{"id":4411,"date":"2025-12-31T10:56:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T15:56:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T07:09:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T12:09:42","slug":"behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond The Menu: Pete\u2019s Tavern, A Gramercy Park Institution"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pete\u2019s Tavern sits on a classic Manhattan corner\u2014East 18th Street at Irving Place\u2014serving as both a neighborhood hangout and a living piece of New York City history.<\/p>\n

A Corner Fixture Since 1864\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to the restaurant, the building (built in 1851) originally housed the Portman Hotel, and the first drinking establishment on the site was founded in 1864 as a \u201cgrocery and grog store.\u201d
\nPete\u2019s Tavern also describes itself as New York City\u2019s oldest continuously operating restaurant and bar.<\/p>\n

From Healy\u2019s Caf\u00e9 To Pete\u2019s Tavern\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Pete\u2019s says the business was purchased in 1899 by Tom and John Healy and became Healy\u2019s Caf\u00e9. In 1922, it was sold to Peter D\u2019Belles\u2014after which the name Pete\u2019s Tavern has remained.<\/p>\n

Original Details That Still Define The Room\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Part of Pete\u2019s reputation comes from what it says has stayed the same inside: the forty-foot rosewood bar, the decorated back bar, the tin ceiling, and the tile floor are described as original fixtures in place since 1864. Pete\u2019s also says the booths in the bar room\u2014and the cabinets above them\u2014have been there since the restaurant was founded.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Henry\u2019s Booth And A Literary Footnote\u00a0 <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Pete\u2019s Tavern ties its story to writer William Sydney Porter, known as O. Henry. The restaurant says O. Henry\u2014described as a neighborhood regular\u2014wrote \u201cThe Gift of the Magi\u201d in 1903 while sitting in the second booth. Pete\u2019s also notes he lived nearby at 55 Irving Place from 1903 to 1907 and mentioned \u201cHealy\u2019s\u201d in his short story \u201cThe Lost Blend.\u201d<\/p>\n

    A Prohibition-Era Florist Front And A Hidden Door\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Pete\u2019s describes what happened during Prohibition this way: it was disguised as a florist with fresh flowers and signs outside, and patrons who \u201cwere in the know\u201d entered through a side door and were escorted through a \u201cdummy refrigerator door,\u201d with hinges the restaurant says are still intact.
    \nPete\u2019s adds that after Prohibition was repealed on December 5, 1933, the florist signs came down and the business remained open.<\/p>\n

    What To Eat: Tavern Classics And Italian-American Staples\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Pete\u2019s all-day menu runs from bar-friendly starters to hearty mains. Appetizers include Rhode Island\u2013style calamari, fried zucchini chips, thin crust pizza, and O. Henry chicken wings.<\/p>\n

    For mains, the menu lists dishes like chicken pot pie, fish & chips (cod fried in \u201cPete\u2019s Ale batter\u201d), and shepherd\u2019s pie, alongside Italian-American staples such as eggplant parmigiana and chicken parmigiana served with spaghetti pomodoro.\u00a0 There are also burgers and sandwiches, including the Gramercy Burger and a plant based Beyond Burger.<\/p>\n

    What To Drink: House Drafts And Familiar <\/strong><\/h2>\n

    On draft, Pete\u2019s lists house beers like Pete\u2019s 1864 House Ale and Pete\u2019s \u201cEasy\u201d Light Lager, alongside well-known options including Guinness Stout and Brooklyn Lager.<\/p>\n

    The cocktail list includes classics and house builds such as a Manhattan, Pete\u2019s Old Fashioned, and an Espresso Martini, plus seasonal warm drinks like a hot toddy and mulled wine, and a house egg nog offered in virgin and spirited versions.<\/p>\n

    Address And Website\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Pete\u2019s Tavern<\/strong>
    \n129 East 18th Street (At Irving Place)
    \nNew York, NY 10003<\/p>\n

    Website: petestavern.com\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Pete\u2019s Tavern sits on a classic Manhattan corner\u2014East 18th Street at Irving Place\u2014serving as both a neighborhood hangout and a living piece of New York City history. A Corner Fixture Since 1864\u00a0 According to the restaurant, the building (built in 1851) originally housed the Portman Hotel, and the first drinking establishment on the site was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5756,"featured_media":4412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[340],"tags":[348,349,345],"class_list":["post-4411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature-stories","tag-gramercy-park","tag-manhattan","tag-petes-tavern"],"yoast_head":"\nBeyond The Menu: Pete\u2019s Tavern, A Gramercy Park Institution - EAT and Drink NYC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Beyond The Menu: Pete\u2019s Tavern, A Gramercy Park Institution\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pete\u2019s Tavern sits on a classic Manhattan corner\u2014East 18th Street at Irving Place\u2014serving as both a neighborhood hangout and a living piece of New York City history. A Corner Fixture Since 1864\u00a0 According to the restaurant, the building (built in 1851) originally housed the Portman Hotel, and the first drinking establishment on the site was […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EAT and Drink NYC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-31T15:56:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-02T12:09:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/12\/Petes-Tavern-Outside-in-Gramercy-Park-NYC.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"875\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"595\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bill Harris\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Bill Harris\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/\",\"name\":\"Beyond The Menu: Pete\u2019s Tavern, A Gramercy Park Institution - EAT and Drink NYC\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/12\/Petes-Tavern-Outside-in-Gramercy-Park-NYC.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-31T15:56:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-02T12:09:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/#\/schema\/person\/79ca795f0bf4cb8335b7e2c114412a33\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/12\/Petes-Tavern-Outside-in-Gramercy-Park-NYC.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/12\/Petes-Tavern-Outside-in-Gramercy-Park-NYC.jpg\",\"width\":875,\"height\":595,\"caption\":\"xterior of Pete's Tavern. photo Courtest: Pete's Tavern\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Beyond The Menu: Pete\u2019s Tavern, A Gramercy Park Institution\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/\",\"name\":\"EAT and Drink NYC\",\"description\":\"EAT and Drink NYC\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/#\/schema\/person\/79ca795f0bf4cb8335b7e2c114412a33\",\"name\":\"Bill Harris\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a58fb9473bf0e997dee718eca0759f3e1c56c21c5cbf898771dcd47a0fd7659?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a58fb9473bf0e997dee718eca0759f3e1c56c21c5cbf898771dcd47a0fd7659?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Bill Harris\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/author\/vjones\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Beyond The Menu: Pete\u2019s Tavern, A Gramercy Park Institution - EAT and Drink NYC","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Beyond The Menu: Pete\u2019s Tavern, A Gramercy Park Institution","og_description":"Pete\u2019s Tavern sits on a classic Manhattan corner\u2014East 18th Street at Irving Place\u2014serving as both a neighborhood hangout and a living piece of New York City history. A Corner Fixture Since 1864\u00a0 According to the restaurant, the building (built in 1851) originally housed the Portman Hotel, and the first drinking establishment on the site was […]","og_url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/","og_site_name":"EAT and Drink NYC","article_published_time":"2025-12-31T15:56:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-02T12:09:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":875,"height":595,"url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/12\/Petes-Tavern-Outside-in-Gramercy-Park-NYC.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Bill Harris","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Bill Harris","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/","url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/","name":"Beyond The Menu: Pete\u2019s Tavern, A Gramercy Park Institution - EAT and Drink NYC","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/12\/Petes-Tavern-Outside-in-Gramercy-Park-NYC.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-31T15:56:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-02T12:09:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/#\/schema\/person\/79ca795f0bf4cb8335b7e2c114412a33"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/12\/Petes-Tavern-Outside-in-Gramercy-Park-NYC.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/12\/Petes-Tavern-Outside-in-Gramercy-Park-NYC.jpg","width":875,"height":595,"caption":"xterior of Pete's Tavern. photo Courtest: Pete's Tavern"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/behind-the-menu-petes-tavern-a-gramercy-park-institution\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Beyond The Menu: Pete\u2019s Tavern, A Gramercy Park Institution"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/","name":"EAT and Drink NYC","description":"EAT and Drink NYC","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/#\/schema\/person\/79ca795f0bf4cb8335b7e2c114412a33","name":"Bill Harris","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a58fb9473bf0e997dee718eca0759f3e1c56c21c5cbf898771dcd47a0fd7659?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a58fb9473bf0e997dee718eca0759f3e1c56c21c5cbf898771dcd47a0fd7659?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Bill Harris"},"url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/author\/vjones\/"}]}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5756"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4411"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4448,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4411\/revisions\/4448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/eatanddrink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}