I went there a few months ago the food was over worked and precious, the atmosphere lacked authenticity, and the service was pretentious. It was like a Disney version of 21 Club, if that makes sense. Our service was cold and awkward. Before we ordered she charmingly noted that the chef will not allow for any ANY substitutions, period. I hope you want that Chumley's sauce on your burger! I'm not sure how this shell of a restaurant merits two stars from Wells. It was half empty the entire time we were there and the reserved signs were tragicomic by the end of our meal. If you want a warm and welcoming place to have a pleasant dinner in the neighborhood there are a host of fantastic options.
Minetta Tavern, Waverly Inn and Cafe Cluny are all within walking distance and worlds apart when it comes to warmth, service, hospitality and food.
1
Tried to go in with my wife and a friend for a drink and we were turned away. A doorman? Really? To paraphrase Groucho Marx, I wouldn't want to go to a bar that doesn't want me. Change the name. This has nothing in common with Chumley's but the address.
It's sad that the old Chumley's is gone, but it was already gone before the collapse. In the late 1980's Chumley's was a nice, relatively quiet place. I moved away. I returned in 1997, paid the place a visit, and saw that it had become a hang-out for 23-year-olds. I looked around and everyone was shouting and getting drunk. I couldn't even hear my date through the din. I never went back. I heard that in later years the situation was worse, with the clientele spilling outside and disturbing the neighborhood. So I understand the high prices. They are needed to keep undesirables away. I'm sure that crowd is all over at Caliente now, drinking Margaritas and shouting. I'll gladly pay the high prices if it guarantees that I never have to see those people again.
Why keep the name Chumleys?
3
In the words of the great poet Grandmaster Flash, " its all about money, ain't a damn thing funny. You've got to have a con in this land of milk and honey."
2
What ever happened to normal food?
4
You can still get it. At Chili's, or Olive Garden, or (shudder) Denny's.
1
And now the neighbors have you on a timer. NIMBYs have killed late night New York. I'ts also difficult to find other late-night dining venues, even downtown. The Odeon is no longer 24 hr. and Florent is long gone. Excited that Bubby's opened an outpost in the Mepa only to find out the community board closes their bar at midnight? This kills their late night business! Understandable that on this street there is no desire for a glut of late night establishments, but Chumleys would be simply establishing itself to its former status quo in terms of its hours. New Puritans closing down the place at midnight, defining what is "late" for you? Rue the new Carrie Nation we live in. And the Village is a liberal bastion??
3
In 1993 my boyfriend carved "T'as d'beaux yeux, tu sais?" into a bench at Chumley's. Is it still there? I can't go back without knowing.
P.S. Reader, I married him.
P.S. Reader, I married him.
11
I doubt it. They changed all the furniture.
I agree with a number of the commenters here: This is just a "Disney-fied, out of town version of what was once a true, cozy, unassuming neighboring bistro. I spent many a fabulous night at the "real" Chumley's-drinking with theatre friends after a show, having a decent burger with my folks (under $40!), and revelling in the fact that the matchbooks only listed the address of the joint (86). Now it's just another over-priced inauthentic and very un-NY resto, destined to be filled with the same Non-New Yorkers who live in Bklyn and have become a blight on the real estate market (hello, Chinese, Russians and out of towners!)...sounds pretentious and a must -avoid. Too bad these people will never know the genuine article. Personality free artifice with the same name. Ugh.
8
To echo others, this is hardly Chumley's any more. Maybe we can add "alternate restaurants" to the growing list of "alternate facts."
6
"There is something a little too clubby, too, about the way cards that read RESERVED are placed on the empty tables and in front of unoccupied bar stools, even when the restaurant is winding down for the night."
Thanks - this is enough to keep me away.
You want my business? Give me an open table.
Thanks - this is enough to keep me away.
You want my business? Give me an open table.
12
I loved the old Chumleys and in fact it was the site of my first date with my now-husband. I've lived a few blocks away for 20 years now and was a regular customer. I was thrilled that it was finally to re-open after 10 years! Alas, the fact that the proprietor Allessandro Bourgogne is doing business with the Trump organization (Trump Hotel, Sushi Nakazawa, Washington, DC) will prohibit my visitng. My values won't be compromised for what sounds like a really delicious burger. I can however point out that Corner Bistro also serves a great one! And the White Horse Tavern has even upped its game! And they cost a lot less.
25
Ray Santini, the owner of Chumley's in my NYC days (1963-1971), would be shaking his head in disbelief and so would all the actors and writers I knew who populated Chumley's then. But he's gone, so is my friend Bobby, the actor/bartender, George, my boyfriend, and probably many of the regulars of that era. I lived behind Chumley's on 58 Barrow, so Chumley's was five steps from my backdoor. Ironically, food was an afterthought, and now it's a restaurant. There was a small menu of bar-basics. I had hand-written the menu for Ray that he had printed. It was dark and dingy in the Sixties, didn't flaunt its history, and was a comfortable place to the end the day with friends. I left the city in 1971 to travel, but have been back many times since, and, of course, everything has changed. No different from my experiences in other places in the world. But articles like this give me an opportunity for nostalgic pause.
12
I lived in a one-room basement apartment at 58 Barrow from 1958 to 1960. It could even be the very same apartment that you once lived in. ¬¬As you say, it was only five steps from Chumley's unmarked door. People would occasionally bang on my apartment door, asking for “directions” to Chumley’s. Loud voices in that courtyard often interrupted my sleep, and more than one inebriated Chumley’s patron regurgitated on the steps leading down to my basement apartment.
That ancient building at 58 Barrow is now a townhouse that was selling for millions as recently as five years ago. I paid $70 a month to rent that damp, cramped, basement apartment fifty-eight years ago. I shared the place with several rats. It had no kitchen, so I often cooked burgers in my tiny fireplace.
I ate at Chumley's infrequently. Its food was an afterthought. It was known for its unmarked door, the writers who once drank there, and its atmosphere. Since my bed occupied most of my apartment, I would often lead my guests across the courtyard to Chumley’s for a beer or a coffee. It was cheap, convenient, casual, and comfortable. We would talk for hours at those tables, carved with the initials of past visitors. What was still left of the original Chumley’s appeared to be somewhat authentic. It simply was what it was.
Today’s gentrified reincarnation of Chumley’s seems a far cry from what I knew when I lived just behind the place. Only its name and location survive.
That ancient building at 58 Barrow is now a townhouse that was selling for millions as recently as five years ago. I paid $70 a month to rent that damp, cramped, basement apartment fifty-eight years ago. I shared the place with several rats. It had no kitchen, so I often cooked burgers in my tiny fireplace.
I ate at Chumley's infrequently. Its food was an afterthought. It was known for its unmarked door, the writers who once drank there, and its atmosphere. Since my bed occupied most of my apartment, I would often lead my guests across the courtyard to Chumley’s for a beer or a coffee. It was cheap, convenient, casual, and comfortable. We would talk for hours at those tables, carved with the initials of past visitors. What was still left of the original Chumley’s appeared to be somewhat authentic. It simply was what it was.
Today’s gentrified reincarnation of Chumley’s seems a far cry from what I knew when I lived just behind the place. Only its name and location survive.
2
In Munich in 1937, there were two parallel art exhibitions. One, in a brand-new stripped neoclassical museum building, was of official art. The other, in a warren of rooms, was of "unauthorized" modern art, and was entitled "Entartete Kunst" ("Degenerate Art").
An analysis of the word "entarten" means it's taken out of its "authentic" state. That's the conclusion I've drawn of the new Chumley's.
I visited the original Chumley's some 42 years ago with a much older man who worked in publishing. We ordered shepherd's pie, which was awful. We ate less than half and left.
The new Chumley's seems to exemplify the post-AIDS West Village, of overpriced apartments now used to launder the buyers' money through shell corporations, restaurants with recondite ingredients, and over-gentrification in general. What was once the affordable laboratory of ideas is now a Disneyland.
An analysis of the word "entarten" means it's taken out of its "authentic" state. That's the conclusion I've drawn of the new Chumley's.
I visited the original Chumley's some 42 years ago with a much older man who worked in publishing. We ordered shepherd's pie, which was awful. We ate less than half and left.
The new Chumley's seems to exemplify the post-AIDS West Village, of overpriced apartments now used to launder the buyers' money through shell corporations, restaurants with recondite ingredients, and over-gentrification in general. What was once the affordable laboratory of ideas is now a Disneyland.
11
Maybe it's time for the old-timers to stop moaning. Times change. Just yesterday a guy at the bus stop was complaining about when the fare went from 25 cents to 35 cents. I have the fondest memories of Chumleys from the 70s - whenever I think of the place it seems to be winter with a log on their fireplace. Today I pay roughly twice the amount to park my car than I did for a one bedroom at 12th and West 4th. Still, Manhattan has the same allure for me, but new places and different attitudes. Enjoy what you have as "you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone."
9
Moaning? That's your interpretation... I think this is another hilarious example of cashing in on the past while paying zero respect to it. I'm sure the place is lovely. It's just not Chumley's.
9
@ KSinNYC - No, Sir or Mam!
We have to moan.
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
We have to moan.
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
2
If you're thinking of spending money at "Chumley's," it's worth knowing that Alessandro Borgognone opened a Nakazawa in the DC Trump Hotel.
31
I can't wait for this team to remake the Automat.
9
@ Peter - That is the best comment of the week!
Thank you for the laugh.
Thank you for the laugh.
Really dude? You're just gonna casually drop the word "cloumage" without defining it like it's as easy to come by as a block of orange cheddar?
4
I googled it, I didn't know, either. Cloumage is a soft cheese made on the farm where the cows provide the milk to make it. It gets fabulous reviews as somewhat soft, creamy, deeply richly flavored.
Who wooda thunk that there is a special name for cheese made on the same farm where the mommy cows dwell?
Who wooda thunk that there is a special name for cheese made on the same farm where the mommy cows dwell?
2
Thank you. And here I thought I was the only one who wasn't hip to the new world of cheeses.
4
One question from a former regular now in Vermont. "Is the giant pickle still there?"
4
Burgers + $$$ + Credit Card required to reserve a table = No, Thank You
25
Was getting excited until this paragraph met my eyes:
"Nobody at Chumley’s is likely to take a switchblade to the tables now, not after having to provide credit-card numbers to make a reservation. It’s possible to get a table without one, but you wouldn’t know that from the way the hosts greet new arrivals with one finger poised over an iPad and an expression that says, “Are you on the list?”
"Nobody at Chumley’s is likely to take a switchblade to the tables now, not after having to provide credit-card numbers to make a reservation. It’s possible to get a table without one, but you wouldn’t know that from the way the hosts greet new arrivals with one finger poised over an iPad and an expression that says, “Are you on the list?”
13
Look what they done to my Chumley's ma! Oh, the horror, the memories defiled. May it long rest in peace.
18
Born and raised in NYC 77 years ago and spent 55 of those years living in the village only blocks away from Chumley's. Many friends were waiters there and I frequented it many times. Passed one day not too long ago and peeked in as they were preparing to open. Oh my! Nothing even remotely close to what it use to be in decor or menu. It is Chumley's in name only.
18
Chumley's? Calling it that clearly doesn't make it so. I'll stick with the memories.
19
My very own bachelor gathering, in New York, in 1978, prior to my wedding in Los Angeles a few weeks later, was held at Chumley's. It got a little rowdy -- maybe off the chain!
I wasn't that happy with that, but am guessing I would prefer that to this. Think the thing to do is for someone to figure out how to resuscitate The Lion's Head. They didn't have the speakeasy thing going for them, but they did have the dust jackets on the walls, and I always thought it was a warmer, more authentic place.
They had my favorite bathroom graffiti too! Such as:
"Plato: 'To Be Is To Do.'
Aristotle: 'To Do is To Be'
Frank Sinatra: 'Do Be Do Be Do Be'
So let's bring back The Lion's Head, unless Marc Jacobs already got the space.
I wasn't that happy with that, but am guessing I would prefer that to this. Think the thing to do is for someone to figure out how to resuscitate The Lion's Head. They didn't have the speakeasy thing going for them, but they did have the dust jackets on the walls, and I always thought it was a warmer, more authentic place.
They had my favorite bathroom graffiti too! Such as:
"Plato: 'To Be Is To Do.'
Aristotle: 'To Do is To Be'
Frank Sinatra: 'Do Be Do Be Do Be'
So let's bring back The Lion's Head, unless Marc Jacobs already got the space.
5
The Kettle of Fish (in its 3rd location) occupies the old Lion's Head space and provides a reasonable facsimile. It is a non-pretentious drinking establishment that fits like an old shoe.
6
I worked at the Circle Rep and was part of its playwrights' lab in the late '80's-early 90's...the "Head" was our post-performance hang and I continue to miss it. But as they say...'tis better to have loved than lost..". Besides, you're in Cali now, not a New Yorker any longer. I do agree that that was the best bathroom graffitti!
1
Ah, the old New York is going going gone.
The new New York - seems strangely strange.
Us Rip Van Winkles are going back to sleep...
The new New York - seems strangely strange.
Us Rip Van Winkles are going back to sleep...
7
There goes the neighborhood.
6
"The dim, spare, beer-scented hideaway in the West Village is gone, torn down, not coming back."
But that's the one we loved, like Scotty loved Zelda. As Chumley's goes, so goes the West Village. Alas...
But that's the one we loved, like Scotty loved Zelda. As Chumley's goes, so goes the West Village. Alas...
14
Chumley's was one of the best places in Greenwich Village, now it's gone. An actual former speakeasy that kept it's style post Prohibition. Now that it's an upscale and high priced eatery with no semblance to its namesake they should change the name. They are banking on the name but it is undeserved.
23
I have to agree. This is nothing like Chumley's I hung out at in the late 90s while in NYC. I cannot imagine The New attracting any regulars like those who peopled the place in the olden days. Very sad. And as much as I love dungeness crab, I'll have to skip the $43 pot pie.
13
I went NYE. The burger was great, but everything else was overpriced, overwrought, and exceedingly snooty. No thanks!
12
Too few of these reviews stop and mention service (unless it's poor) I'm a subsinitive way. Popular chefs and gimicky restaurants are ubiquitous. Yes, service was a point in the Per Se and Daniel takedowns of their times and there are service japes here and there. However, these are "Restaurant Reviews." So much more goes into your experience than just what you consume. Flashy food does not build a loyal group of regulars. And while service can ruin food, food often does not ruin service. The idea that impeccable service is not seen nor heard is outdated. Was there a manager presence? We're the courses timed properly? Was your table maintained throughout your meal? Was your napkin folded? Did you feel welcome? Did someone genuinely say goodbye? All of these get to the heart of hospitality.
I care about the food, I'm a restaurant professional. I spend most of my waking hours planning out my next meal and pouring over menus. But these reviews would be a lot more helpful professionally and when I am planning a night out if they talked a little more about restaurant service and hospitality. Maybe someone else reading will be on to the next hot spot , looking for another fad, but restaurants also need to build regulars to survive. That foundation isn't built on bone marrow burgers alone.
I care about the food, I'm a restaurant professional. I spend most of my waking hours planning out my next meal and pouring over menus. But these reviews would be a lot more helpful professionally and when I am planning a night out if they talked a little more about restaurant service and hospitality. Maybe someone else reading will be on to the next hot spot , looking for another fad, but restaurants also need to build regulars to survive. That foundation isn't built on bone marrow burgers alone.
30
"Was your napkin folded?"
And, if it had indeed dropped to the floor, was it picked up and replaced? (I agree entirely with you about the importance of good service.)
And, if it had indeed dropped to the floor, was it picked up and replaced? (I agree entirely with you about the importance of good service.)
2
"dropped to the floor" wasn't it thrown? - ha checked this: "hurled"
Wish Anthony Bourdain would be unleashed on the new, upscale Chumley's. Have a feeling he would not be pleased with the menu with things like salmon roe atop the dip for the pretzels or the double decker burger, when one great patty should be the test of burger greatness.
13
"The thing is, it is an amazing potpie."
There it is, folks. The Line of the Day.
There it is, folks. The Line of the Day.
9
"The reservations policy seems to keep people from just dropping by for a drink, and casual drinking was part of the atmosphere that de Beauvoir liked so much."
Huh?
What is the reviewer talking about? My wife and I were visiting the city over the Xmas-New Year's break and we decided to "just drop by" one evening and there was no problem at all. I visited the old Chumley's year's ago and while the refurbished space is different, it's not at all the faux, antiseptic facsimile the author suggests. It's actually quite charming, especially on a cold winter's night.
Huh?
What is the reviewer talking about? My wife and I were visiting the city over the Xmas-New Year's break and we decided to "just drop by" one evening and there was no problem at all. I visited the old Chumley's year's ago and while the refurbished space is different, it's not at all the faux, antiseptic facsimile the author suggests. It's actually quite charming, especially on a cold winter's night.
6
A menu with a $12 pretzel in a place that apparently used to exude authenticity? No thanks.
33
All 31 (as I write this) of you obviously didn't read the review. This is what Mr. Wells had to say about 'the pretzel': "Starting with a warm pretzel and French onion dip, you first notice just how light the pretzel is. It is to the street-cart variety what a hummingbird is to a Butterball turkey. The crust is salt-flecked and rough with toasted onion powder. Orange dots of salmon roe sit on top of the dip, which tastes pure and chemical free — cooked garlic and shallots and onions are stirred into a base of soft cream cheese, cloumage and crème fraîche..."
1
Oriskany, I worked for a number of quite excellent and renowned chefs for whom mixing fish and cheese is a definite dealbreaker.
2
It has been a very very long time since I had been in Chumley's but from the photos it looks like it has gone from being a unique piece of the NYC bar scene, to just another high priced hipster hangout.
41
There are no hipsters in the West Village. Nor really in Manhattan. Very few left in Brooklyn. Don't confuse them with youngsters with money to burn.
3
Men in their 40s wearing business casual are "hipsters"? Come on.
1
New York is but a Disney-esque version of itself.. don't look too closely- that's only veneer. The Old Money has died out, only the new money can afford it here, dear. We laughed and cried in the 80's when it was still dangerous to wander too far asunder at night. Now, what's behind the venerable facades are like in the movies.. smoke and mirrors.
38
So you settled for Jersey?
20
It is what it says it is.
1
Jersey is at least authentic!
3
I wonder if the theme of double messages in these reviews reflects the ambivalence of this fine critic himself towards his profession? Great restaurants with bad food, great food with stifling corporate atmosphere, and so on. I respect the ambivalence, and share it, but maybe we need to simplify our experience rather than to continue to parse it into dust.
This particular place sounds like another wonderful restaurant which I'm left with no desire to visit. Maybe it’s just me.
In food, there are few rules, because it’s only food, after all, so let’s enjoy ourselves. But there are some exceptions. American cheese, and iceberg lettuce are two. Both are the product, not of food culture, but corporate culture, which carefully designed these inferior products for profit and convenience; theirs, not ours. For me there’s no good excuse for either. It’s a line I can’t think of any reason to cross, and by not crossing it, I eliminate one clear source of ambivalence in our food culture: A revolution aiming for the stars, but still bound by "Nostalgie de la boue”.
This particular place sounds like another wonderful restaurant which I'm left with no desire to visit. Maybe it’s just me.
In food, there are few rules, because it’s only food, after all, so let’s enjoy ourselves. But there are some exceptions. American cheese, and iceberg lettuce are two. Both are the product, not of food culture, but corporate culture, which carefully designed these inferior products for profit and convenience; theirs, not ours. For me there’s no good excuse for either. It’s a line I can’t think of any reason to cross, and by not crossing it, I eliminate one clear source of ambivalence in our food culture: A revolution aiming for the stars, but still bound by "Nostalgie de la boue”.
27
Is that Louise Brooks' eye in your profile photo?
4
It's not, but you have a sharp eye for sharp eyes! Louise Brooks was a Goddess on Earth.
4
Wow, Sera, I was right there while you were talking about the critic, the comments increasingly show that he is past his prime and should move on.
But your comment about American cheese and iceberg lettuce is way off the mark. They may not be to your taste, but hundreds of millions of people around the world love cheeseburgers, and the best ones must have American cheese. Even Danny Meyer agrees! And there is nothing at all wrong with an iceberg and blue cheese salad when done right, particularly in steak house cuisine.
So I guess you are a little closer to the critic than you'd like to admit!
But your comment about American cheese and iceberg lettuce is way off the mark. They may not be to your taste, but hundreds of millions of people around the world love cheeseburgers, and the best ones must have American cheese. Even Danny Meyer agrees! And there is nothing at all wrong with an iceberg and blue cheese salad when done right, particularly in steak house cuisine.
So I guess you are a little closer to the critic than you'd like to admit!
16