EAT OUT: McSorley's Old Ale House

McSorley's Old Ale House is something of an oddity. Touted as the oldest Irish pub in New York City, this dark and dingy establishment, located at 15 E. 7th St., has as much history and tradition as it does rules.

The first thing one notices in McSorely's is the lack of drink options. Basically, if you don't like beer, stay out or be thrown out. You either order a "dark" or a "light" or you'll be asked to leave since you're taking up space. The space, by the way, is one you will share with other drinkers as the tables are large and fit anywhere between eight and ten people, so this is not a place to be anti-social.

The pub has a storied history, including the trivial fact that women were not allowed into the place until just 40 years ago, in 1970. This becomes apparent when comparing the bathrooms for the two genders; the men's is as it always has been - in the center of the back room with a normal sized, glass-paned door - while the women's is clearly add on, annexed from the old kitchen and tucked into the corner. Many a woman has attempted to enter the wrong door to be greeting with jeers from the patrons sitting in wait for the frequent mishap to occur.

History too has a place here. Visitors include ex-Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt to singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie and poet e.e. cummings, who used the bar in a one of his works. While at the bar I overheard two gentlemen discussing the chicken wishbones hanging from the dust-covered chandeliers in the front room. According to their story, a bunch of sailors were imbibing themselves during World War II before they were to ship out. The decided to hang the wishbones from the chandeliers and remove them when and if they made it home. The remaining bones, which are numerous, are allegedly those of the fallen troops.

The storied past of McSorley's is enough to draw anyone inside for a visit, but the home brew is worthy all by itself as well. Come for the beer, stay for the company and become a part of history.

Sergio del Limónar


*It has been brought to our attention that the gentlemen I was eavesdropping on were incorrect and that the bones were actually authentic turkey wishbones and they were off to fight in World War I. Never trust a history lesson from a couple old dudes at a bar, I guess...