Tosca Cafe

What you need to know

Tosca opened in 1919, the same year Prohibition started. The bar’s house cappuccino was created to work around the alcohol ban: chocolate, steamed milk, and brandy in a coffee cup, with no actual coffee. The drink is still on the menu over a century later.

The History

The bar has been at 242 Columbus Avenue for over 100 years. Original owners were Italian immigrants. Red leather booths, an antique espresso machine, a jukebox stocked with opera.

The bar’s celebrity history includes Hunter S. Thompson, Sam Shepard, Francis Ford Coppola, Bono, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Sean Penn and Kid Rock reportedly got into a fistfight at the bar.

Tosca was close to closing in 2012. New York chef April Bloomfield and her partner Ken Friedman took over in 2013 and added a kitchen while keeping the room intact. They sold the bar in 2019, and it is now run by a group led by restaurateur Anna Weinberg. The booths, the jukebox, and the cappuccino recipe are unchanged.

What to Expect

The room has not changed substantially since the 1950s. Red vinyl booths line the walls. The original Brunswick bar runs along one side. The jukebox plays Puccini and Verdi.

What to Order

The house cappuccino is the signature drink. The cocktail menu expanded after the kitchen opened.

The food is Italian-American: meatballs, chicken liver toast, pasta, burger.

When to Go

Weeknight evenings are easier for a booth. Weekends fill after 10pm. Open 5 PM to 2 AM.

What to drink

House cappuccino (brandy, chocolate, steamed milk — no coffee), classic cocktails, Italian American bar food and late-night burger