“America’s Oldest Russian Restaurant.”
Russian Bear
1908*–1984
Russian
Alternate Names:
Tarwid’s Russian Bear
Old Russian Bear
Ownership:
Mieczyslaw Gaspard Tarwid: Noted in genealogy records as owner until his death and the closure of the restaurant in 1984. A “Msitslaw Tarwid” is noted as owner in a 1943 issue of Billboard (see publications):
“Proprietor Tarwid was once connected with the Russian Bear in St. Petersburg and since 1909 has been operating a nitery of that name in New York.” [However, according to Ellis Island records, “Mieczyslaw Tarvid” did not arrive in America until 1923.*]
Zinaida Stalban: Noted as owner in a 1939 New York Herald Tribune article (see publications) outlining a court case regarding the picketing of the “Old Russian Bear” at 645 Lexington by labor unions. Related court documents also cite Stalban as owner.
Location:
139 East 56th Street (c. 1958–1984)
[From 1952 to 1958, the address is uncertain. In December 1952, Esquire locates the Russian Bear at Lexington and 54th; other sources note the restaurant moved to Lexington and 39th in 1952. (1)]
142-144 East 57th Street (1948–1952)
645 Lexington Avenue (1933–1948)
201 2nd Avenue (1908–1938)
Publications:
“Cocktail Time at an Old 1940s Russian Restaurant.” Ephemeral New York. Blog, February 10, 2014. [Postcards illustrated.]
Whitaker, Jan. “Theme Restaurants: Russian!” Restaurant-ing through History. Blog, February 25, 2011.
Batterberry, Michael and Ariane. On the Town in New York: The Landmark History of Eating, Drinking, and Entertainments from the American Revolution to the Food Revolution. New York: Routledge, 1999: 222.
Mariani, John, with Alex Von Bidder. The Four Seasons: A History of America’s Premier Restaurant. New York: Smithmark, 1999: 9.
Dana, Robert W. “Dining and Dancing: Harlequin ‘Columbine.'” New York Herald Tribune, February 18, 1943: 14.
Denis, Paul. “Night Club Reviews: Russian Bear, New York.” Billboard 55, 13 (March 27, 1943): 12.
Dana, Robert W. “Dining and Dancing: Blackout in Russian Setting.” New York Herald Tribune, August 29, 1942: 8.
“This club is an exact replica of the original Russian Bear, which was established in St. Petersburg in 1908 by Antoin Tarwid, father of the New York restaurant’s present proprietor. Decorations, fixtures and even room dimensions have been reproduced.”
Dana, Robert W. “Dining and Dancing: At Leone’s Summer Gardens.” New York Herald Tribune, July 22, 1942: 15.
“Cotillo Enjoins Pickets Ruining Small Business.” New York Herald Tribune, April 2, 1939: 1.
King, Chester. “Around the Tables with Chester King.” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 4, 1936: 11.
“Professor Not Poison Victim.” New York Herald Tribune, April 3, 1931: 22.
“Poisoning Kills Ex-Member of Wellesley Staff.” New York Herald Tribune, April 2, 1931: 22.
Bercovici, Konrad. Around the World in New York. New York: The Century Co., 1924: 93, 257-258.
“What one feels most is the non-professionalism of the whole place. Neither the owner nor the musicians nor the waiters seem to be caterers to the public by profession. And upon inquiry one finds out that they are not. They are mostly noblemen and noblewomen of the old Russian régime, who after finding refuge in this country are now trying to make both ends meet.”
Notable Guests:
John Reed (Journalist)
Leon Trotsky (Revolutionary)
Notes:
Entertainment included fortune tellers and a Russian gypsy orchestra.
The restaurant celebrated its ninth anniversary at 645 Lexington in 1942 by commissioning Russian artist Mart Montfort to decorate the walls with murals. (2) Restaurant postcards like this one and the the card featured in the cover photo (here and above) depicted scenes of bears at work and play from the murals.
In 1943, the Russian Bear held a babushka fashion show, seeking out the girl who looked best donning the traditional Russian headscarf. (3)
The photo archive of photographer and engineer Nick DeWolf features scenes from a March 1958 Transitron Electronic Corporation meal at the Russian Bear.
Menu:
Dinner, 1965 (Culinary Institute of America)
“Russian shashlik without wine is like a day without sunshine.”
*The Russian Bear’s officially listed opening date, printed on menus, postcards, and the like, is 1908. This appears to be the year the restaurant’s namesake and inspiration – whether real or part of institutional lore – opened its doors in St. Petersburg under the ownership of an Antoin Tarwid. (4) It is unclear whether New York’s Russian Bear opened at this time as well, though no articles or advertisements from before 1924 have yet been located. It seems most likely the New York restaurant opened in the early 1920s, upon Mieczyslaw Tarwid’s arrival in America.
(1) Ephemeral New York, 2014.
(2) Dana, July 22, 1942.
(3) Dana, 1943.
(4) Dana, August 29, 1942.
Cover photo: “Old Russian Bear Restaurant.” Postcard. CardCow.com. Accessed November 19, 2020.
The New York City Restaurant Archive 