Ben Wellington of I Quant NY, a.k.a. the next Nate Silver, and a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt's School of Architecture, recently pulled the dates on New York City bar's liquor licenses, filtered them by age and neighborhood, then mapped out the oldest operating bars in each one. It is important to point out that
...this does not mean these are in fact the oldest bars or restaurants, but rather the oldest with a single continuous liquor license and a proper start date on record.
The data is still pretty interesting though, and has some surprises — None of the usual "Oldest Bar in New York"-claiming bars are on the list.
The oldest recorded NYC license in the dataset belongs to the Harmonie Club on E 60th St in the Upper East Side, though you have to be a member to enjoy a drink there. It dates to 1933. The oldest beer license is for Nathan’s Famous in Coney Island, which dates back to 1934. And the oldest liquor store license is from 1941, and it belongs to North End Wine and Liquor in bronx. Each of these lie in a different borough.
via I Quant NY
Matt Coneybeare
Editor in Chief
Matt enjoys exploring the City's with his partner and son. He is an avid marathon runner, and spends most of his time eating, running, and working on cool stuff.
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