Keens

Keens is the sole cultural leftover from the heady days of the late 1800s when Herald Square was the entertainment center of New York. During its heyday, it was the haunt of actors, politicians, writers and journalists, many who joined the “Pipe Club,” an homage to the tradition of clay European pipe smoking. The pipes of celebrity provenance—which includes Teddy Roosevelt and Einstein—now line the ceilings. Better known as a restaurant, where the mutton chop reigns ever supreme, Keens’ ancient bar is nonetheless an attraction in itself. Underneath a large oil painting of a reclining female nude sit more than 200 single malt scotches and ready-to-eat hard-boiled eggs perched in metal holders.