Mr. Lee’s aka pillow cafe

We’re Robin & Biola, the former owners of Pillow Cafe at 505 Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. We loved Pillow dearly, and we were proud of the home away from home we created for our friends and neighbors. Pillow was truly a community place - we were able to make it happen because we found one guy who could build our bar, one girl who paint, someone to make cushions – that’s how we did it!

Here’s one of our favorite photos of us from our Pillow days:

Pillow was a low-key brunch spot with good food and friendly service, a comfy hangout for local parents and their kids, a happy hour go-to that prioritized belly laughs alongside strong drinks and a cozy refuge for our queer community. We poured our hearts into Pillow for 14 years, even as we struggled to keep up with rising rents and gentrification. In 2017, we finally had to close Pillow when our rent became too high to handle, despite the amazing loyalty from our Pillow family. 


But we have trouble staying away from the restaurant business, and it seems our friends and neighbors are not having our retirement. One of our local landlords invited us to set up shop in a storefront just a block away from where Pillow was formerly located, and we seized the chance to open Mr. Lee’s, which is named after Robin’s dad. With the support of some dear friends and family, we’ve been able to rent the new space and complete 75% of the construction. Now we’re so close, but we’ve gotten stuck. We’re asking for our community’s support to help us over the finish line. Your support will help us purchase some much needed equipment, and to complete construction. 

If you don’t know Pillow, you might not understand what kind of business we’re trying to build with Mr. Lee’s. So, we wanted to share some stories and reviews from Pillow. Here’s part of a story Biola once told to queer oral historian Gwen Shockey (you can read the full story here): 

“Pillow started small, and then we expanded into a bigger space so we could have both a cafe (Biola’s dream) and a bar (Robin’s!).... Pillow was a different kind of place because in the day we had all the moms and in the afternoon we had all the Pratt students and in the night we had all the margarita-people, as we called them. That was how it was most of the time for us, we were also a safe place for Pratt students, gay or straight. There was one transgender kid and every time somebody messed with her she would just walk into Pillow and we would make sure she was safe. I miss that.”


We also had some beautiful notes on Yelp over the years. This was one of our favorites because it shows the kind of authentic place we strove to keep: “They greet you with a smile, and check how you are doing, genuinely. Fix you a perfect cup of coffee when you are waiting for a friend at the bar. Find you a good table to enjoy your food, chat and listen to great music. You feel home here. (And those pillows are darn comfy!)”

And, folks really loved our food, which we were always so proud of because, as Robin says, “We’re not chefs, but we love to make food!”. Our goal was simply to offer healthy, delicious meals that left folks satisfied. And, once we opened our bar, it was such fun to find the perfect brunch cocktails to serve with home-cooked meals. Here’s a few that illustrate how much folks loved Pillow’s down-to-earth breakfast & brunch: 

“I've only ever been here for brunch, but it was so worth it. Food was simple, comforting, healthy and tasty. Nice, unpretentious atmosphere and good prices for the neighbourhood.  Don't ever change!!”

“Super friendly service and good food! You could tell the food was freshly made, and since the kitchen is...behind the bar you can see it. I would totally come back here again! Super generous, they don't give you 3 slices of avocado but the whole half. Great place for breakfast and coffee!”

“The kitchen is open and you can just smell the deliciousness being prepared. I devoured their delicious huevos rancheros and chugged a few of the "Myers colada". I can't express enough how fantastic that drink was. It's a must!! The service was super friendly and casual, can't wait to come back.”



A write-up in the Brooklyn Paper illustrated our desire to meet our customers where they were at, especially when it came to food. “Whether you’re thirsty, hungry, starting your day or winding down – or just need someone to talk to – Pillow Cafe and Lounge has something for everyone… Continuously customizing the selection of food to their customers’ desires, Pillow Cafe has abandoned its standard menu. Currently, the most requested item, the signature goat cheese and sun-dried tomato sandwich, served with homemade pesto on sourdough bread, is rivaled in popularity by their avocado salad with fresh spinach leaves and goat cheese.” 

Because Pillow was in the neighborhood for so long - 14 years! - and Robin and I live in the neighborhood, we still run into our people, our Pillow community, a lot. And we have such good friends we’ve made from running that place. Folks were like family, it was just a natural fit. Everybody came into Pillow. Robin and I miss that so much. Pillow was so special. We know we can’t recreate it. But we know that Mr. Lee’s can be something new - something that is just as homey, friendly, community-centered, joyful and fun - with your help.