Bridge Cafe

Bridge Cafe
Bridge Cafe near South Street Seaport
Restaurant information
Established	1794
Street address	279 Water Street
City	New York City
County	United States
State	New York
Postal code/ZIP	10038
Website	http://bridgecafenyc.com/

Bridge Cafe is an historic restaurant and bar located at 279 Water Street in the South Street Seaport area of Manhattan, New York City, United States. The site was originally home to "a grocery and wine and porter bottler", opened in 1794, and has been home to a series of drinking and eating establishments. In the nineteenth century the building was described in city directories variously as a grocery, a porterhouse, or a liquor establishment. Henry Williams operated a brothel there from 1847 to 1860 and the prostitutes were listed in the New York City census of 1855. In 1888, the building's exterior was altered to its present form. It is the city's oldest continuous business establishment and has been under its current ownership since 1979.^[1]

While in office, Mayor Edward I. Koch regularly had dinner at Bridge Cafe and declared it to be his favorite restaurant.^[1]

New York Magazine considered it to be one of New York City's Top 5 Historic Bars.^[2]

Bridge Cafe—as well as the rest of the building—was damaged during Hurricane Sandy and the restaurant has been closed ever since.^[3] Repair work is almost complete and Bridge Cafe plans to re-open in 2015.

References

1. Jackson, Kenneth T. (ed.) (2010). The Encyclopedia of New York City (Second ed.). p. 155.
2. Dwyer, Kevin (June 5, 2005). "Blasts from the Past". New York Magazine.
3. "Bridge Cafe Website". November 2, 2013.

External links

Coordinates: 40°42′31.3″N 74°00′03″W / 40.708694°N 74.00083°W