Sardi’s, the Theater District sensation best known for the caricatures of Broadway celebrities that grace its walls, has re-opened in time for its hundredth birthday after a nearly two-year hibernation.
Sardi’s of course is more than just a restaurant, having served as something of a private club and hangout for Broadway columnists, press agents, and drama critics who lunched there regularly. There is still a business lunch menu in addition to the regular lunch menu. Sardi’s was even better known for being the go-to venue for opening night parties, prompting owner Vincent Sardi, a theater lover in his own right, to keep the house open later than others in the area to accommodate Broadway performers’ schedules.
As for the food, a special section of the dinner menu (aka pre-theater menu, not to be confused with the supper, or “post-theater,” menu) is devoted to “Sardi’s Traditions,” which includes the signature Cannelloni au Gratin and Shrimp Sardi.
If there is one concern about Sardi’s capacity to remain open it is the timing of the official re-opening on Dec. 21 with the sudden surge of the Omicron variant. Nearly half of the shows that had scheduled performances that night remained dark.
Sardi’s, 234 W. 44th Street (bet Broadway and Eighth Avenue), 212-221-8440.
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