Photo Flash: Matthew Broderick, Joel Grey and More Celebrate the Return of Joe Allen

Joe Allen Restaurant, the iconic haunt of the Broadway community, has opened its doors once again after 7 months, due to the government mandated shutdown.

The restaurant has undergone a redesign, courtesy of Tony Award-winning scenic designer David Rockwell as part of DineIn NYC, that assures compliance with current safety protocols while also celebrating the theater community. Following the successful launch of his DineOut NYC intiative, Rockwell has developed DineIn NYC, an integrated interior and exterior space design to help restaurants safely transition back to indoor dining at 25% of pre-COVID capacity.

The redesign involves a new table layout that meets current New York City guidelines for distance and capacity, guided patron choreography that provides safe pathways for diners, an entirely new outdoor seating area, and custom plexiglass table dividers for which Rockwell collaborated with Ruben Toledo (husband and longtime collaborator of the late, Tony Award nominated costume designer Isabel Toledo) and Tony Award winning costume designer Linda Cho to include iconography from the Broadway musicals After Midnight, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, and Anastasia.

Joe Allen said, "We've been serving the theater community since 1965, and over all those years we've faced some good times and we've faced some bad times, but nothing comes close to our current crisis. Just like myself, David Rockwell happily straddles the restaurant and theater worlds, and he's also a great contributor to New York City. He was the perfect person to lead us back to our customers safely and with style."

"Even though we know we'll have to wait a few more months before we can enjoy a Broadway show, the fact that we can now pop into Joe Allen for a meal gives me more comfort and joy than I can explain," added David Rockwell. "It has been a great honor to help bring back one of the most legendary theatrical clubhouses on the planet."

For more information, please visit www.joeallenrestaurant.com. To make reservations at Joe Allen, please call 212-581-6464.

Photo Credit: Gene Reed.

Jo Allen re-opening