Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar rebranded as “The Nocturnal Café” following a New York State Department of Health regulation on the sale of kava.
Located at 139 West State St. beneath The Sun’s office, the downtown Ithaca staple was the only kava-focused establishment in Tompkins County, with its signature kava drink made by steeping the root of the kava plant in water.
Kava, a shrub native to the South Pacific, has been used by Pacific Islanders to promote physical and mental relaxation for medicinal and ceremonial purposes.
In late October 2024, Paul Galgoczy, founder and co-owner of Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar, was informed by the Tompkins County Health Department that kava was not approved as a food additive under NYSDOH regulations. This means that kava can no longer be added to food or beverages at food service establishments.
Barred from selling its signature kava drink, Galgoczy described the rebranding process as “extremely challenging” as he was given around 30 days to “completely redesign a business model” while losing its primary revenue-generating product.
As part of the rebranding process, the kava bar changed its name to The Nocturnal Café, a move that was “key to reflecting the broader direction” of the business, according to Galgoczy.
“The Nocturnal Café name really nailed what we do because we are primarily a nighttime establishment,” Galgoczy said. “A place where people can gather later in the day and enjoy food and drink and that kind of connection experience.”
Apart from the name change, The Nocturnal Café is offering a new and diverse selection of offerings, ranging from artisan coffees and teas, mocktail elixirs, cannabidiol-infused beverages, kombucha on draft and juice, as well as desserts and snacks.
CBD is a chemical compound found in cannabis plants that can promote a sense of calmness and relaxation. Galgoczy explained that adding “seltzers and bottled elixirs” infused with CBD extracts to the menu was a priority in the rebranding process, as CBD can produce similar relaxing effects as kava.
According to Galgoczy, the new products had been “really well received.”
The Nocturnal Café has a New York CBD license.
Aaron Fernando, a regular customer of the bar, said he was impressed by how quickly the business adapted following the regulation.
“I was actually really surprised at how quickly [Sacred Root rebranded] and how good it looks with the new menus, and how quickly the espresso machine came in,” Fernando said. “I'm still kind of hopeful that kava will come back [and] if it does, it would be a great addition.”
Despite the rebranding efforts, Galgoczy said that the business remains committed to advocating for the recognition of traditionally prepared kava as a generally recognized as safe food item in New York State.
As a part of its efforts to raise awareness and advocate for the re-evaluation of kava regulations, Galgoczy has an ongoing petition that has over 1,000 signatures at the time of publication.
For Josh Dolan, another regular customer, kava has served as a healthier alternative to alcohol, and he questioned the fairness of the state’s regulation.
“I have a long history with alcohol, and kava offered me a healthier way to relax at the end of the day,” Dolan said. “So it seems hypocritical that New York State is regulating [kava] … when it is [often] used by people [who] are in recovery, like myself.”
Galgoczy said he remains hopeful the state will eventually reverse course.
“We're pretty confident that at some point New York State will come to the realization that preventing the sale [of] kava in restaurants is not beneficial,” Galgoczy said. “And when [they] do, we definitely plan to bring kava back as a centerpiece of what we do, because we do believe strongly in the value of kava as a traditional drink and [its] relaxing and social properties.”
While there haven’t been any significant developments so far, Galgoczy said that the business is in communication with New York Assemblywoman Anna Kelles (D-125th District), a former Cornell professor in nutritional science, who has assured him that she is working to reevaluate kava regulations.
Ultimately, Galgoczy said that rebranding as The Nocturnal Café and expanding the menu is helping make the business more accessible to a wider range of customers, and he remains optimistic that these changes will lead to a stronger future for the business.
“In the future, when we hope to be able to serve kava again, we would just add kava back into our offerings [and] continue in the world that we've established this year for ourselves,” Galgoczy said. “We see that as the greatest possible outcome to put us in a place that was really better than where we were before, but we know it's going to take quite a bit of work to get there.”
