Park Slope Restaurateur Henry Goldberger Dies At 95: Report

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Neighborhood restaurateur Henry Joseph Goldberger, who owned the iconic Snooky's Pub, has died at 95, BKLYNER reports.

Goldberger passed away peacefully at home in Westbury, NY late last week. Snooky's, which stood on Seventh Avenue for decades before closing, was one of several Brooklyn businesses Goldberger owned in the borough.

It was known for its inclusion and was one of the first to have an integrated waitstaff and welcome gay couples, family recalled to the outlet.

“For him and my mother, it was very much second nature that that was how you would conduct yourselves...They had both experienced some form of discrimination when they were growing up,” Peter Goldberger, Henry’s son, said. “It was natural for him to feel like ‘why wouldn’t I hire African Americans to be the staff, why wouldn’t I hire them to be on the counter? If somebody has an objection to it, they should go eat someplace else. It’s really not my concern’.”

Snooky's became a meeting place for prominent New Yorkers including civil rights leaders like Reverend Al Sharpton and Betty Shabazz, the family said. U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer even told Patchit was the Park Slope spot he missed most during an interview in 2019.

The Seventh Avenue storefront is now home to Da Nonna Rosa and was owned by Goldberger up until his passing.

“My dad insisted on, during the time of COVID, to provide [Da Nonna Rosa] significant rental relief, in some cases collecting no rent. He understood how tough it is to make a living running a restaurant,” Peter told BKLYNER.

Other businesses Goldberger owned include Hamburger Stop, Charles Henry Clothing, and The Brooklyn Heights Press newspaper.

Read the full obituary in BKLYNER here.