Sardi's, a legendary Broadway restaurant that has served patrons for nearly a century, will close for several months beginning after Wednesday night's service to undergo renovations. The iconic establishment, famous for its collection of approximately 1,200 celebrity caricatures, is expected to reopen in late fall, just in time for its centennial celebration.
The temporary closure follows the recent retirement of longtime owner Max Klimavicius, who sold the restaurant in March to the Shubert Organization, a major player in Broadway theater ownership. The Shubert Organization, already the landlord to Sardi's and a frequent patron, plans to steward the establishment.
Opened in 1927, Sardi's has been a fixture in the Times Square area. The restaurant experienced a decline in the 1980s, facing issues such as a leaky roof and pest problems, but has since rebounded. In recent years, it has seen a return of its former glamour, with Broadway actors, producers, and critics often frequenting its upstairs bar.
The restaurant's history is interwoven with Broadway's. During Prohibition, its drink supplies dwindled rapidly after its end in 1933, with lunch business reportedly increasing by 50%. Its tradition of celebrity caricatures began in 1935 when the first caricaturist, Alex Gard, drew John Barrymore from memory on a tablecloth. Over the decades, celebrities like Elaine Stritch and Marilyn Monroe have been patrons, with Monroe once dining in a mink coat during a New York summer.
Sardi's has long been a gathering place for the theater community, hosting afterparties and serving as a backdrop for significant moments in Broadway history.