The TUDOR CITY RESTAURANT

Subtle exterior signage on southwest corner of No. 45

The first in a series of posts about the restaurants that have operated in Tudor City over the years. We begin with the granddaddy of them all, No. 45's dining room.

Opened in October, 1927, the space was called the Tudor City Restaurant (residents simply referred to it as the Restaurant) and not only served as a dining room, but also provided room service to Prospect Tower apartments. It struggled throughout the Depression, finally closing in 1943. It was succeeded by:

The Cove (1945-1953)

The Terrace (1953-1980)
Cinco de Mayo (1986-1991)
Tudor Grill (1996-2002)
L'Impero (2002-2007)
Convivio (2007-2011)
Tudor City Steakhouse (2017-to date)

The interior pictured on a 1932 postcard

The Tudor City Restaurant was a white-tablecloth affair, meant to be the best in the enclave ‒ in 1928, a coffee shop arrived in No. 25, followed by restaurants in the Woodstock (a short-lived enterprise) and the Hotel Tudor.

Click on menu for expanded view

Above, a 1930s menu with upscale aspirations, but fairly palatable prices: a meal of soup, prime rib, asparagus, mashed potatoes, and a piece of pie came to $2.10 (around $30 in 2016 pricing).

While some dishes on the menu remain popular today ‒ Blue Point oysters, French fries, sea bass ‒ others have gone out of fashion ‒ stuffed celery, tongue sandwiches, baked rhubarb.

Tipping was included, while room service was an additional five cents per dish

Below left, a 1928 ad. Below right, the ladies who lunch, 1937.