Brooklyn’s Antilles Cafe builds community across divides

Dru Goicochea (left) and Erick Nicoleau (right) stand side-by-side, each holding a cup of coffee. The two co-founded and co-run the Antilles Cafe. Photo © Shareef Mohamed.

Reportage • Rina Rossi • September 4, 2025 • Leer en castellano

Two decades ago, Dru Goicochea and Erick Nicoleau were students at Johnson & Wales University in North Miami. They joined a fraternity, planned events together, and even ran a food truck, forging a friendship. Goicochea’s family is from the Dominican Republic, and Nicoleau’s is from Haiti.

In 2024, the duo co-founded Antilles Cafe, a Haitian and Dominican cafe in the predominantly Caribbean neighborhood of Flatbush, Brooklyn. Its unique menu blends elements of both Haitian and Dominican cuisine, and the cafe’s motto is “1 Island, 1 Love.” 

While Haitians and Dominicans are often pitted against each other, the countries share many cultural similarities. In the face of rising anti-Haitianism with mass deportations of Haitians taking place in the Dominican Republic, Antilles Cafe provides a space where folks from both cultures can share their love for their island and shared dishes. 

Coffee, dominos and the bigger picture

Upon entering the cafe, one is immediately met with the sweet aroma of espresso. There’s a domino board with the Haitian flag and another with a map of the Dominican Republic, paying homage to the popular pastime in both countries. 

Rows of moka pots, commonly used throughout Latin America and the Caribbean to brew coffee, line up on a counter, ready to serve customers. The building’s façade features an outline of Hispaniola, the island home to both the Dominican Republic and Haiti. 

T-shirts that read “1 Island 1 Love” hang inside the cafe.

“That motto is very deliberate,” Goicochea said in an interview with Ojalá at the cafe. “It’s our way to shed some light on the bigger picture of really showing that we’re way more alike than we are different.”

The cafe’s push for unity takes place in a context of an unequal and violent relationship between the two countries, which has profoundly impacted the lives of people of Haitian descent in the DR.

In 2013, the Constitutional Tribunal of the Dominican Republic passed the law known as the La Sentencia law, which struck down birthright citizenship. Over 200,000 Dominicans of Haitian descent lost their nationality overnight. 

Under President Luis Abinader, the DR has been conducting mass deportation campaigns against Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent. Nearly 150,000 people have been deported to Haiti since October 2024. Abinader claims these deportations were necessary for national security. The mass deportations have been criticized by human rights organizations and activists as inhumane and rooted in anti-Black and anti-Haitian sentiment. 

“They are not migrants, they are not undocumented people who came to the country, but rather, they are Dominican people who the Dominican state has forced into an irregular situation,” said Ana María Belique in a phone interview. 

Belique is a Dominican activist of Haitian descent and part of the human rights movement Movimiento Reconocido, which fights for the social equality of Dominicans of Haitian ancestry. “Because they are Black and because they do not have documents, they are seen as immigrants,” she said.

The mass deportations have had dire impacts on access to healthcare, Belique explained, particularly for Haitians in need of maternal or reproductive healthcare. 

Following a policy adopted in April, migration agents have been deployed at hospitals across the DR, demanding Haitian migrants show documentation and proof of employment to receive medical care. Those who cannot face deportation immediately after treatment. This policy was rolled out at 33 hospitals across the country.

“We need more things like [Antilles Cafe] in the Dominican Republic, because that is where we need to not only break this wall or create bridges, but where more people can enjoy the diversity of our rich culture that we have—both Haitian and Dominican,” Belique said.

The exterior of Antilles Cafe, located on Nostrand Avenue in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Photo © Dru Goicochea.

Communion, not fusion

Antilles Cafe isn’t about Haitian-Dominican fusion. For Goicochea, that would mean blending two drastically different things into one. Rather, he says the cafe seeks to embrace and understand the commonalities between the countries and funnel those similarities into dishes, drinks, and community events.

“I think it’s a blessing for us to be a diaspora that people maybe on the island don’t have, because they have to get wrapped in the individual politics of their country, and fortunately for us, we don’t,” Goicochea said. “I can just love my brother. We pledged together, we went through a bunch of shit together, I just love him for who he is.”

According to co-founder Nicoleau, the cafe’s ‘1 Island, 1 Love’ motto has been embraced by younger Haitian and Dominican generations in the area. According to the 2020 Census, there are 700,000 Dominicans and 160,000 Haitians in New York City. Nicoleau notes that celebrating the love both countries have for the island is essential for Haitian-Dominican solidarity.

“It’s our part to be a catalyst for change with that kind of mindset,” Nicoleau said. “I think 1 Island, 1 Love is how we move that message forward for peace and unity.”

The cafe’s menu features beverages like a plantain brûlée latte, which pays homage to the importance of plantains on the island, as well as Morir Soñando, an iced orange juice and milk drink that’s a staple in Dominican cuisine. 

“I wanted to make sure that when people drank that Morir Soñando, they were transported to childhood,” said Goicochea. “That you feel like you’re five years old on vacation in DR, that you just drink that and it takes you away.” 

When it comes to the food, griot (fried pork shoulder) with pikliz (Haitian pickled vegetables) on the side has become a popular dish at the cafe. Nicoleau said he was excited to bring griot to Antilles because it is a staple item in Haitian cuisine. But Antilles Cafe’ best-selling item is the saltfish bánh mì, which combines the fish commonly used in Haitian dishes with a Dominican-style cabbage salad.

“For me, that dish hits most close to home because we use the Haitian preparation of the saltfish and the Dominican cabbage salad,” said Nicoleau. “I think that combo right there for the bánh mì, that’s the best representation of us. Taking the two best parts and putting them together.”

Coming together despite it all 

The Antilles Cafe has also worked to bring the Flatbush and broader New York community together with weekend events. At a “Moka Pot” event in July, there were kids' activities, local vendors, and performances by local artists and musicians. As the rain came down, community members sipped cafecito, while others danced to the sounds of merengue, bachata, tango, and konpa, accompanied by a local tribal drum band. 

Goicochea said they chose to name the street festival after the silver coffee maker because it is a symbol that unites the Afro-Caribbean diaspora and the café. “Every kid—whether you’re from Ghana, Haiti, DR, from South America, you know this thing.”

Despite rising xenophobia linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s assault on immigrants and people of color, Antilles Cafe has been celebrated by people from all walks of life. Goicochea and Nicoleau credit the cafe’s survival in its first few months to the support it received from the diverse community that has traveled from all over New York to come to Antilles Cafe. 

“I think that it ties into what we were just talking about: ‘1 Island, 1 Love,’ is really moving people,” Goicochea said. “Whenever people see a movement happening that’s based in being authentic and genuine, and based in love, I think people want to be a part of that.”