Why This Historic Steakhouse Has Over 90,000 Smoking Pipes

Keens Steakhouse, a restaurant in Manhattan that was opened in 1885, is not quite the oldest steakhouse in New York City, but it still feels like an establishment flung out of time and space. It may be located within spitting distance of a Taco Bell Cantina – the only type of Taco Bell that serves alcohol – but once you step inside it's like you've been teleported back into, if not the Old World, then at least an older world. There's the stately wood paneling and framed pictures, far removed from the exposed brick and cutesy neon décor of modern restaurants. There's the intoxicatingly heavy scent of beef and mutton — the meat of adult sheep — lingering in the air. Then, of course, there are the 90,000 pipes.

Say what? Yes, Keens has an enormous collection of smoking pipes which it collected from many of its most famous guests over the course of its existence. Not all of them are on display, of course, but you'll likely find some incredibly prominent names among the collection, including Theodore Roosevelt, General Douglas MacArthur, and Babe Ruth, a man who sometimes ate steak for breakfast.

Back when smoking pipes were commonplace — and smoking was allowed indoors — it was typical for a person to check their pipe in at their preferred inn, restaurant, or other such establishment. As clay pipes were long, thin, and fragile, some preferred not to risk having the implement break while they were carrying it around. Keens sought to carry on this tradition and began providing clay "churchwarden" pipes for their guests to smoke.

Eventually, prominent patrons began to sign their pipes. Even as pipes began to fall out of fashion, the tradition continued, as it does to this day: honorary pipe club members include Stephen King, Liza Minnelli, and the late Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Seen as a symbol of old New York by the likes of Anthony Bourdain — it's a remnant from the days when The Garrick Theatre was open nearby – Keens is still open today, serving steaks and its signature mutton chops to customers whether they smoke a pipe or not.