Sardi's Restaurant

Sardi's Restaurant (New York). Long the favorite eatery in New York theatrical circles, it was founded in 1921 by Eugenia and Vincent Sardi in the basement of a brownstone on West 44th Street. The brownstone was torn down in 1926 to make way for what is now the St. James Theatre, so the Shuberts built the Sardis a new restaurant slightly to the east on the same street. The walls of Sardi's are covered with celebrated caricatures of theatrical figures and were done first by Alex Gard and, after his death in 1947, by Don Bevan and Richard Baratz. It has become a traditional gathering place where actors and others associated with a new show await the early reviews. Vincent Sardi Jr. sold the restaurant in 1986. It closed briefly in 1990, then reopened, and has again become a popular nightspot.