Broadway Loses a Bit of Sizzle as Frankie and Johnnie's on 45th Street Serves Its Last Steak

That big white sign with the blue and red lettering has become as much a part of the theatre district landscape as any Broadway marquee, but this past Saturday, December 26th, Frankie and Johnnie's Steakhouse on 45th Street served up its last juicy porterhouse.

The closing of the perennial showbiz eatery was no big surprise. Owners were informed as far back as 2008 by the building's owner, the Shubert Organization, that the place was to be demolished to make way for a high-rise. That deal fell through, but not before neighboring restaurants Barrymore's and Puelo's bit the dust.

The Shubert's will now be using the building for office space and the restaurant will be making a lateral move to the W. 46th Street location that used to be the home of B. Smith's. The opening is expected for some time this January.

Frankie and Johnnie's has two other locations. One is on W. 37th Street in the former townhouse of stage legend John Barrymore and the other is up in Rye, NY, but 45th Street is where it all began.

First opened as a speakeasy in 1926, the place was named for its first co-owners, a pair of waiters from Philadelphia. A knock on the front door would open up a peep hole. Uttering the password "Frankie" would get the response "Johnnie" if there were no police snooping around. After climbing up the narrow stairway to the main floor, you'd come to another door with a peephole and the routine would be repeated.

Once booze became legal again, the boys converted the place into a steakhouse, where Broadway stars like Al Jolson and John Barrymore dined alongside mob figures like Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lanskey. John O'Hara was a regular and it's been said that Mae West used to come by to chew on a steak, but never swallow it, before performances. She wanted the energy from the meat's protein, but couldn't hold down food during a show.

Change is inevitable in New York and it's sad whenever we lose a favorite old hangout. But one thing New Yorkers are good at is creating an atmosphere that can make any new hangout eventually become a favorite old one.