By Gus Saltonstall
The Leopard at des Artistes, the popular white-tablecloth Italian restaurant, will close later this month on the Upper West Side.
The restaurant has served customers at 1 67th Street, between Columbus and Central Park West, within the Hotel des Artistes, since 2011.
“It is time to say goodbye. What an incredible journey it has been!” the restaurant wrote Tuesday on its Instagram. “THANK YOU!!!” The Leopard at des Artistes will serve its last meal on Sunday, February 15.
The restaurant is most famous, in many ways, for its large, glowing murals throughout the dining room. It has been run for the last 15 years by Gianfranco Sorrentino and his wife, Paula Bolla-Sorrentino, who also own the Midtown restaurant Il Gattopardo.
Prior to the Sorrentinos’ involvement, the restaurant was known as Cafe des Artistes, which closed in 2009 after operating for more than 90 years at the Upper West Side address.
Here’s how former New York Times restaurant critic William Grimes described Cafe des Artistes in a 2003 review:
“If ever a restaurant had fine, aristocratic bone structure it is Café des Artistes,” wrote Grimes. “Diners have only to take one step inside, and the tumultuous New York world outside disappears in a flash, replaced by lush floral displays, flattering lighting and Howard Chandler Christy’s pastel murals of naked beauties prancing through romantic landscapes.”
The restaurant first opened in 1917. At the time, the building was primarily home to artists, including Howard Chandler Christy, who painted the murals in 1934.
At this point, there is no information on what the space might become.
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Since when do Christy’s murals “glow”. ?
The old Cafe Des Artiste was a neighborhood gem. Great food and a great bar sccene and of course, Hiran Pagan, the best waiter in NYC. It’s a shame the Langs crashed and burned.
Well, even in the inflated 2026, $60+ for entrees is a bit much unless you’re serving next to the absolute best version of a dish in the City.
No idea what Leppard charged or its value, I’m speaking of cafe des artistes
Cafe des Artiste was one of our favorite restaurants. When it closed I was so sad and really missed it. Never did get into it’s replacement in the same way.
The bar all the way in back was so cool. Lots of ABC people.
Now that all the ABC people moved downtown, maybe the restaurant suffered a downturn in business.
I hope whoever takes over the space keeps those murals. It’s really quite a unique space and it would be sad to see it gutted.
The murals are landmarked
Not a place for the average collectivist. Makes sense. Central Committee approves. We’re one step closer to equality.
Is this a joke? I can’t tell.
Restaurants like this have no place in Mamdani’s NYC
You are invited by Zohran Mamdani
to a Democratic Socialist Dinner
at the excessively expensive Leopard restaurant
Where menus will have no prices
Entrées individually plated to emphasize the cruelty of private ownership
Wine older than the revolution
Luxury we oppose—except tonight
Dress Code:
Workers of the world, unite… then dress expensively
Payment:
From each according to his ability,
to the waiter according to his discretion.
Although the temperatures are low the warmth of Collectivism will be high
Please RSVP promptly.
The revolution is eternal—the reservation is not.
Café des Artistes, the setting for “My Dinner with Andre”.
True, however Malle filmed in the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond VA, which was shuttered at the time.
Em,
Yeah, I did notice that the interiors were wrong, though I’d not have guessed what space was used.
The In-Movie Setting: The conversation between Wallace Shawn and André Gregory takes place at Café des Artistes (located at 1 West 67th Street on Manhattan’s Upper West Side). The restaurant was famous for its distinctive murals.
The Actual Filming Location: Although set in Manhattan, the movie was actually filmed in the ballroom of the then-abandoned Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia. The production team built a set there to precisely replicate the interior of the New York restaurant.
There was something odd about the interiors in the film, but I’ve only watched it once and never ate at the restaurant.
I’m struck by the fact that articles about the restaurant/s or Hotel des Artistes almost never mention the hotel’s developer, the mystic Walter Russell.
My wife and I ate at the Cafe a few rimes in the early 2000s. Lovely, just lovely
Okay, a different restaurant in the same space.
Demographic change is another part of it.
Many more affluent people in the area are not full-time residents. And have other dining tastes.
In the past, more people living here as a primary residence and gravitating to iconic local restaurants such as in the Cafe des Artiste days.
Sad to see it close – beautiful restaurant in a historic location. People have no idea how difficult and how costly it has become to operate a restaurant in NYC.
The payroll, food and electric costs, repairs, insurance as well as NYC raising Real Estate taxes every single year 8+ percent and restaurants often are paying 50% of the increase which causes inflation every year in NY. Thus $60 entrees. It’s a shame they will be closing but hopefully another restaurant will give it a go in that space.
Even the most successful restaurants in NYC have very thin profit margins. Many restaurants are barely keeping their heads above water.
The minimum wage in NYC is $17 per hour. This isn’t helping matters. There’s a limit to how much of increased expenses restaurants can pass onto their patrons.
This shows that “progressive” policies have a cost.
That said, I’ve eaten at Cafe de Artiste several times. IMO the food was OK but it’s a very nice atmosphere. I’m sorry to see it go.
The minimum wage for food service workers in NYC is $11.35.
It’s not the wages. It’s the rents. Paying people a living wage isn’t the problem. Funny how in Europe where there’s universal healthcare and waitstaff make a decent wage without having to rely on tips neighborhood restaurants not only thrive but have better trained chefs as well. We need more, not less, “progressive “ politics and way fewer greedy landlords.
This is so true, and any time the restaurant or cafe/shop changes hands, the cost of that purchase plus new menus’ signage etc all gets factored into the consumer’s costs. I am unsure of how a new business, especially one that needs to open from scratch and supply decour/chairs/tables a full kitchen etc, can even function.
At least it’s not as bad as the 70s.
Since 2011??? That’s Nothing V&T’s 110 and Amsterdam is a now 3rd generation family run real Italian restaurant In biz since 1949 and in that location since 1959 Everything is homemade and only cooked when you order, Huge potions for great price, as they would rather make there $$$ on decades of your repeat dinning than a quick buck
They are right next to the Hungarian Pastry shop.
Has the V&T learned about not over salting everything?
Barney Greengrass and Dublin House are both much older than the V&T.
how’s their eggplant pizza these days? haven’t been in decades but have fond memories
Real Italian-American red-sauce joint, not “real Italian.” Garlic bread Parmigiana? Pick-your-sauce pastas? Chicken alfredo? Hilarious. Much closer to Olive Garden than Italy. You and Steve Cuozzo can have it.
Oh, dear! I am very converned about the fate of those marvelous murals! Please ! They MUST be preserved! Does the Landmarks Commission know?
Take a picture.
As someone noted above, the restored murals are landmarked. The building itself it landmarked because of its history as an artists’ colony.
Cafe des Artistes was a snooty place. We went for an anniversary there, were well-dressed, and were seated where the murals were not visible, near the kitchen door. The murals are not “throughout “ the restaurant. We never returned.
My parents took me to Cafe des Artistes when I graduated high school in 1986. I still remember the murals. Funnily, the other thing I remember from that lunch was that the ice cubes in my iced tea were made out of iced tea. I’d never encountered this before; it seemed such a classy touch to make sure the iced tea didn’t get diluted.
Out of so many we sought out The Leopard when we wanted to have quiet surroundings, quietly good food and service. I first met Gianfranco (RIP) and Mario, it was at the old Gattoperdo. I followed them. Mario had later his own restaurant La Tiela.
Restaurant business is tough. Landlords doubles your rent the minute they see good traffics.
We’ll miss the place. Maybe one more meal on their last day. Thank you and good luck!
just saying, we spent many lovely evenings at Cafe Des Artiste when NYC still had some elegance. The friends are now gone and the City well look around, hard to find any elegance left. Sad in so many ways.
On 85th & WEA. All the charming places gone, personality wiped out. Even Bway farm,there for emergencies- closed. Looks so bleak up this way.
When the Leopard opened they had removed a lot of the architectural detail from the room, just the murals were left, making it not so special. I was leaving Cafe Des Artistes once in the 80s and Mayor Koch was standing there. He said hello to me, but not “how’m I doing.”
I loved and will miss the place!
I hope someone else moves in and keeps the murals. Update and price-adjust the menu, do a pre-theatre deal for Lincoln center patrons, a happy hour, a buffet brunch, a small plates menu for the bar, pre-and-post-marathon events, social media marketing, etc. Invite some millennial and gen z influencers in… I’m sure it could be profitable, but frankly I forgot it was there. They just never adjusted with the times.
This is such a very special space I do hope some wonderful restauranteur takes this on. Cafe des Artiste was incredible successful as I believe The Leopard has been.
Agree the space is gorgeous, hopefully will get filled by a restaurant that can maintain the interior.
How long since an artist could live in that building or eat in its restaurants? More than fifty years, I’m sure.
I fist discovered the Cafe des Artists back in the late 70s when I was pretty young and single and worked at ABC just down the block. It quickly became one of my very favorite places for dinner either alone or with a friend. I don’t remember the prices being insane then or into the 80s. I’d take a book or go with a friend or date. It was quaint. I though unpretentious. I loved those murals and scoured the faces. Loved every brush stroke. I could have a glass of wine and some fruit, cheese, crackers and just breath-in the air. It was new to me. Lindsay was living in the building, as did LeRoy Neiman and other actors and artists.
I’ll miss the cafe though I haven’t been there in years. Life got more practical. More expensive. But my children have been there over the years with date and spouses.
I’m glad they were able to share the same space I had enjoyed.
I’ll miss it.
Hope the next incarnation is even better.