Overview
Tourist trap, New York landmark, or the quintessential drinking man’s saloon, take your pick.
At McSorley’s beer comes light or dark, and is served “one and one,” meaning two at a time. Tables are hard to come by, especially on the weekends, and regulars know that if they want to keep their seats that they best be “be quick about it” and order the next round when the first one arrives. The antique sign behind the bar says, “Be Good or Be Gone” and in McSorley parlance that is as likely to mean not drinking enough, as it is to mean, drinking too much., and woe to the unsuspecting, for either infraction can lead to a hand on the shoulder, and a gruff, “ All right, you’re out,” delivered by a gray smocked waiter. Fortunately beer is cheap, tasty and comes in a smaller than normal glass.
Why you should go
- The beer's great and it goes down easy
- It's the oldest bar in America
- Nowhere else in New York do tourists and locals mingle so comfortably.
What you should know
- People start lining up outside at 8am on St. Patrick's Day
- Lines are common after 10pm on weekends
- To keep on the bartenders goodside order 2 or 3 drinks per person at a time (They go down fast)
- Just ask for light or dark. There are no other options.