New Cat-Themed Cafe Serves NY Bagels, Coffee In St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A new cat-themed cafe has recently opened its doors in St. Petersburg.

Doakes N Doodle Cafe at 2930 Dr. MLK Jr. Street N. is named after the real-life black cats of the shop’s owner, Amanda Ventura.

“Love cats. Big cat fan,” the New Jersey native told Patch. “Cats are a universal thing and make for a charming cafe theme.”

Ventura, who moved to Florida three years ago, has worked in the hospitality industry since she was 16 years old. In addition to Doakes N Doodle, she’s also owned an Italian restaurant, Scuderia, in Bradenton for the past two years.

In her latest venture, she’s created a community cafe ideal for grabbing a cup of coffee and a quick bite to eat or for sitting and working remotely throughout the day.

Doakes N Doodle has also quickly grown a reputation for its bagels, which are shipped down from a shop in the Bronx, New York, Ventura said.

“So it’s like the Bronx water and that’s been a big hit,” she added. “We’re a coffee shop and also a bagel shop. We have bacon, egg, and cheese; sausage, egg, and cheese; cream cheese; and we’ve brought in salmon to do the lox bagels.”

She’s also open to suggestions from customers on what to serve.

“This is my passion,” Ventura said. “Not just like, oh, a coffee shop, but customer service and providing good food for people.”

Her friend Andreah Perez, also a Bradenton resident, manages the coffee shop. She is a long-time barista who previously worked for Starbucks and Dunkin’. She’s also worked for independent shops, setting up the coffee programs at the Kava Social Club in Bradenton and Island Scoops on Anna Maria Island.

“We serve all the classics from a macchiato to a cappuccino to a latte and she’s also curated a nice personal menu of specialty drinks,” Ventura said.

These include the raspberry white mocha, the caramel cloud and chocolate nutty cream.

Learn more about Doakes N Doodle here.