Dinner, drinks and dancing may not be what it was in New York’s pre-digital everything heyday, but Bacall’s Family Steakhouse throws it back. Inspired by New Yorker and Hollywood star Lauren Bacall, and her Jewish-Romanian upbringing in The Bronx, Bacall’s merges 1940s era Hollywood charm (Chandeliers! Vintage decor!) with once again trendy Eastern European dishes.
Appetizer’s riff on a bubbe’s standards: deep-fried beef kreplach, chopped chicken liver with challah, latkes with applesauce and gefilte fish topped caesar salad all kick off the menu. Sweet and sour meatballs and matzo ball soup are also served, before shareable meat-centric feasts like slow-cooked brisket, dill-and-basil salmon and a steak and fries platter that could serve a small family. Quick, pre-theater meals like rotisserie chicken with a side of kugel, pasta and a wagyu burger are also available, but Bacall’s is a place to luxuriate.
Along with the updated nostalgic menu, Bacall’s has an in-house musician, Dani Luv, famed troubadour of the Lower East Side’s Famous Sammy’s Roumanian for over 20 years, who performs nightly. Come with cash for tips and ideas for song requests, the cheesier the better.
Dancing the hora around the restaurant (yes, that happens) is of course more fun after indulging at Bacall’s in-house vodka bar. The “Vodcã Blast” program offers top-shelf vodka encased in an ice block, served tableside with a choice of mixers or shot glasses, and upon special request, with cucumber cups or a private tableside ice luge. L’chaim!
Bacall’s Family Steakhouse is located at 220 West 44th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenue). It’s currently open Thursdays through Sunday offering dinner service from 4pm to 11pm, and brunch service Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30am to 3:00pm. For reservations call or email
