Real places, fake characters: TV’s bars and eateries
Carrie and the gals drink and dine their way through countless restaurants during six seasons of “Sex and the City.” But who can forget Eleven Madison Park? The Michelin-starred restaurant is where Big (Christopher Reed North) told Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) he was engaged to Natasha (a.k.a. “the stick figure with no soul”). Let’s just hope Carrie ordered the $195 lunchtime tasting menu and left Big with the bill.
11 Madison Ave.
New York, N.Y. (Craig Blankenhorn / Associated Press)
A selection of fictional-but-real dining spots from television series over the years.
The Boston bar Cheers -- “where everybody knows your name” -- provides the backdrop for this long-running NBC series about the pub’s workers and patrons. Although the show was filmed on a set in Los Angeles, each episode begins with an exterior shot of the bar, which is actually the Bull and Finch Pub in the basement of Boston’s upscale Hampshire House restaurant. But these days, the patrons are mostly tourists, so don’t expect anybody to know your name.
Address: 84 Beacon St.
Boston (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
While the show was about nothing, there was always something to talk about at Monk’s Cafe. The “Seinfeld” eatery that Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine often ate at is actually the real-life Tom’s Restaurant in Manhattan. Though the actual interior is much different than what’s portrayed in the show, the iconic “Restaurant” sign hasn’t changed.
Address: 2880 Broadway
New York City (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
