New York

Staten Island Restaurants in the AIA Guide to New York City, Revised Edition (1978)


Carmen’s, 750 Barclay Ave., southern section of the island off Hylan Blvd. near Arden Ave. Spanish and Mexican food in a charming hacienda setting overlooking Raritan Bay. A bit on the expensive side. Lunch and dinner seven days a week. Parking.”

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Grandma’s Table, 33 Water St., Stapleton. Informal dining, lunch and dinner. Closed Thursdays. Inexpensive American standbys. Unpredictable service is compensated for by warmth of the surroundings. Park on street or in nearby municipal parking area.”

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Demyan’s Hofbrau, 742 Van Duzer St. on the hill overlooking Stapleton. Occupies a building which was once a brewery. The restaurant walls are covered with memorabilia. (Demyan’s was used as the commissary during the filming on location of The Godfather.) Lunch and dinner every day. On the expensive side. Lots of parking.”

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Montezuma’s Revenge, 103 Stuyvesant Pl., St. George. Don’t be put off by the name… terrific Mexican food, subtle to spicy. Lots of fun in a cozy setting. Lunch and dinner except Mondays. Street parking only, or try nearby municipal parking area.”

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Forest Inn Restaurant, 834 Forest Ave. off Broadway and near the zoo. An unpretentious place for snacks and simple American meals. Lunch and dinner every day. Parking in rear.”

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Staten Island Mall, Richmond Ave. at Richmond Hill Rd., not too far from Richmondtown. Plenty of parking around this indoor shopping center and a range of eateries to choose from: Zum Zum, Chinese, Italian, pizza, McDonalds, Baskin-Robbins, and don’t forget the department store cafeterias.”

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Bronx Restaurants in the AIA Guide to New York City, Revised Edition (1978)


Schlitz Inn, 737 E. 137th St. NW cor. Willow Ave. The last of many restaurants that once served the German community of the South Bronx. Today its fare consists of simple dishes and, naturally, Schlitz beer.”

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Dominick’s Restaurant, 2335 Arthur Ave. bet. E. 186th St. and Crescent Ave. A restaurant without a menu. Small. Hearty. Delicious. Reasonably priced. Try it at lunchtime when the regulars drop in.”

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White Castle (eatery), 552 E. Fordham Rd. SE cor. Lorillard Place. This is not a recommendation (what can a 20¢ hamburger be made of?) nor for atmosphere – it’s all rather utilitarian: stainless steel and aluminum, cramped, and dingy. Rather this purveying machine for fast food, open twenty-four hours a day, is a lesson in how unresponsive a 20th-century structure can be to basic human environmental requirements. Free parking.”

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Alex and Henry’s Restaurant, 862 Courtlandt Ave. near 161st St. Serving American and Italian food, this is where the local politicians eat. It’s four blocks from the Bronx County Building.”

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Donaghy Steak House, 5523 Broadway near West 230th St. For meat-and-potatoes lovers this is a straightforward restaurant with good food and thoughtful service.”

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Ehring’s Tavern, 228 W. 231st St. W of Broadway at Godwin Terrace. Good food with a German tang… and, as a tavern would have it, good drink, too.”

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Barrymore’s Inn, 6471 Broadway at Mosholu Ave. Colorful mayor Jimmy Walker is said to have used this out-of-the-way restaurant (when it was still called the Riverdale Inn) to have some privacy (and pleasant repasts) during his amorous adventures with dancer Betty Compton.”

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Marie’s Cookery and Restaurant, 5652 Mosholu Ave. opp. Tyndall Ave. Armenian and continental cooking is how this neighborhood restaurant characterizes its menu. Wines available. Open at 4:30 for dinner only. A pleasant spot.”

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Dominick’s Restaurant, 2356 Westchester Ave. NE cor. Parker St. For over a century a good place to eat. Italian food. Down a few steps from the street. Moderate.”

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I Boschetto Restaurant Restaurant, 166 Gun Hill Rd. cor. Tiemann Ave. Starched tablecloths, gleaming glasses, and hearty Italian food in an out-of-the-way place. Moderately expensive.”

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Queens Restaurants in the AIA Guide to New York City, Revised Edition (1978)


Prudenti’s Vicino Mare Restaurant/formerly the Queens County Bank, 2nd St. NW cor. Borden Ave. This fine Romanesque Revival building is happily preserved as a restaurant.”

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Shushikaza Japanese Restaurant, 41-32 Main St., bet. 41st Rd. and Sanford Ave. W. side. Pleasant, low-key, modern light-wood interior with place for three styles of dining: tatami-matted niches, western tables, and a counter. Moderate prices.”

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“The fine Italian art of bread sculpture is practiced at S. Pupusa’s Bakery, 40-09 111th St. (just south of Roosevelt Avenue) in Corona. Bosomy maidens and other ebullient works are usually on display in the window. It isn’t a museum, but it might as well be. Bread baked to order.”

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Niederstein’s Restaurant Restaurant, 69-16 Metropolitan Ave., at 69th St. 1854. Badly remodeled, 1974. A roadside tavern on the road from Greenpoint to Jamaica, now architecturally destroyed by a plastic mansard roof, fake leaded windows: the philistines were here without knowing they were philistines. We mention it only because it had a generous history and is the only place in these parts with pretentions to the service of food. The Niederstein family took over in 1888 to serve the German population making pilgrimages to the Lutheran Cemetery nearby.”

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Frank Jahn’s is a neo-real 1890s ice cream parlor at 117-03 Hillside Avenue (near 117th Street and Jamaica Ave). Complete with marble countertops, leaded-glass Coca Cola chandeliers, and wild, just wild, ice cream concoctions.”

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Annam Brahma Restaurant (Vegetarian Indian), 83-43 164th St., S of Grand Central Parkway. A clear bright springlike interior announces a restaurant operated by the American adherents of guru Sri Chimnoy’s Indian teachings. Very flavorful and very reasonably priced. A must if exploring Jamaica.”

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