The Restaurant That Kickstarted Bobby Flay's Cooking Career (Yes, You Can Still Eat There)

Bobby Flay opened the doors to his first restaurant in 1991 and has been a household name since his late twenties, when he began appearing on Food Network. In the decades since, Flay has starred in numerous shows, published multiple cookbooks, and founded a plethora of other dining establishments, including the Michelin-starred, Las Vegas-based Mesa Grill. However, he got his start at just 17 years old at a New York City mainstay called Joe Allen.

Joe Allen's eponymous restaurant was a go-to spot in the theater district, and Flay's father, Bill, was Allen's partner in the business. When Flay was asked not to return to the private school he was attending as a teenager, he chose not to enroll elsewhere. His father insisted that he find employment, which ultimately took the form of a two-week stint at none other than Joe Allen. At the end of his brief tenure — filling in for a busboy who had taken a half-month leave — he was invited to join the kitchen, which became the place where his enthusiasm for cooking evolved. Later, Allen encouraged Flay to attend the newly founded French Culinary Institute and paid the budding chef's tuition in full.

While Bobby Flay was hesitant to return to a school setting, he attended — and even enjoyed — the half-year program while still working in the kitchen at Joe Allen, whipping up salad dressings and prepping food. But after graduation, he was surprised when both his father and Allen pushed him to seek out other opportunities in New York's culinary scene. The move forced Flay to expand his reach, and he landed a sous chef job at a brand-new restaurant which, after just two days, turned into a head chef role. Years later, after Joe Allen's death, Flay paid tribute to him in a touching Instagram post, writing: "He gave me a place to find a direction that would ultimately be my life's work."

While Joe Allen passed away in 2021, his iconic restaurant remains in New York City, in the same spot it has occupied for over 60 years. Theater-goers, or anyone looking for a solid meal, can still settle into the cozy atmosphere for tuna niçoise, chicken, and Caesar salads, and mains that range from calf's liver or meatloaf to grilled swordfish or oven roasted pork chop. And you can still grab a burger, though it will cost a bit more than its original 75-cent price when the restaurant opened in 1965. And if you're in the mood to trace the dining habits of the longtime TV chef, you can swing by Wolfgang's Steakhouse — Flay's favorite New York spot — or you can grab one of the many versions of his late-night staple: a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.