Sylvia's Restaurant of Harlem
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sylvia's Restaurant of Harlem (often called "Sylvia's Soul Food" or even just "Sylvia's") is the most famous soul food[citation needed] restaurant in New York City. It was founded in 1962 by Mrs. Sylvia Woods. It has since expanded to a much larger space at 328 Lenox Avenue (Lenox and 127th Street), and an adjacent building, and has a branch in Atlanta, Georgia. The restaurant also sells a line of prepared foods, beauty and skin care items, cookbooks, and a children's book written by Mrs. Woods.
Woods purchased the original luncheonette by borrowing money from her mother, who had to mortgage her farm to provide it. "I know I had to make it or else my mama was gonna lose her farm. So I gave it all that I had to give," Woods later explained.
The restaurant attracts a clientele that ranges from Harlem locals to visiting celebrities. Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Magic Johnson are among those who have eaten there.
