Chumley's
Historic New York City pub and former Prohibition-era speakeasy associated with American literary culture.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Chumley's was a historic pub and former speakeasy at 86 Bedford Street in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. Established in 1922 by socialist activist Leland Stanford Chumley, the venue occupied a former blacksmith's shop near the intersection of Bedford and Barrow Streets. Its location, concealed entrances, trap doors, secret stairs, and lack of exterior signage reflected the operating conditions of Prohibition-era New York, when establishments serving alcohol often relied on discreet access and informal networks. The venue became closely associated with writers, poets, playwrights, journalists, and political activists. It was linked in particular with the Lost Generation and Beat Generation milieus, and literary figures associated with the establishment included Willa Cather, E. E. Cummings, Theodore Dreiser, William Faulkner, Ring Lardner, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Eugene O'Neill, John Dos Passos, and John Steinbeck. A Literary Landmarks plaque installed in 2000 by Friends of Libraries USA recognized Chumley's role as a gathering place for figures who helped shape twentieth-century American literature. Book covers displayed inside the venue reinforced its literary identity, although individual claims about who wrote particular works there were not always independently verifiable. Chumley's architectural and cultural mythology also contributed to the popular explanation of the American bar term "86." One tradition holds that unruly or unwanted guests were sent out through the Bedford Street door, whose address was number 86. Another account says that, during Prohibition, police warnings of an impending raid prompted bartenders to "86" patrons, directing them toward the Bedford Street exit while officers entered from another side. These stories remain associated with Chumley's but are not the only explanations offered for the term. The pub closed after a chimney in its dining room collapsed on April 5, 2007. The damage affected the building containing Chumley's and connected neighboring structures, requiring extensive reconstruction and new permitting. After a long renovation, the establishment reopened on October 18, 2016, under owner Alessandro Borgognone, who also owned nearby Sushi Nakazawa. The restored venue operated as a reservations-only dinner restaurant rather than solely as a traditional neighborhood pub. Its offering emphasized upscale bar food and cocktails, while preserving elements of the historic interior and its literary and speakeasy associations. The rebuilt dining room was smaller than the pre-collapse space, and the former Garden Door on Barrow Street was permanently closed. The restaurant closed on March 22, 2020, during New York City's COVID-19 lockdown. A permanent closure was announced in July 2020, and the contents were put forward for auction, with the initially scheduled July 2020 auction later moved to April 2021. The premises subsequently hosted other concepts: Frog Club opened there in February 2024 and closed in December 2024. A steakhouse called The Eighty Six opened in the former Chumley's space in September 2025. Chumley's therefore remains a defunct hospitality brand, remembered primarily for its Prohibition history, hidden architecture, literary associations, and place in Greenwich Village cultural lore.
History
Chumley's began in 1922 when Leland Stanford Chumley converted a former blacksmith's shop near Bedford and Barrow Streets in Greenwich Village into a drinking establishment. Its founding took place during Prohibition, and the business developed the discreet physical features associated with an underground or semi-concealed bar: unmarked entrances, hidden circulation routes, trap doors, and secret stairs. The Barrow Street entrance was known as the Garden Door and was reached through an inconspicuous courtyard, while the Bedford Street entrance opened directly onto the street without a prominent sign. The establishment became a meeting place for people involved in New York's literary and cultural life. Writers, poets, dramatists, journalists, and activists were among its reported patrons, including figures connected with the Lost Generation and Beat Generation. Names associated with Chumley's include Willa Cather, E. E. Cummings, Theodore Dreiser, William Faulkner, Ring Lardner, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Eugene O'Neill, John Dos Passos, and John Steinbeck. Millay has also been described as an occasional bartender. A plaque installed in 2000 on the Literary Landmarks Register commemorated the venue's connection with American literature, and literary tours included it as a destination. Chumley's identity was shaped as much by stories as by its physical site. The address at 86 Bedford Street was incorporated into a commonly repeated explanation for the expression "86": an unwanted guest might be sent out through the number 86 door, or bartenders might have used the phrase when warning patrons to leave before a police raid. The story is part of Chumley's folklore rather than a conclusively established origin of the term. The venue's cultural afterlife also extended into fiction and television. It was fictionalized as Cleary's in the 1943 film noir The Seventh Victim, mentioned in Mad Men and Elementary, and referenced in several books, including works by John Connolly, Teddy Wayne, Kinky Friedman, and Alison Bechdel. A major structural crisis came on April 5, 2007, when the dining-room chimney collapsed. The building housing Chumley's was connected to four neighboring structures, and reconstruction required work across the damaged group as well as a new permit for the bar space. The lengthy rebuilding period delayed the venue's return for years. After extensive renovation, Chumley's reopened on October 18, 2016, with Alessandro Borgognone identified as its owner. The new operation was a reservations-only dinner restaurant centered on upscale bar food and mixology drinks. Although the renovation retained important historic elements, the dining room became approximately 10 percent smaller in both height and width, and the Garden Door was permanently closed. The reopened restaurant operated for roughly five years and was regarded as popular and well received. It closed on March 22, 2020, during New York City's coronavirus lockdown. In July 2020, the closure was declared permanent. The contents were prepared for auction, with the auction originally planned for July 29, 2020, and subsequently moved to April 2021. The site remained closed through at least October 2021. The building later continued as a hospitality location under different names. Frog Club opened in February 2024 and closed in December 2024. In September 2025, The Eighty Six, a steakhouse, opened in the former Chumley's space. These later businesses are not continuations of the Chumley's brand, which remains defunct, but they demonstrate the continued commercial use of the historically associated premises.
- 2021
Former venue contents are auctioned or scheduled for auction
[1]The auction of Chumley's contents is moved to April 2021 after an earlier scheduled date in 2020.
- 2020
Pandemic closure becomes permanent
[1]Chumley's closes during New York City's COVID-19 lockdown and announces a permanent closure in July.
- 2016
Chumley's reopens after renovation
[1]The venue reopens on October 18 as a reservations-only dinner restaurant with upscale bar food and cocktails.
- 2012
Rebuilding process receives detailed coverage
[1]Reporting describes the reconstruction, condominium work in connected buildings, and the permitting required before Chumley's can reopen.
- 2007
Dining-room chimney collapses
[1]A chimney collapse closes the venue and leads to a prolonged reconstruction of the building complex.
- 2000
Literary Landmarks plaque is installed
[1]Friends of Libraries USA places a plaque recognizing Chumley's as a literary landmark associated with major American writers.
- 1922
Chumley's is established
[1]Leland Stanford Chumley establishes the pub in a converted former blacksmith's shop in Greenwich Village.
Products and positioning
A historically themed Greenwich Village hospitality venue combining Prohibition-era speakeasy associations, literary heritage, cocktails, and upscale bar food.
Beverages · 2016
Cocktails and mixology drinks
After its 2016 reopening, Chumley's emphasized cocktails and mixology as part of its updated dinner-restaurant format. The drinks program complemented the venue's historic bar identity while supporting a more upscale, reservations-based experience.
Food · 2016
Upscale bar food
The post-renovation Chumley's menu positioned bar food in a more refined dinner setting. It was served alongside cocktails in a smaller reconstructed dining room that retained the venue's historic atmosphere and literary associations.
Restaurant service · 2016
Dinner service
Beginning with its 2016 reopening, Chumley's operated as a reservations-only dinner restaurant rather than solely as a traditional pub. This format was the principal commercial expression of the revived brand until its permanent closure in 2020.
Brand decisions
2020
Permanent closure after COVID-19 shutdownOtherBackground
New York City's coronavirus lockdown forced Chumley's to close on March 22, 2020.
Action taken
After several months of closure, the business announced that it would not reopen and arranged for its contents to be auctioned.
Aftermath
The Chumley's brand became defunct, while the premises later hosted Frog Club and The Eighty Six under different ownership or concepts.
2016
Reopen as a reservations-only dinner restaurantStrategyBackground
Following the 2007 chimney collapse and extensive reconstruction, the historic pub required new permitting and a redesigned interior.
Action taken
The renovated venue reopened with reservations-only dinner service, upscale bar food, and mixology drinks while retaining selected historic features.
Aftermath
The new format operated for approximately five years and remained popular before closing during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Sources1 sources
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