228 West 52 Street, New York City, (212) 245-5336
Open seven days a week from noon to midnight.
Reservations suggested. All major credit cards accepted.

In 1927, with Prohibition hanging heavily over the land, Gallagher’s was the first speakeasy-a Runyonesque gathering place for gamblers, sports figures, showbiz folk and other stars of the Broadway firmament. That changed in 1933, the watershed year that saw the Depression bottom out as FDR took office and delivered on his promise to end Prohibition.

Their idea was a totally different concept, a retreat from the formal, plush elegance borrowed from Europe that was then in favor as restaurant décor. It was back to the basics: plain plank floors, wood-paneled walls and red checked tablecloths-an informal blending of speakeasy and country inn. The dark walls were covered with photos of Broadway and Hollywood stars, business and political luminaries, and athletes past and present, including the equine performers celebrated at Belmont Park and Jamaica, New York’s showcase racetracks of then and today.

Irene after a few years decided to sell the restaurant. Out of hundreds of potential buyers, Irene Hayes chose Jerome Brody who was a great restauranteur, the originator of Restaurants Associates, in 1964. Jerome Brody’s accomplishments included the Four Seasons- Rainbow Room, the Forum of the Twelve Caesars’ Fonda del Sole and the Famous Rainbow Room. With Jerome Brody’s ingenuity and foresight, he took the refrigerator that was at the front of the restaurant and opened up the front so that the contents could be seen from the street. He stocked it with the best USDA Prime aged meat. The beef was kept at a constant 36 degrees for 21 days to insure tenderness. This practice is still followed to this day.