In the 1920s, Greenwich Village was the meeting place for New Yorkers who preferred the artistic life to the grind of physical labor or the drudgery of office work.

Singers, dancers, actors, artists and poets congregated in its little tea rooms, restaurants, theaters and clubs, and people came from uptown to get a taste of liberal downtown life.

The Black Cat at 557 West Broadway offered dancing to live music – the Saturday night cover charge was 50c – and comfort food.

The restaurant was largely populated by recent Italian immigrants who craved dishes from home like Spaghetti Neapolitaine and Noudles (sic) Bolognese as well as desserts like spumoni and zabaione.

During Prohibition, most restaurants like the Black Cat offered soft drinks and mineral waters that could be used as mixers for the illicit alcohol patrons carried in hip flasks.

This early 20th century die-cut menu features a handsome black cat with a lavish bow around its neck and the restaurant’s telephone number. It’s estimated around 35 per cent of homes and businesses had telephones during this era. The menu folded out to produce two black cats side by side.