Café Lafayette was located on University Place and 9th Street in New York’s Greenwich Village and was part of the 65-room Hotel Lafayette, established in 1902.

Both places were named after the French aristocrat and military officer General Lafayette who fought in the American Revolutionary War. The hotel was described by the American journalist, poet and communist activist John Reed (1887- 1920) as ‘the cradle of the city’s artistic life.’

Undiscovered musicians, writers, artists and actors living the Bohemian lifestyle (like their counterparts in Paris and other big cities, Bohemians opposed mainstream cultural values and determined to live unorthodox lifestyles) would while away their days in the cheaper café.

Wealthy New Yorkers, meanwhile, dined in the restaurant at the back of the hotel and this brasserie-style dinner menu from 1907 is beautifully decorated with lavishly costumed French characters heading for dinner. The lead character holds a sign saying ‘Allons au Café Lafayette’ – let’s go to Café Lafayette.

The menu was for the prix -fixee dinner which costs $1.25 and had nine courses. On the back of the menu the wine list was equally impressive, with vintage champagnes from 1898 and an 1878 bottle of Montrachet for $6.

The hotel and restaurant closed in 1949, much to the dismay of regulars who bought some of the café’s furniture as souvenirs. The Lafayette building was demolished in the 1950s to make way for a 12 storey apartment building.