{"id":989,"date":"2025-12-31T15:56:34","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T15:56:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/nycbusinessdaily\/classic-dishes-and-hidden-gems-at-petes-tavern\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T15:56:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T15:56:34","slug":"classic-dishes-and-hidden-gems-at-petes-tavern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/nycbusinessdaily\/classic-dishes-and-hidden-gems-at-petes-tavern\/","title":{"rendered":"Classic Dishes and Hidden Gems at Pete\u2019s Tavern"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Pete\u2019s Tavern stands right on the iconic corner of East 18th Street and Irving Place, beloved as a neighborhood gathering place and a historical landmark in the heart of New York City.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>A Landmark Since 1864<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The establishment says its building dates to 1851, originally operating as the Portman Hotel. In 1864, the first bar on site opened as a \u201cgrocery and grog store.\u201d<br \/>\nPete\u2019s Tavern also claims to be the city\u2019s oldest restaurant and bar without interruption of service.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>From Healy\u2019s Caf\u00e9 To Pete\u2019s Tavern<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In 1899, Tom and John Healy acquired the business, renaming it Healy\u2019s Caf\u00e9. The property was sold in 1922 to Peter D\u2019Belles, who gave it the name Pete\u2019s Tavern, which still stands today.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Preserved Original Features<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Pete\u2019s maintains much of its original character: the forty-foot rosewood bar, ornate back bar, tin ceiling, and tiled floor are reportedly unchanged since 1864. The bar room\u2019s booths and overhead cabinets are also said to be original fixtures.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>O. Henry, Literary Legend<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Pete\u2019s Tavern is tied to author William Sydney Porter, best known as O. Henry. According to the tavern, he penned \u201cThe Gift of the Magi\u201d in the second booth in 1903 while living nearby at 55 Irving Place, a location that appears in his story \u201cThe Lost Blend\u201d as &#8220;Healy\u2019s.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Prohibition\u2019s Florist Cover and Hidden Entrance<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>During Prohibition, Pete\u2019s reportedly posed as a florist, decorating with fresh blooms and exterior signage. Those familiar with the ruse could use a side entrance, passing through a \u201cdummy refrigerator door,\u201d whose original hinges survive today. After Prohibition ended in December 1933, the florist cover disappeared and Pete\u2019s resumed legal operation.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Menu Highlights: Pub Fare Meets Italian-American Favorites<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Pete\u2019s serves a full menu day and night. Guests can choose starters like Rhode Island-style calamari, fried zucchini chips, thin crust pizza, and wings dubbed &#8220;O. Henry chicken wings.&#8221;<br \/>\nMain courses feature offerings such as chicken pot pie, fish &#038; chips with cod fried in special house ale batter, shepherd\u2019s pie, as well as Italian-American standards like eggplant or chicken parmigiana with spaghetti pomodoro. Burger fans will find classics like the Gramercy Burger alongside a veggie-friendly Beyond Burger.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Drinks: Drafts, Cocktails, and Comforts<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The tap list includes Pete\u2019s 1864 House Ale, Pete\u2019s \u201cEasy\u201d Light Lager, along with popular selections such as Guinness Stout and Brooklyn Lager.<br \/>\nCocktails range from staples like the Manhattan and Pete\u2019s Old Fashioned to house innovations and seasonal sips, including Espresso Martinis, hot toddies, mulled wine, and both nonalcoholic and traditional egg nog.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Location &#038; More<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Pete\u2019s Tavern<\/strong><br \/>\n129 East 18th Street (At Irving Place)<br \/>\nNew York, NY 10003<\/p>\n<p>Website: <a href='http:\/\/petestavern.com' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>petestavern.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pete\u2019s Tavern stands right on the iconic corner of East 18th Street and Irving Place, beloved as a neighborhood gathering place and a historical landmark in the heart of New York City. A Landmark Since 1864 The establishment says its building dates to 1851, originally operating as the Portman Hotel. In 1864, the first bar [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":990,"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":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retail-news-nyc"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v26.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Classic Dishes and Hidden Gems at Pete\u2019s Tavern - NYC Business Daily<\/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\/nycbusinessdaily\/classic-dishes-and-hidden-gems-at-petes-tavern\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Classic Dishes and Hidden Gems at Pete\u2019s Tavern\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pete\u2019s Tavern stands right on the iconic corner of East 18th Street and Irving Place, beloved as a neighborhood gathering place and a historical landmark in the heart of New York City. 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