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I was also surprised by how low the prices were at McSorley's compared to what I usually pay in New York City. I ordered a hamburger and fries for $10, and two beers for $8. The menu at McSorley's is limited, but they had quite a few fan-favorite menu items, from burgers and a fried-chicken sandwich to more traditional items like corned-beef hash and chili. However, when the ale house was founded by Irish immigrant John McSorley in the 1850s, this was a prime location, close to a transportation hub for horse carriages and a busy market, Business Insider previously reported. I've lived in New York City for almost four years, but I have never been to McSorley's, the oldest Irish pub in the city. The rating scale of 0 to 100 reflects our editors’ appraisals of all the tangible and intangible factors that make a restaurant or bar great — or terrible — regardless of price.
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Eleven years in, Buggy still refers to himself as “the new guy.” One bartender has been working at McSorley’s for 47 years (and counting), and several customers have been coming in on a regular basis since the 1950s. “Not a day goes by without someone coming in and starting a conversation with, ‘The last time I was in here…’” Buggy says. McSorley’s has been open since 1854, and managed to stay so because, at one time, it operated as a speakeasy. The iconic mugs that McSorley’s ale is served in today are a vestige of the Prohibition era when the bar would serve “near beer” (beer with little to no alcohol content) to most patrons.
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Because of this exclusivity, patrons have been known to surreptitiously sprinkle a loved one’s ashes on the floor. A thin layer of sawdust—a relic from another era when patrons would track in mud and horse manure—makes it plausible that a bit of grandpa’s ashes could be added on the sly. Joseph Mitchell’s book (McSorley’s Wonderful Saloon) and his obituary from the New York Times, hangs beside a LIFE magazine feature story from 1943.
Spending eternity at McSorley’s
McSorley’s gifted a free turkey dinner and beer to all the neighborhood men who were leaving for the trenches. After the meal, the soldiers would place their wishbones on the lamp rail over the bar for good luck fighting in France. Indulge yourself, if you will, on a virtual tour of America’s oldest, continuously operated bar.
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If these picture-filled walls had ears they might have heard, William “Boss” Tweed, the infamous New York politician and mogul of Tammany Hall, hatch his scheme to pilfer millions of taxpayer funds. Tweed likely still recalled the taste of McSorley’s ales from his New York Federal Prison cell, once standing at Ludlow and Broome Street where he died in 1878. Fellow philanthropist and inventor of the first steam locomotive Peter Cooper frequented the Irish tavern, as well. Chances are Cooper sipped away his defeat to Samuel J. Tilden for the democratic nomination for president.
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Down in the heart of the East Village, tucked around the corner from the imposing Cooper Union, lies McSorley’s Old Ale House, arguably the greatest Irish pub in New York City. Stepping back into the front room we find the newspaper headline of Daily News (August 11th, 1970) which shouts the landmark admission of women, with an accompanying photo of reporter Marcia Kramer and then manager, Daniel Kirwin. There seems to be a place — a theme for every square inch of the wonderful Old Ale House, and the northwest corner of the backroom is a monument to music. Giles donated a gold record from his million selling album “Love Stinks”, the so and so album hangs there along with period sheet music.
Since its establishment in 1854, McSorley’s sawdusted floors and tchotchke-covered walls have beckoned countless New Yorkers and visitors alike. It’s been home to presidents and poets, scallywags and scribes—and just about everyone in between. If the big wood bar is the heart of the Old Ale House, then certainly the coal burning stove is the soul. E. Cummings described McSorley's as "the ale which never lets you grow old".[30] He also described the bar as "snug and evil".[30][35] McSorley's was the focus of several articles by New Yorker author Joseph Mitchell. One collection of his stories was entitled McSorley's Wonderful Saloon (1943).
However, about two dozen wishbones remain on that lamp rail over the bar—one for each of the neighborhood men who never made it back from France. They were left up by Bill as a poignant tribute to those patrons who made the ultimate sacrifice. For decades they lay there as relics, respectfully untouched, and collected dust. There was also a large outdoor dining area set up on the street outside, so finding a place to sit on busy days like St. Patrick's Day shouldn't be completely out of the question.
Tilden might have pondered the same, when he lost that year’s election in 1876 to Rutherford B. Hayes. McSorley’s is famed to be one of the last men’s only clubhouses. Yet from its ardent grip of the status quo, the tavern still stood on the cusp of social change—if only reluctantly so—by losing a case heard before the Supreme Court in 1970. McSorley’s was then forced to serve female patrons, and there is no doubt this forever changed the social bar scene in New York City. At a time when many establishments in the south may have still served whites only, the historic tavern served African-American poet, drama, and music critic Everett LeRoi Jones who died January of last year. America’s oldest, continuously operated bar is packed full of vast history throughout the various areas of the bar.
In fact, they fought hard to keep women out of the establishment and even considered becoming a private club to do so. The oldest continuously operated Irish pub in New York City, McSorley's stands firmly in time, and that's all part of its charm. Serving only dark ale or light ale and decked out with many of the features it opened with in 1854, generations of families from around the city and beyond have been making a pint there a regular part of their lives. Although by no means a handshaker, Old John knew many prominent men. One of his closest friends was Peter Cooper, president of the North American Telegraph Company and founder of Cooper Union, which is a half-block west of the saloon.
Bill placed it on the wall back of the bar and thereafter kept a hooded electric light burning above it, a pious custom that is still observed. As you venture further into the ale house, you will come across the legendary backroom, the spot where near beer flowed during prohibition. This legendary backroom contains the infamous and very risqué painting of a nude woman with her parrot. There is a famous old fireplace found in the backroom, where the original owner John McSorley held court. The motto of McSorley’s, “Be Good or Be Gone” is located above the fireplace as well as a portrait of Peter Cooper, the founder of Cooper Union. The interior structure of McSorley’s has remained the same over the years except for the addition of a kitchen and bathroom upgrades.
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