Walk into the Hotel des Artistes on West 67th Street today and you’ll find The Leopard at des Artistes. It’s a great spot. High-end Southern Italian food. Beautifully restored murals. But for anyone who lived through the golden age of Manhattan dining, it isn’t quite the same as the original Cafe des Artistes New York.
That place was different.
It wasn't just a restaurant. It was a time capsule of a specific kind of New York sophistication that basically doesn't exist anymore. Howard Chandler Christy's murals—those famous, ethereal wood nymphs—didn't just decorate the walls; they defined the soul of the room. You’d sit there, surrounded by 36 sprawling, nude figures painted in the 1920s and 30s, and feel like you were in a Parisian salon that accidentally took root a block away from Central Park.
What Made the Cafe des Artistes New York So Iconic?
People think it was just about the food. Honestly? It wasn't. The food, overseen for decades by the legendary George Lang, was "Continental." That’s a polite way of saying it was fancy European stuff that felt impressive but eventually became a bit dated. Think salmon four ways, pot-au-feu, and a dessert cart that looked like it belonged in a palace.
The real draw was the atmosphere. George Lang, who took over the lease in 1975, was a master of the "total experience." He understood that a great restaurant is theater. He filled the space with fresh flowers, tiered levels that made people-watching a sport, and a sense of exclusivity that didn't feel cold. It was the kind of place where you’d see Itzhak Perlman or Joel Grey tucked into a corner booth. It was the "in" spot for the Lincoln Center crowd, the journalists from ABC, and the old-money residents of the Upper West Side who treated the dining room like their private club.
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The Christy Murals: A Scandal in Oil Paint
You can't talk about Cafe des Artistes New York without talking about Howard Chandler Christy. He was one of the most famous illustrators of the early 20th century. In the 1920s, he lived in the Hotel des Artistes upstairs. To pay off some of his rent—or so the story goes—he painted "Fantasy Scenes with Naked Beauties" on the walls of the ground-floor restaurant.
These weren't your typical museum nudes. They were playful. They were diving into pools, lounging in trees, and looking generally unbothered by the diners below. When the restaurant faced various renovations over the years, the preservation of these murals became a citywide obsession. They are legally protected now, which is why they still glow on the walls of the current restaurant. They represent a link to the 1920s bohemian spirit of the building, which was originally designed as a co-op for artists who needed double-height ceilings for their studios.
The Brutal Reality of Why It Closed
It’s easy to get nostalgic, but the end of Cafe des Artistes New York in 2009 was messy. It wasn't just "the economy." It was a perfect storm of bad luck and changing times.
First, there was the 2008 financial crash. Manhattan’s fine dining scene took a massive hit. People weren't dropping $200 on a whim for a midweek dinner of duck confit and expensive Bordeaux anymore. But the real "death knell" was a dispute with the Hotel des Artistes co-op board and a grueling legal battle with the restaurant workers' union.
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The union, Local 6, sued the restaurant over unpaid benefits. Lang, who was in his 80s at the time, was facing astronomical costs. The restaurant was losing thousands of dollars every week. On a Friday in August 2009, they just... stopped. It was a quiet, sad end for a place that had hosted some of the most glamorous parties in the city’s history.
Common Misconceptions About the Space
A lot of tourists (and even some locals) think the restaurant just changed its name. That’s not quite right. After the original cafe closed, the space sat empty for a while. The owners of The Leopard at des Artistes, Gianfranco and Paula Bolla-Sorrentino, took over the lease later. They did a magnificent job restoring the murals—which had become yellowed from decades of cigarette smoke and kitchen grease—but they started a completely new business.
- Is it still the same menu? No. The old menu was heavily Austro-Hungarian and French. The current menu is strictly Italian.
- Is the dress code still strict? The original cafe famously required jackets for men. The new spot is upscale but follows modern, relaxed standards.
- Can you see the murals? Yes, and they look better now than they did in the 90s thanks to a meticulous $5 million renovation of the entire building and restaurant space.
The Legacy of George Lang
George Lang was a force of nature. He was a Hungarian immigrant who survived a labor camp during WWII, came to America with nothing, and became the world’s first "restaurant consultant." He literally invented the profession. Before him, people just opened restaurants; he turned them into brands.
He wrote The Cuisine of Hungary, which is still considered the definitive book on the subject. At the cafe, he insisted on things like "The Great Dessert Plate"—a massive sampler that basically required two people to carry. He knew that in New York, you don't just sell food; you sell a feeling of being at the center of the universe. When he passed away in 2011, shortly after his beloved restaurant closed, it felt like the end of an era of gentleman-restaurateurs.
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Visiting the Site Today: What You Need to Know
If you want to experience the ghost of Cafe des Artistes New York, you can still go to 1 West 67th Street.
The architecture of the building alone is worth the trip. Look up at the facade; it’s one of the most beautiful examples of Neo-Gothic style in the city. The lobby still feels like a 1917 time warp. When you enter The Leopard, the layout is familiar to anyone who spent time at the old Cafe. The "pulpit"—the raised section where the host used to stand—is still there.
But don't go expecting a retro experience. The Leopard is its own thing. It’s brighter. The food is lighter. It’s arguably "better" by modern culinary standards, but it lacks that specific, slightly dusty, mahogany-scented magic of the Lang years.
The Mural Controversy
Funny enough, the nymphs are still a bit controversial. Every few years, someone writes an op-ed about whether "nude girl murals" are appropriate in a modern dining setting. But New Yorkers generally protect them fiercely. They are part of the city's artistic heritage. To remove them would be like painting over the ceiling of Grand Central Terminal. They remind us that the Upper West Side used to be an edgy, artistic enclave, not just a place for luxury condos.
Actionable Tips for New York History Buffs
If you're looking to capture that old Cafe des Artistes vibe, or you're planning a visit to the location, here is how to do it right:
- Book the Mural Room: If you make a reservation at The Leopard, specifically ask to be seated in the main dining room where the Christy murals are located. Some tables are in the back or near the bar where the view isn't as good.
- Visit the NYPL: The New York Public Library’s digital collection actually has many of the original menus from Cafe des Artistes New York. It’s a trip to see what people were eating in 1978 (and how much it cost).
- Check out the Building Exterior: Walk around the corner to 67th street. It’s one of the most filmed blocks in New York because it looks so perfectly "Old New York."
- Read 'Nobody Knows the Truffles I've Seen': This is George Lang’s memoir. If you want the real, unfiltered stories of what happened behind the scenes at the Cafe—including the celebrity tantrums and the kitchen disasters—this is your bible.
- Look for the "Christy Girl" Style: Before you go, look up Howard Chandler Christy’s other work. You’ll start to see his influence everywhere in American illustration, from WWI recruitment posters to vintage magazine covers.
The Cafe des Artistes New York might be gone as a business, but as a landmark of New York culture, it's still very much alive. It’s a reminder that in this city, even if the menu changes, the walls—and the nymphs—still have stories to tell.