Café des Artistes

Café des Artistes

Café des Artistes was a fancy restaurant located at 1 West 67th Street in Manhattan, New York City. It was a nice place to eat, where people could enjoy meals in a beautiful setting.

The restaurant had many owners over the years, but its last owner was George Lang. He decided to close the restaurant in early August 2009.

The Café des Artistes was not the same as a different building in Manhattan or another restaurant with the same name in Puerto Vallarta. It was an important part of New York's history as a fine restaurant.

History

The Café des Artistes restaurant opened in 1917 at the bottom of the Hotel des Artistes tower. It was made for the hotel's residents who did not have kitchens in their apartments. Famous artists like Marcel Duchamp, Norman Rockwell, Isadora Duncan, and Rudolph Valentino dined there. A kitchen fire happened in 1985, but the restaurant reopened.

In 2009, during the Great Recession, the owner announced the café was closing. He later filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. In 2011, a new restaurant called the Leopard at des Artistes opened in the same place. It closed in February 2026.

Murals

The restaurant had famous wall paintings, called murals. These murals were painted by an artist named Howard Chandler Christy. Christy lived in the same building until he passed away in 1952. There are six parts showing wood nymphs, with the first ones finished in 1934. Other paintings by Christy on display include The Parrot Girl, The Swing Girl, Ponce De Leon, Fall, Spring, and the Fountain of Youth.

In popular culture

The Café des Artistes has been in several films and TV shows. In 1981, it was used for the film My Dinner with Andre, but they filmed at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia. In 1986, it appeared in 9½ Weeks and The Money Pit. In 1993, a Woody Allen film called Manhattan Murder Mystery used the café. The TV show Friends mentioned it in 1994. In 1996, The First Wives Club used it. Later, in 2007, Gossip Girl talked about the café, and in 2024, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans suggested it as a lunch spot.