Day 310—Monday, November 15th, 2010
Fanelli's Cafe
Okay, after a couple of week’s with mucho guest stars, I’m back to solo bar-crawling. At last night’s dinner, Fanelli’s Cafe was mentioned by Jon and Karen and I told them I’ve been meaning to go there ever since the start of the bar crawl. It can get crazy crowded in there, but since it’s Monday, I think it’ll be manageable. There’s only one way to find out...
And that's to go there and here we are, let's go check it out.
I love the massive old wooden doors.
Wow, it's crowded for a Monday night, but I spy one empty seat at the bar, let's go grab it.
Steve's a veteran bartender here who's been at Fanneli's for over 15 years.
As I took a sip of beer I looked up and sure enough, there it is, the sign of a great bar, a tin ceiling!
A shot of the back of the bar from my vantage point.
Kristy was the waitress on duty. She was busy, but kindly agreed to pose for a photo inbetween waiting on tables.
Antique light fixtures hang over and illuminate the bar.
Rows of chairs and tables with red-checkered table-cloths line the wall opposite the bar.
Historical photos from days gone by cover the walls.
Here's a vintage boxing poster.
And more boxing photos are hung below it.
Let's go see who this group of people are at the end of the bar.
It turns out they're visiting from London and this is their third night in New York City. From left: James, Will, Eleanor and Alessandro. Will had been to Fanelli's before and brought the group here. Well done, Will!
A long shot of the bar.
A glance of the bar from the opposite end.
Kris was seated next to me waiting for friends to show up. They showed up and took a picture of the two of us. Kris used to live in New York, but now lives in L.A. and is with United Future, check them out here: United Future.
As the night wears on I spy an unusual sight at Fanelli's, empty stools at the front of the bar.
It's been a while since I've done an obligatory bathroom mirror shot, so here we go. Goodnight, everybody!
Review
Fanelli’s is one of the oldest taverns in New York City. It was opened by Michael Fanelli in 1922 and even though the Fanelli family sold the business in 1982, the current owner’s have wisely left the iconic name unchanged. Also unchanged is the bar itself, a great old-school wooden behemoth of a bar. Wobbly ancient wooden tables and chairs line the wall opposite the bar and there’s a framed collage of vintage black and white photos featuring looks at a New York from days gone by and old boxing photos. There’s also a dining area in the back room, which most nights is spilling over with people drinking beer and eating burgers.
Fanilli’s offers a full bar with a good draft and bottled beer selection including: Red Stripe, Duvel, Samuel Adams and Heineken. They have a large menu with all the usual suspects such as chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, soups, salads and sandwiches. Some of the stand out items on the menu include: Meatloaf with gravy and mashed potatoes; Shepherds Pie; Maryland Crab Cake and Pumpkin Ravioli in alfredo sauce. Since they open at 10am breakfast is also served here, so you can have an egg sandwich with an early morning beer, truly the breakfast of champions!
Fanelli's Cafe
594 Prince St. (@Mercer St.)
212-226-9412