Sylvia's Restaurant of Harlem (often called "Sylvia's Soul Food" or just "Sylvia's") is a soul food restaurant located at 328 Lenox Avenue (between 126th Street and 127th Street) in Harlem in New York City.
It was founded in 1962 by Sylvia Woods. It has since expanded to a much larger space at its present location, and an adjacent building. The restaurant also sells a line of prepared foods, beauty and skin care items, cookbooks, and a children's book written by Woods. Woods purchased the original luncheonette by borrowing money from her mother, who had to mortgage her farm to provide it.
The restaurant attracts a clientele that ranges from Harlem locals to visiting celebrities. Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Caroline Kennedy, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Magic Johnson are among those who have dined there. Sylvia's was also featured on a Manhattan-themed episode of the Travel Channel's Man v. Food in early 2009.
On September 19, 2007, commentator Bill O'Reilly received criticism regarding comments he made about having lunch at Sylvia's with Al Sharpton on his syndicated radio show, commenting on how the stereotypes of African Americans were not true based on his observations at the restaurant.
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Famous quotes containing the words restaurant and/or harlem:
“In a restaurant one is both observed and unobserved. Joy and sorrow can be displayed and observed “unwittingly,” the writer scowling naively and the diners wondering, What the hell is he doing?”
—David Mamet (b. 1947)
“It doesn’t do good to open doors for someone who doesn’t have the price to get in. If he has the price, he may not need the laws. There is no law saying the Negro has to live in Harlem or Watts.”
—Ronald Reagan (b. 1911)