Pepper Pot, New York 1920s

In 1920s New York, The Pepper Pot restaurant in Greenwich Village was the place to be seen and was “rather grandly advertised as “A Meeting Place for Interesting and Interested People.
It was established by “Doc” Carlyle Sherlock and his wife Viola when they “retired” from the silent movie industry in Hollywood. A bohemian space – waitresses wore artists’ smocks and the décor included Chinese lanterns and bouquets of red peppers strung from a labyrinth of pipes – actors, writers and musicians and anyone who wanted to sample the avant-garde lifestyle ate and drank here.
The Pepper Pot was established in 1920 and in 1927 the Sherlocks leased the adjoining building at 148 West 4th Street. In the 1930s, the restaurant became an irreputable Speakeasy called The Chantilly Club, which was briefly shut down after a murder.
This menu is from the premises at 146 West 4th Street – now an apartment complex – and the main menu notes: “hip-pocket specialities prohibited in this building.” During Prohibition, many people carried hip flasks of illegal hooch.

Courtesy Private Collection.

Each print is accompanied by a copy of the interior menu where available.

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