Overview
New York on Tap listed this bar without a review.
History
The caricatures stay, the owners change
Max Klimavicius arrived in New York from Colombia in 1974 and was hired at Sardi's as a kitchen assistant1. He worked his way up from table captain to maître d' to management, became Vincent Sardi Jr.'s partner in 19911, and in 2007, 33 years after he started, acquired sole ownership2.
By then the restaurant was about eighty years old: Vincent and Eugenia Sardi, Italian immigrants, had served its first customers on March 5, 19272.
After the Shubert Organization acquired it, Sardi's closed on June 24, 2026, for several months of renovations1, 2. It keeps its name, its walls of celebrity caricatures and much of its historic dining room1, with La Masseria Group joining as the new operating partner3.
It's due to reopen at 234 West 44th Street in the fall of 20264, with the work expected to be done by November 10, when the new musical Galileo opens at the Shubert Theatre across the street2. It's aiming to make its entrance on cue.
Sources
Researched October 2026.