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Frankie & Johnnie's Bar, A Theater District Oasis, Is Dead
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 21, 2010
Modified Jan 21, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 21, 2010
Modified Jan 21, 2010
Share
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Not long ago we had time to kill before a Broadway show and stopped by our beloved theater district refuge, the cozy warren of a bar at Frankie & Johnnie's, which started out as a speakeasy back in 1926. But instead of finding asylum in the steakhouse's semi-secretive bar (accessed through the kitchen) we were dismayed to discover it reconfigured as a terribly-lit spot above the staircase, by the dishwasher, with sports on big TV screens! Ugh. The bartender (who was not the elderly, sagacious gentleman we'd come to expect) received a full white wine about it, and apologetically explained that because of structural problems, the bar had to be moved (and made soulless!) during renovations. Truly a terrible turn of events, but at least it's not all bad news.
A source tells Lost City that Frankie & Johnnie's is expanding, and the long-shuttered street-level space is being turned into a bar. It's good to hear they're doing well—about a year ago the place almost got bulldozed to make way for a hotel. The owners just need to consult a better designer than the person who committed that atrocity upstairs. In the meantime, where does one repair for a pre-theater drink in that tourist-clogged part of town?
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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