Lundy's Restaurant
Encyclopedia
Lundy's Restaurant, also known as Lundy Brothers Restaurant, was a historic American
seafood
restaurant
in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of the New York City
borough
of Brooklyn
. A local institution, it operated from 1934 or 1935 (accounts vary) to 1977 or 1979 (accounts vary), and then again from 1997 to early 2007.
s out of a pushcart
. By 1907, he had opened a clam bar built on stilts over Sheepshead Bay
, closing it when the city built a new bulkhead
at that location. Lundy, with several family members, subsequently built the formal restaurant, located at 1901 Emmons Avenue, in 1934.
Lundy's closed in 1977, following Irving Lundy's death. It was acquired two decades later by the publicly traded Tam Restaurant Group, which in 1995 reopened it as a smaller venue in the same location. The new owners also opened a branch location in 2001, at 205 West 50th St. in Manhattan
's Times Square
district, but it lasted only a short time. .
In December 2004, a family-owned business, The Players Club, headed by restaurateur Afrodite Dimitroulakos, announced it had acquired Lundy's from the Tam Restaurant Group. Lundy's again closed down in early 2007.
The space now houses the Lundy's Landing Shopping Plaza
pie (not blueberry
), biscuits and Manhattan clam chowder
"
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. A local institution, it operated from 1934 or 1935 (accounts vary) to 1977 or 1979 (accounts vary), and then again from 1997 to early 2007.
History
At the turn of the 20th century, Irving Lundy started a business selling clamClam
The word "clam" can be applied to freshwater mussels, and other freshwater bivalves, as well as marine bivalves.In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs...
s out of a pushcart
Pushcart
Pushcart may refer to:* Pushcart Press* Pushcart Prize* The Pushcart War, a 1964 children's book by Jean Merrill* a synonym for baggage cart...
. By 1907, he had opened a clam bar built on stilts over Sheepshead Bay
Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
Sheepshead Bay is a bay separating the mainland of Brooklyn, New York City from the eastern portion of Coney Island, the latter originally a barrier island but now effectively an extension of the mainland with peninsulas both east and west...
, closing it when the city built a new bulkhead
Bulkhead
Bulkhead may refer to:* Bulkhead, a compartment of a building for preventing spread of fires, see Compartmentalization * Bulkhead , a retaining wall used as a form of coastal management, akin to a seawall, or as a structural device such as a bulkhead partition* Bulkhead , a wall within the hull of...
at that location. Lundy, with several family members, subsequently built the formal restaurant, located at 1901 Emmons Avenue, in 1934.
Lundy's closed in 1977, following Irving Lundy's death. It was acquired two decades later by the publicly traded Tam Restaurant Group, which in 1995 reopened it as a smaller venue in the same location. The new owners also opened a branch location in 2001, at 205 West 50th St. in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
district, but it lasted only a short time. .
In December 2004, a family-owned business, The Players Club, headed by restaurateur Afrodite Dimitroulakos, announced it had acquired Lundy's from the Tam Restaurant Group. Lundy's again closed down in early 2007.
The space now houses the Lundy's Landing Shopping Plaza
Description
Lundy's in its heyday was reported to be the largest restaurant in the United States, seating, per various reports, 2,400 to 2,800 patrons. The 1997 version seated 700-800. The restaurant was decorated with the letters "F.W.I.L.," standing for "Frederick William Irving Lundy". Irving Lundy's brothers Clayton and Stanley died in January 1920 in a boating accident while tending the family's clam beds in Jamaica Bay. Another brother, Allen, survived and helped Irving manage the restaurant. Food critic Mimi Sheraton wrote that her favorite dishes included the "HuckleberryHuckleberry
Huckleberry is a common name used in North America for several species of plants in two closely related genera in the family Ericaceae:* Vaccinium* GaylussaciaHuckleberry may also refer to:-Plants:...
pie (not blueberry
Blueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
), biscuits and Manhattan clam chowder
Clam chowder
Clam chowder is any of several chowders containing clams and broth. Along with the clams, diced potato is common, as are onions, which are occasionally sauteed in the drippings from salt pork or bacon. Celery is frequently used. Other vegetables are uncommon, but small carrot strips might...
"