Rolfe's Chop House is a Manhattan eating establishment located in the

Financial District A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies and other related finance corporations have their head offices. In major cities, financial districts are often home to s ...

at 90 Fulton Street, established in 1848. Rolfe's Chop House is a memorable piece of the history of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Earlier, the eatery was located in the Drake Building, 42 John Street. Thomas C. Innd (died October 13, 1914), a member of the Irish Historical Society and a New York City native, was proprietor at the John Street location. In February 1924 the store and basement of the present Fulton Street edifice were sold to Mary Drake and her son; following extensive improvements, the restaurant was opened as Rolfe's Chop House. Melville "Ernest" Fox (Feb 13, 1898 - Oct 1981) was proprietor in the mid-1930s until the restaurant's closure in 1967–68. During his tenure he was known for the “Ernest Special Salads” (“Made to order at the table”), which allowed Fox to foster relationships with the restaurant's noted clientele. Among the beverages served by the restaurant in the mid-1930s was Sandy MacDonald

scotch whiskey Scotch whisky (; sco, Scots whisky/whiskie, whusk(e)y; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial disti ...

. The New York City Guide, published by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

in 1939, notes that lunch at Rolfe's Chop House cost 35 cents and dinner sold for 75 cents. A menu from around 1941 shows dinner from 60 to 85 cents, cocktails, long drinks and liquors from 30 to 75 cents.

References

{{coord, 40.709135, -74.006034, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title 1848 establishments in New York (state) Financial District, Manhattan History of Manhattan Cultural history of New York City Restaurants established in 1848 Restaurants in Manhattan