Lakeshore East Coffee takes over former RōM space

If Nick Papageorgiou has his way, New Eastsiders won’t ever have to climb their way to a cup of good coffee again.

“Based on the time I’ve spent on this side of the park, I’m confident [this will work],” says Papageorgiou, about Lakeshore East Coffee, which took over Caffè RōM’s old space at 400 E. South Water St. on June 27. While its red backsplashes, white countertops and caffeinated drinks will look familiar to customers, Papageorgiou says the similarities stop there.

“We want to interact with the com- munity,” says Papageorgiou, who also owns Eggy’s Diner. “RōM didn’t want to adapt its model to the community.”

Along with Dark Matter coffee, iced teas, lattes and espressos, Lakeshore East Coffee will serve a selection of gelatos and pastries. For now, Lake- shore East Coffee will function as a community coffee bar, but Papageorgiou envisions filling a bigger gap in New Eastside. He says that when the cafe receives its liquor license later this summer, it will transform itself into “The Drunken Bean” wine bar—a destination for New Eastside nightlife.

“It’s gonna be a cool place,” says Pa- pageorgiou. “The brand will be a lot different.” He describes a cafe open until 11 p.m., live music and community open mics set against a backdrop of exposed brick, community tables and “warm” colors.