Fanelli Cafe, Historic café in SoHo, New York, US
Fanelli Cafe is a bar and restaurant in a corner building in SoHo, Manhattan, with large windows facing the street. Inside, a wooden bar runs along one wall, and the furnishings and decor have changed very little over the decades.
The building opened as a grocery store in 1847 and was converted into a saloon in 1863. Michael Fanelli took it over in 1922 and gave it the name it carries today.
The cafe served as a gathering place for artists, writers, and performers during the 1960s and 1970s when SoHo was transforming into a creative hub. This role helped shape the neighborhood's identity as a center for artistic activity and cultural expression.
The cafe sits at the corner of Prince Street and Mercer Street in SoHo, making it easy to find on foot. The historic layout means wheelchair access is limited inside, but seating is also available on the sidewalk outside.
During Prohibition, from 1920 to 1933, the place kept serving drinks as an illegal speakeasy. It is one of the few bars in New York that has been operating continuously in the same spot for well over a century.
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