The West Bank Cafe and Laurie Beechman Theatre Will Close in August

The West Bank Cafe is closing its doors next month. According to a post on the venue's social media pages, the closure is due to "circumstances beyond our control." It is set to close in August, which an exact date to follow. The cafe also houses the Laurie Beechman Theatre, an 80-seat dinner theater located in the cafe's basement. The theater was named for Laurie Beechman, who was a Broadway singer/actor and cabaret performer.

"Due to the high cost of conducting business and the continuing fallout from the pandemic we can no longer afford to remain open," reads a statement posted on the West Bank Cafe Facebook.

"We are forever eternally grateful for the support we have received from our Hell’s Kitchen and Theater communities throughout our illustrious 46 year history on Theatre Row and for the personal relationships and shared history we have forged with our customers and friends."

Read the full statement below:

It is with profound sadness to announce that because of circumstances beyond our control The West Bank Cafe will be permanently closing sometime in August. (Exact date to follow.)

Due to the high cost of conducting business and the continuing fallout from the pandemic we can no longer afford to remain open.

We are forever eternally grateful for the support we have received from our Hell’s Kitchen and Theater communities throughout our illustrious 46 year history on Theatre Row and for the personal relationships and shared history we have forged with our customers and friends.

Established in 1978, The West Bank Cafe became the first restaurant and nightclub on Theatre Row hosting literally thousands of today’s established artists in our Beechman Theatre. Awarded 2 stars in the New York Times in 1980, WBC went on producing/presenting plays, musicals, music, comedy, drag and a variety of shows from all walks of life throughout our 6 decades run. I have heard throughout the years that doing a play here was the best experience for many artists because it brought with it complete artistic freedom as an actor, writer or director and this has brought me a personal sense of gratitude.

Thank you to our entire staff for showing up everyday and making me look good.

We hope to see everybody over the next few weeks to say goodbye.

With gratitude,

Steve Olsen & our entire staff

About the West Bank Cafe

West Bank Cafe opened in 1978. It was as "far-west" on 42nd Street as one would want to venture, at a time when Hell’s Kitchen lived up to its name. The restaurant’s early clients even included the notorious Irish gang, the Westies.

In 1980, The New York Times awarded West Bank two stars, which increased its visibility and attracted a wider range of diners. In her review, Mimi Sheraton described the restaurant as “a spirited, attractive [place] with…a number of exceptional dishes memorable for both originality and excellence.” The original Continental menu included dishes such as crudités and sole amandine—a window into the culinary times.

In this era, West Bank Cafe's owner, Steve Olsen opened the  Laurie Beechman Theatre downstairs from the Cafe, which staged plays and hosted events nightly. A young Lewis Black was named playwright-in-residence; Howard Stern aired his third-annual live birthday broadcast from the theater; and the restaurant’s regulars included Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and Bruce Willis, among others.

Soon the redevelopment of 42nd Street spread further west, bringing new businesses and residents to the area. Throughout the 1980s and ’90s, the restaurant was a leader in the growing Theater District and Hell’s Kitchen dining scenes. As new theaters opened in the area, the restaurant’s connection to stage and screen remained strong as well. The Laurie Beechman Theatre continued to regularly stage the work of emerging writers, actors, and singers (many of whom later became stars) as well as established acts: The Who even gave four live performances at the restaurant while their musical Tommy was running on Broadway.

After 45 years, the restaurant’s surrounding neighborhood and America’s culinary tastes have changed dramatically. West Bank Cafe has evolved along with the neighborhood and maintained a commitment to serving high-quality food in a unpretentious setting where both theater-goers and theatre stars feel at home.