Park Slopers who are still bemoaning the loss of the Tea Lounge will be able to satisfy a different craving when the beloved Vietnamese sandwich shop Hanco’s opens in the Seventh Avenue space.
The popular Carroll Gardens banh mi and bubble tea emporium will open in the space at the corner of 10th Street in the next two months, a manager said, confirming rumors first reported by Gowanus Lounge, a Web site.
“After looking at that the area, [we saw that] there is no Vietnamese food over there and we just want to bring something to the neighborhood,” manager Michael Ting told The Brooklyn Paper.
The shop will have an expanded tea selection, and Ting said they are considering opening a coffee bar. But the main attraction will be the banh mi, that delectable French-influenced Vietnamese sandwich that comprises spicy pork, pickled vegetables and a mayonaise-like spread piled high into a baguette — a remnant of France’s one-time dominance in Indochina.
Hanco’s has signed the lease, though some details remain to be worked out. But neighbors were excited to hear that a storefront empty since July — and one that was so popular a spot with Wi–Fi-surfing freelancers — would again come to life.
“We’re excited, although I will personally miss my 3 pm espresso from Tea Lounge,” said Maria Mackin, a real estate broker at Betancourt Realty across the street.
“Hanco’s is great because it’s basically dinner for $5,” she said. “I go there all the time.”
