Я ни разу не была в этом новом кафе, хотя живу рядом.

Russian often uses the past tense of быть to express have been in the sense of visiting a place.

So:

• Я не была в кафе = I haven’t been to the café / I was not at the café
• literally, it looks like I was not in the café

In this sentence, ни разу не была means have never been even once.

Russian does not usually say a direct equivalent of English I have never been with a separate present perfect form, because Russian has no present perfect tense like English does.

Была is the feminine singular past tense form of быть.

Past tense in Russian agrees with the speaker’s gender:

• Я был = I was / I have been (male speaker)
• Я была = I was / I have been (female speaker)

So this sentence tells you the speaker is female.

Ни разу means not once, never even once, or not a single time.

It is a very common expression used with negation:

• Я ни разу не был в Москве = I have never been to Moscow
• Я ни разу не пробовал борщ = I have never tried borscht

In your sentence:

• Я ни разу не была... = I have never been... even once

It adds emphasis beyond a plain negative.

In Russian, this is normal. Ни разу typically goes together with не.

So:

• Я ни разу не была... = correct
• using ни разу without не here would be wrong

This is part of a broader Russian pattern where negative words often appear together:

• Я ничего не знаю = I know nothing
• Он никогда не был там = He has never been there

English often avoids multiple negatives in standard usage, but Russian requires them in these structures.

This is the prepositional case after в because it means being in / at a place, not motion toward it.

• в кафе = in/at the café
• в этом новом кафе = in/at this new café

The words agree like this:

• этом = prepositional singular of этот
• новом = prepositional singular of новый
• кафе = indeclinable noun, so its form does not change

Compare:

• Я была в этом новом кафе = I was at this new café
• Я иду в это новое кафе = I’m going to this new café

The second one shows motion toward the café, so it uses the accusative with в.

Кафе is an indeclinable noun in Russian. That means its form stays the same in all cases.

So you get:

• кафе
• в кафе
• из кафе
• рядом с кафе

The surrounding words may still change:

• это кафе
• в этом кафе
• из этого кафе

This is common with some borrowed words in Russian.

It can mean either, depending on the verb and the case pattern.

With verbs of location or being somewhere, в + prepositional means in/at:

• Я была в кафе = I was at the café

With verbs of motion, в + accusative means to / into:

• Я пошла в кафе = I went to the café

In your sentence, была is not a motion verb, so в этом новом кафе means at/in this new café.

Russian often omits subject pronouns when the verb form already makes the subject clear.

• живу already means I live
• so я is optional

Both are possible:

• ..., хотя живу рядом = ..., although I live nearby
• ..., хотя я живу рядом = ..., although I live nearby

Adding я can give a little extra emphasis or contrast, but it is not required.

Хотя means although, though, or sometimes even though.

It introduces a clause that contrasts with the main statement:

• Я ни разу не была в этом новом кафе, хотя живу рядом.
• I’ve never been to this new café, although I live nearby.

So the contrast is:

• normally, if you live nearby, you might be expected to have gone there
• but in fact, the speaker has never been there

Both can mean something like nearby, but рядом is especially common for physical closeness.

• живу рядом = I live nearby / I live close by
• живу близко is possible, but less natural in many everyday contexts

Also, рядом can be used in two ways:

1. on its own:

   • Я живу рядом = I live nearby

2. with с

   • instrumental:
   • Я живу рядом с кафе = I live near the café

In your sentence, the place being referred to is understood from context, so рядом alone is enough.

Yes, but the nuance is slightly different.

• Я никогда не была в этом новом кафе = I have never been to this new café
• Я ни разу не была в этом новом кафе = I have not been to this new café even once

Both are correct.
But ни разу puts more focus on the idea of not even one visit.

So ни разу is a little more concrete and emphatic.

Both are possible, but they sound slightly different.

• Я ни разу не была в этом новом кафе is the most neutral and common
• Я не была в этом новом кафе ни разу puts stronger emphasis on not once

Russian word order is flexible, and changing it often changes what is emphasized rather than the basic meaning.

So the version in your sentence is the natural default order.

In English, at this new café is often the more natural translation when talking about visiting a place.

Russian в кафе literally uses in, but in many contexts English prefers at:

• Я была в кафе → I was at the café
• sometimes I was in the café also works, depending on context

So the Russian preposition does not always match the most natural English preposition one-to-one.