McSorley's Old Ale House Ale House / Historic Bar / Irish Pub

East Village, New York –

As much a historical landmark as it is a tavern, McSorley’s Old Ale House has welcomed such illustrious guests as Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt over its 150 years, and only started admitting women in the 1970s.

Still in its original location, the bar nowadays is home to a loyal blue-collar crowd joined by a good showing of down-to-earth preppies and Irish natives who gather at the weathered wooden tables and standing room only bar to knock back some famous ale served two ways – light or dark, two mugs per order.

History buffs will have plenty to look at given the impressive collection of black-and-white photos, historical documents, and newspaper clippings that cover the walls, not to mention details like a bar lamp hung with dusty wishbones, each representing a boy who didn’t return from World War I.

A back room accommodates the big groups of boisterous guys’ guys that flock in all week to pound ales and chow down on burgers, while weekends see the place overflowing with bar crawlers and beer fans, with lines stretching out the swinging wooden doors and down the street.

A charming air and satisfying eats makes McSorley’s Old Ale House a true mecca for beer aficionados from all over the NY, though rowdier patrons should keep in mind that the bar’s age-old motto “Be good or be gone” still applies.