In any discussion of long-ago restaurants, Westporters of a certain age remember Cafe Barna.
In the 1950s and ’60s, it was one of our town’s go-to places.
Located where Mitchell’s is now, on the Post Road near Hillspoint Road, and serving a cuisine that has fallen a bit out of favor here — Hungarian-American — it offered (according to the reverse site of this postcard) “Dancing every Friday and Saturday night to Rozsika and her Continental Orchestra.”
There was also “Music on Sunday.”
(Photo courtesy of Christopher Maroc, via Facebook)
Cafe Barna was a member of “Diners and American Express Club.” It boasted of being air-conditioned. Party and banquet facilities were available.
The phone number was CApital 7-6053.
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Bowling leagues used to have their end of season awards dinners there in late May. I actually have an ashtray from the restaurant.
Hey Dan — My dad played evening and weekend softball years ago for teams sponsored first by Cafe Barna and later Carvel. I’m not sure CB offered the players and their families much after a win, but I do recall free ice cream cones post-victory in the Carvel era. We went to a lot of games!
Very cool. Thanks, Rick! And Carvel is still there, looking the same as ever. The only change is that the large ice cream cone is gone from its roof.
We won the town championship in softball sponsored by Carvel. After games free ice cream. Anything but banana splits. I always got the banana split and they never said anything. The big trophy was on display for many years. They even gave my golden retriever a cup of vanilla.
Loved Barna’s, as we called it. One day a week they had a buffet, with all sorts of foods I didn’t usually eat as a kid, but I tried them anyway. The violinist wore authentic Hungarian costumes, I was so impressed!
A wee bit before my time. If I were to hazard a guess at the building’s history, I’d suspect it started out in life as a gas and service station or a car dealership.
unreal! but what you remember my parents had the original playhouse hangout where the mckesson building is now in westport. booths with wooden doors so you never knew who was in there. i got bounced on roddy mcdowell.s lap when i used to run around and sneak into the booths. i am now going on 72 y.o. it was a festive time.
It was a special occasion to go there during the Famous Artists School days, sometimes when an artist sold a painting!
I think I must have been in 6th grade at Burr Farms when my parents took me to Cafe Barna. I had started playing the violin a couple of years earlier and I don’t remember what I had to eat but I sure remember Rozsika and her cimbalom accompanist, Laszlo. (Maybe her husband?) She was clearly a virtuosic violinist, but the piece she chose to play for me was “The HotCanary” – have to say she read her audience perfectly!
https://www.google.com/url?
sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DcrC6BSJhQNo&ved=2ahUKEwiXrPHOqLiGAxUxC3kGHWiuAQgQ3yx6BAg5EAI&usg=AOvVaw0kCX33VrJCny9360B4GEoz