets or paninis such as prosciutto’n’pesto, grilled chicken, meatball’n’mozzarella or pulled pork with Fat Matt’s BBQ sauce.

As for beverages, Hope Café sells a wide variety, from Vietnamese coffee to juices, smoothies and sodas. The café’s emolientes are homemade teas used as holistic medicine in South America.

The Old Liverpool Road location became available after Village Burger closed there Dec. 5, 2020, after nearly nine years in business. The property and building at 920 Old Liverpool Road is owned by Valerie Kosdrosky and her son, Dennis, the heirs of the late Valmont Lamont.

Cullipher thanked Village Mall “for believing in our vision and for giving us such a wonderful home for the past three years.” But he looks forward to reopening at his new location in May.

Hope Café financially supports a 501(c)(3) non-profit, The People Project, which legally operates under the name Shekinah Gloria Ministries, Inc. The People Project — which partners with the Assembly of God church — reportedly aids needy people in faraway nations such as Peru, Kenya and Pakistan; peopleprojectinc.com.

For café info, visit hopecafeandtea.com or call 315-451-5121.