| Reuben's Restaurant | |
|---|---|
 Menu circa 1943 | |
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1908 (1908) |
| Closed | December 2001 (2001-12) |
| Previousowner(s) | Arnold Reuben Harry L. Gilman |
| Food type | Delicatessen |
| Street address | 244 Madison Avenue |
| City | New York City |
| County | New York |
| State | New York |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 10016 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40°45′00″N73°58′53″W / 40.7501278°N 73.9814707°W /40.7501278; -73.9814707 |
Reuben's Restaurant and Delicatessen was arestaurant andJewish deli inManhattan,New York City founded by Arnold Reuben.
Arnold Reuben was a Jewish-German immigrant who founded Reuben's Restaurant in 1908 at 802Park Avenue. In 1916, the restaurant moved toBroadway on 73rd Street before moving again two years later to 622 Madison Avenue. Thirty years after it first opened its doors, Reuben's Restaurant and Delicatessen finally had a formal opening at 6 East 58th Street with the mayor at the time,Fiorello La Guardia, in attendance.[1][2] Reuben's remained in that location until the restaurant was sold in the mid-1960s, when it moved to 38th Street and Madison Avenue. It operated at 244 Madison Avenue until 2001 when the restaurant was forced to close due to health code infractions.[3]
Reuben's Restaurant and Delicatessen played a small part in the 1919Black Sox scandal when theChicago White Sox conspired to "throw" theWorld Series in the most widely condemned instance of illegal high stakes gambling in sports history. Abe "The Little Champ" Attell's initial attempt to sell the idea toArnold Rothstein, the most powerful sports gambler at the time, took place in a private room inside Reuben's.[4]
Reuben would name sandwiches after celebrities, includingDean Martin andFrank Sinatra, a gimmick used by many restaurants at the time.[5] In 1938, Reuben was interviewed about his restaurant by theFederal Writers' Project. Arnold Reuben's son, Arnold Reuben Jr., worked in the restaurant with his father until the mid-1960s when Reuben sold the restaurant to Harry L. Gilman.[6]Marian Burros wrote about the restaurant's appearance on January 11, 1986, inThe New York Times. She said: "Italian marble, gold-leaf ceiling, lots of walnut paneling and dark red leather seats — to a small-town girl, it was the quintessential New York restaurant."
Reuben claimed credit for the recipe for New York-stylecheesecake, which he said he invented in 1928.[7][8][9] He also claimed credit for theReuben sandwich.[10]
