Konstantinos (left) and Nikitas Bouras, the owners of Mati Cafe.
Mati Cafe, an all-day cafe run by Greek twins Konstantinos and Nikitas Bouras, brings a taste of their home to Randall’s Island in New York City, where the brothers have turned a small cafe into a thriving stop for athletes and families, drawing attention locally and through social media.
The brothers, who grew up in the Athens suburb of Psychiko, moved to the United States in 2017 and 2018 before eventually shifting careers and opening the cafe inside one of New York’s largest tennis facilities.
“We found an opportunity [to open our cafe] at Sportime, and in March 2025, we opened Mati Cafe,” Nikitas said. The cafe now serves about 250 to 300 customers a day, many of them members of the tennis and padel club, as well as children attending training programs and camps.
Sportime has dozens of courts and training programs, including the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, and serves as a training site for professional athletes preparing for tournaments such as the US Open.
The Mati menu combines elements of Greek cafe culture with American staples. “We wanted to make a clean menu that reflects our authentic way of eating and lifestyle in Greece, while making it approachable for New Yorkers. That means Greek coffee, like freddo espresso and freddo cappuccino, healthy smoothies, salads, bowls, and a lot of American-centered food like burgers and nuggets,” Nikitas said.
He added that they “gave Mati Cafe that name because we would go to the area of Mati every summer. We grew up there, we are attached, and because of the fire [in 2018], we wanted to bring a piece of home into one of our businesses.”
Although the cafe includes Greek products and drinks, the brothers said they did not intend to create a traditional Greek restaurant aimed specifically at the Greek-American community. “We wanted to make a store that has Greek elements but it’s not a traditional Greek place,” Nikitas said.
The twins are always looking for ways to innovate, Nikitas said, “Social media these days is crucial for brand recognition.” He added that one viral post reached Greek audiences far beyond New York. The attention has brought visitors from across the city and even recognition on the street. “They stop Konstantinos on the street now because he’s super involved in the videos,” he added.
The business employs about 10 people and sees its busiest periods during the summer when sports camps fill the facility with hundreds of young athletes. Professional players preparing for major tournaments have also stopped by the cafe. “Maria Sakkari and some other athletes came and had a freddo espresso at Mati Cafe,” Nikitas said.
The twins are already planning an expansion. A second Mati Cafe location is expected to open at another Sportime facility in Amagansett in the Hamptons, and the brothers say they hope to bring the concept to Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood by 2027, as well.
