"The oldest same family run restaurant
in the United States"
Greenport and Whaling were one word in the 1800's. Vessels from all over
the world sailed into our waters and looked for a safe harbor like Greenport
to replenish their supplies and rekindle their spirits for the next long
voyage in search of the mighty gargantuan of the sea.
 In 1854 the Portuguese Whaler "Neva" from Fayal in the Azores
docked in Greenport with a whaler on board named Manuel Claudio (pictured
above). For the next 16 years the "Neva" set sail from Greenport
on even longer and more arduous journeys, sometimes sailing for "two
years before the mast." In 1870, Manuel garnered enough to set foot
ashore, never to sail again, and open "Claudio's Tavern". It has
been in the family with a Claudio at the helm ever since.
History surrounds you in this National Historic Registered Building,
circa 1845. The magnificent Victorian bar was installed in 1886 by Manuel
who salvaged it from an old hotel being torn down in New York's Bowery in
1885. The two-piece, two-inch thick mahogany bar top has Italian Marble
handrails attached by solid brass fittings. Given the massive ten-foot high
backbar of solid hand-carved hardwoods, huge plates of beveled mirrors and
etched glass, you can easily understand why the bar was barged from the
City to Greenport. As you sit and sip you cocktail at this 100+ year old
"used" bar, let your mind wander away for just a second and "listen"
to the great tales of men, ships and the sea that echo forth from this magnificent
piece of history.
At the end of the bar is a picture of Manuel Claudio with his big handle-bar
mustache and pictures of Claudio's throughout history. Look closely at the
bottom right photo, taken in the late 1800's, and you will see the beautiful
mirrored hardwood saloon door which served as the summer entrance. Today,
this beautiful swinging door serves as the entrance to our Men's Room. Talk
about grand entrances!
During prohibition, Claudio's, now under Frank Claudio, Manuel's nephew
from Portugal, continued to prosper in the busy and bustling seafaring village
of Greenport. the Long Island Railroad carried crowds of people from The
City on the fastest route to Boston. The train trundled onto the "end
of the rails" dock and passengers climbed aboard huge paddle wheeled
boats of the "Great White Fleet" for the sometimes raucous trip,
complete with dining, bar parties, music and gambling (one outside the three
mile limits, of course!), for the quick overnight trip to Boston. During
prohibition, Claudio's became a fine French restaurant downstairs, while
the upstairs became a lively place for imbibing in the illegal spirits that
found their way by the boatload from the southern islands through Greenport
on the way to the City. Behind the glass door at the left of the bar is
a dumb waiter that let the folks downstairs join in the fun too, sipping
on their "water" glasses. Throughout the east end of Long Island,
bootlegging had become big business!. When enforcement became stronger in
the waning years of prohibition, "fast" boats with huge engines
would pick up their precious cargo from the sailing vessels outside the
territorial limits. In the dark of night, and preferably in the heaviest
fog, they would race for port and often glide into the harbor and under
Claudio's, which then sat on stilts, off-load their goods through trap doors
for the later trip west. One trap door still exists behind the bar - now
used to handle utility services under the building.
In the late twenties, Greenport became the Mecca for our country's
sailing forays in defense of "The America's Cup", which was wrestled
from England in 1851 by the yacht "America". Around the walls
of Claudio's hang photographs and artifacts from our cup defenders including
the great "J" boat racing ships. Even by today's standards, these
sailing ships were huge, with masts that stood 160-170 feet tall and lengths
that exceeded 130 feet. Many were outfitted by S. T. Preston's just across
the street from Claudio's. Over the front porch windows of Claudio's you
will find a piece of the main mast and the lower spreaders of the yacht
"Enterprise", Commodore Vanderbilt's east-end crewed, successful
defender of the 1930 Cup Race.
For fifty-plus
years Bill Claudio, Sr. carefully guided Claudio's. He did a wonderful
job preserving Claudio's as one of the most historic and well-known
dining and boating sites on Long Island. In 1990, we, the fourth generation
of Claudio's, embarked on the continuing voyage. We are proud of our
133th Anniversary in 2003 and recognition by the National Restaurant
Association as the oldest, same family run restaurant in the United
States. We pledge to do our very best to serve you the freshest and
finest foods we can, in an atmosphere of family fun and congeniality,
while preserving and continuing our history.
(circa 1933)
Thank you for taking part in our journey -
Bill, Jr., Janice, Kathy, Beatsy & Jerry
111 Main Street, Greenport, New York 11944
(631) 477 - 0627
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