Bravest Bar and Eatery closes after 47 years 🏈🦬

Bravest Bar and Eatery (originally known as Suspenders) on 700 2nd Avenue is a legendary firefighter themed sports bar which served American fare & pub grub, plus all-day happy hour and known as one of NYC’s favorite Buffalo Bills bar (aka Bill’s Mafia). It opened on St. Patrick’s Day in 1978 and ironically closed on the same holiday in March 2025 at a private closing party, making it 47 years old at the time of its closure. Located in NYC, it was a long-standing neighborhood bar, recently operated for over 40 years by the same owners before closing in 2025.

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Gold plaques were displayed on the wall with the the two headlined stories below from the New York Daily News newspaper.

A Toxic Fire, 45 Years Later… “Maybe it’s finally time to recognize the 699 New York City firefighters who battled the famous New York City Telephone Company fire 45 years ago today. Nearly 700 men fought the awful five-alarm inferno that broke out in the early morning hours of Feb. 27, 1975 at the telephone company’s switching center on Second Ave. and 13th St., what is now the Verizon Building. Some call it the worst fire before 9/11.”

40 Years Ago, A Good Man Lost… “Kind. That’s what Larry Fitzpatrick was. Oh, he was a brave fireman, a good football player, a devoted husband and father of eight children, a restaurateur, a good friend. He made you feel good being alive. He was so alive. He was all those things. But most of all, he was kind. His final act of kindness was 40 years ago: 8:25 p.m., June 17, 1980. He died while trying to rescue a brother firefighter, Gerry Frisby, at a three-alarm tenement fire in Harlem. Frisby became disoriented in the blaze and was trapped at a seventh-floor window unconscious and surrounded by flames and smoke.”