The Address
West 52nd Street places the restaurant inside the city’s Theater District.
A Place With a Past
This Room Has Seen a Few Nights.
A restaurant can serve dinner. A New York address can hold a history. Russian Samovar’s West 52nd Street home manages to do both.
The 52nd Street Story256 WEST 52ND STREETNEW YORK CITY
01 / THE GUIDE
The 52nd Street Story
Before It Was Samovar.
According to the restaurant’s own history, this location was once Jilly’s Canteen, associated with Jilly Rizzo and Frank Sinatra’s circle. Russian Samovar kept the red banquettes as a nod to that earlier chapter.
The restaurant also says it preserved the original bar featured in The Manchurian Candidate. Those details give the room a sense of continuity, but the reason to visit is very much in the present: food, music, and company.
The Essentials
Three Things to Know.
A useful starting point—then follow the restaurant’s own links for information that changes.
The Room
The retained red banquettes connect today’s dining room with the venue’s earlier history.
The Night
Live performances and an Eastern European menu keep the story moving rather than frozen in time.
A Closer Look
History Is Best Experienced in Person.
Read the restaurant’s account of its past, then visit the space itself. The room, its bar, and the evening’s performance make more sense together than any timeline could capture alone.
Good to Know
Questions, Answered.
For live details, the restaurant is the definitive source.
Was the Location Once Jilly’s Canteen?
Yes, according to the history published by Russian Samovar on its official website.
Are the Red Banquettes Original?
The restaurant says it retained them in homage to the venue’s earlier days.
Where Can I Read More?
Use the About page on the official Russian Samovar website for its own telling of the story.
Plan Your Visit
Meet Us on 52nd Street.
Russian Samovar · 256 West 52nd Street · New York, NY 10019
Read the Official History Plan a Visit
Menus, prices, hours, performers, ordering, and availability may change. Confirm them with the restaurant.