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The building on the corner of Broadway and W. 158th Street has been some form of eatery since at least 1907, according to its current tenant, the owner of Coral Family Restaurant, Bobby Damourlianos. After emigrating from a small island in Greece, he bought the location, which was a Cuban restaurant at the time, in 1980.
Noticing the need for a morning breakfast service in the neighborhood, Damourlianos converted the space into a coffee and donut shop. Over the years the business evolved into a two-floor family style diner, with an extensive menu of sandwiches, steaks, chops, pastas, seafood entrees and a full bar. But its gooey legacy as a donut shop sticks even to this day. The majority of business remains during breakfast hours, especially weekend brunches, and many longtime residents still refer to Coral as “the donut shop.”
Widely cherished amongst residents of the Southern Heights, Damourlianos and his family believe it’s the business’s 30-year survival in an area continuously in flux that has earned Coral its respected reputation. In many cases the staff have not only memorized the orders of their “regulars” but often have already prepared the order before they walk in the door – seeing customers approach through the large glass windows that look out on Broadway.
The ground floor is for to go orders, but above in what was once a beauty salon, a winding staircase reveals an intimate second floor dining area full of booth seating and elevated window views of bustling Broadway.
Local fans on yelp.com trumpet the huge salads and healthy wraps like the Vegetable Breakfast Wrap, which crams in spinach, scallions, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, onions, broccoli, asparagus and jalapeños.
Others, according to reviews, call it a local gem that scores high marks on traditional diner items: crispy “well seasoned” mozzarella sticks, “decent size and quite tasty” burgers, an eggs benedict that is “surprisingly tasty,” “delicious” chocolate shakes and fresh squeezed orange juice.
“The donut shop” expanded through the help of Damourlianos’ son, John, who graduated from culinary school. It started with a 24-hour food window behind bulletproof glass to serve late night customers during the height of Northern Manhattan’s crime wave several decades ago. Then, when more and more businesses began offering late night food, Coral moved in the direction of a restaurant. It stopped making donuts in favor of more savory items and opened a sidewalk café on the corner. Eventually after a fire destroyed the beauty salon above, Coral dropped its sidewalk cafe to expand its seating into the second floor space.
After 30 years Damourlianos said he is ready to retire and go back to Greece, but he’s been saying that for years.
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