Theater News

CONFIRMED: Famed Broadway Eatery Cafe Edison to Shut Its Doors for Good

The diner that inspired playwrights including Neil Simon and August Wilson will close down.

The exterior of the Cafe Edison on 47th Street in the theater district.
The exterior of the Cafe Edison on West 47th Street in the theater district.
(© Tristan Fuge)

Cafe Edison, a famed theater-district diner on West 47th Street known for its matzo ball soup and its inspiration for Neil Simon's comedy 45 Seconds From Broadway, is expected to shut its doors for good in the near future after losing the lease for its space within its home, the Edison Hotel.

The news was first reported on the blog Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, which quoted restaurant manager Conrad Strohl as saying, "They don't want us here." When contacted in person for a statement by TheaterMania, Strohl had no comment.

Richard Hotter, the general manager of the Hotel Edison released the following statement: "For over thirty years, Hotel Edison and its ownership has enjoyed a wonderful, productive relationship with the Edison Cafe. We can confirm that the Café is closing as the hotel prepares to upgrade and restore the space. In the coming months, we are excited to reveal further details about our plans for this iconic location."

Nicknamed "The Polish Tea Room," Cafe Edison was run from 1980-2006 by owners Harry and Frances Edelstein, a pair of Polish émigrés who came to the United States in 1948. They owned three coffee shops before taking over the Edison, situated in the Hotel's former ballroom. Harry Edelstein died in 2009 and the lights of Broadway's marquees were dimmed. The couple were also honored with a 2004 Tony Award for "Excellence in the Theatre."

A haven for theatrical types of all varieties, the diner's walls are covered with posters for the latest (and some long-departed) Broadway and off-Broadway productions. The late playwright August Wilson was known to have spent hours in the restaurant, using napkins as his writing utensils for at least three of his plays. Countless other shows, a list also known to include Avenue Q, were also written, at least partially, within the booths. 45 Seconds From Broadway, Simon's 2001 comedy that played the Richard Rodgers Theatre, starred Louis Zorich and Rebecca Schull as Bernie and Zelda, characters inspired by Harry and Frances. Each year, the Tony Award nominees are decided by the nominating committee within the walls of Cafe Edison.

The closure of the Cafe Edison comes four years after the Edison Hotel evicted the old Rum House bar (which eventually reopened with new owners) and a year since the closure of the Italian restaurant Sofia's.

The lunch counter inside the Cafe Edison.
The lunch counter inside Cafe Edison.
(© Tristan Fuge)