Pete's Tavern Painting

Located inside Gramercy Park’s Historic District along on Irving Place (a street that Samuel Ruggles designed himself), Pete’s Tavern stands in a building that has been serving New Yorkers since 1851. The building itself was part of the Portman Hotel and housed a grocery store. The grocery store did not remain there long, as the Healy brothers bought the establishment and turned it into a café (Healy’s Café) in 1899. The café switched ownership when Peter Belles bought Healy’s Café in 1922 and changed the name to Pete’s Tavern. In 1864, the grocery store turned into a tavern and served customers food and alcoholic beverages. And that is exactly what Pete’s Tavern has done since then. A few things on the menu have changed, but this tavern is one of the oldest running restaurants in New York City. It even survived Prohibition by having a successful flower shop as its front business. Located in the historic district of Gramercy Park, home to artists and thinkers and actors, Pete’s Tavern played host to two well-known authors as they wrote the works that made make them famous. The author O. Henry wrote The Gift of the Magi while frequenting the tavern in 1905 and Ludwig Bemelmans wrote his first draft of the beloved children’s book Madeline on the back of Pete’s Tavern menu. A plaque outside of Pete’s will remind you that this establishment is well known for it’s literary fame. Not only has Pete’s Tavern been open since 1864, it has also retained its original interior design since 1864. The booths, the bar, the ceiling and floor tiles are the original ones since the tavern’s opening in the 19th century. You can even sit at the same booth O. Henry wrote The Gift of the Magi and experience Pete’s tavern the way he did! Talk about historical! Pete’s Tavern is such a New York City fixture that it has been featured in some movies and television shows. If you enjoy Seinfeld or Sex and the City, then you might recognize the exterior and interior of Pete’s, as both shows filmed at Pete’s. In fact, if you are interested in doing a tour of all the restaurants and bars that Sex and the City filmed in, then you definitely want to add Pete’s to your list, as this is the place where Miranda proposed to Steve.