STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island native Danny Mondello, the social media sensation known as “Cugine,” is taking his viral food content from the screen to the streets with a new sandwich shop in Brooklyn.
According to Grub Street, Casa Cugine, located at 427 Graham Ave. in Williamsburg, will soon open in the former home of Caffe Capri, a family-owned establishment that served the neighborhood for over 40 years until closing in 2015.
The 28-year-old Rossville resident has amassed nearly 2.6 million Tik Tok followers and over 1,500,000 on Instagram with his comedic food reviews and distinctive New York City personality. His catchphrases and one-liners have made him instantly recognizable in food establishments across the Big Apple.
His new venture will feature sandwiches familiar to Mondello’s social media audience, including the “Hey Toots” with sliced turkey and spicy soppressata and the “How Ya’ Doin” featuring a fried chicken cutlet and broccoli rabe. The menu will also offer sodas (including Mondello’s favorite, Diet Coke), iced coffee slushes similar to those once popular at Caffe Capri, and desserts like gelato and cannoli.
Mondello’s journey to food fame began as a hobby, making cooking videos at home that he initially shared only with friends. His “Cugine” persona, which means “cousin” in Italian slang, developed while working at his neighborhood deli, the former Miggy’s in Rossville.
“The inspiration of ‘Cugine’ comes from that atmosphere,” Mondello explained. “From the customers to the people I worked with, it’s just very Staten Island.”
Casa Cugine will open in a historically Italian section of Williamsburg, just doors away from established neighborhood fixtures Anthony & Son Panini Shoppe and Emily’s Pork Store. According to Grub Street, Anthony & Son’s Sabino Curcio not only welcomes the competition but helped Mondello secure the location.
“The way we see it, it’s good for the neighborhood and the culture,” Curcio told Grub Street. “People come to get a sandwich from us one day, they get a sandwich from Cugine another, maybe they go to Emily’s another day — we all win.”
Mondello envisions Casa Cugine as reminiscent of an old Italian social club. The shop is expected to open “any day now” once permits are approved, according to Grub Street.
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