Keen’s Steakhouse – New York, NY – Concord Culinary Lyceum

Keen’s is a traditional New York steakhouse founded in 1885.
Aside from their food, Keen’s is famous for having the largest churchwarden pipe collection in the world.
A mutton chop, mashed potatoes, and creamed spinach is the ultimate meal at Keen’s.

The history of Keen’s is tied to the Lambs, a social club for actors and other theatre people. They were founded in London in 1869 and came to New York City in December of 1874. In 1885, Albert Keen, manager of the Lambs Club, struck out on his own and opened Keen’s Chophouse. Keen’s served as the clubhouse for the Lambs from 1897-1905.

Perhaps most famously, the restaurant maintains a collection of over 50,000 churchwarden pipes, the largest such collection in the world. The ceilings are covered in pipes once belonging to patrons, but the most famous pipes are on display near the entrance. Pipes on display include those of Babe Ruth, President Theodore Roosevelt, and Albert Einstein. Modern celebrities have “honorary” pipes on display as well.

Beyond the pipes, the decor is dark wood and white tablecloths. Like everything else at Keen’s the dining rooms are old school. And that makes sense because Keen’s is the second oldest steakhouse in New York City, though it did close for renovations in the 70’s before reopening as Keen’s Steakhouse. Keen’s service is friendly but of course traditional. When I shared with my wife that I had forgotten to order creamed spinach, a serving quickly appeared compliments of the house.

A restaurant with an old school look, traditional service, and a long history needs an iconic dish, and mutton is Keen’s signature. Pipes can no longer be smoked at Keen’s but mutton chops are still served nightly. James Beard once described the dish by saying, “Its essential muttony flavor puts everyday chops momentarily in the pale.” This large, bone-in cut of lamb is oozing with flavor. It’s best enjoyed with their outstanding creamed spinach and mashed potatoes. Speaking of Beard, the James Beard Society named Keen’s to their “America’s Classics” list in 2013.

For those not interested in lamb, Keen’s offers beautiful steaks as well. Seafood appetizers like oysters Rockefeller or crab cakes are excellent. Desserts like classic cheese cake or key lime pie round out the meal. There is a solid wine list with some very reasonable bottles, particularly for a NYC steakhouse. But why not start with their expertly crafted Manhattan, after all an experience like Keen’s deserves a classic cocktail as well.