Photo: Getty Images
Bars have long held on to their reputation as places to sip, socialize and relax — some more than others.
24/7 Tempo conducted research to determine the most noteworthy oldest bars in America’s biggest cities:
“According to the multi-industry research site IBISWorld, there were about 66,700 bars and nightclubs in the U.S. as of 2022. Of course, these kinds of places open and close all the time, so the number is constantly changing.
Some bars, though, have shown remarkable longevity. There are bars around the country that have been in business (though sometimes with hiatuses) for more than a century – and a few that were founded originally in the 1700s.
Bars (or inns, or taverns) have been a part of American life since colonial times. Unless they belonged to religious groups with strict rules about imbibing (and sometimes even if they did), early European immigrants to these shores were often heavy drinkers, quaffing ale, cider, applejack, whiskey, and other strong beverages with abandon, and places to indulge were an important part of the landscape…
There are some very old bars in some of the largest U.S. cities, too, however…
All the bars on our list are more than a century old and a few have passed their 200th birthday.”
Dallas is considered a large city with its population of 1,299,553. Founded in 1911, the oldest bar in Dallas is Sons of Hermann Hall:
“Both the oldest bar and the oldest freestanding wooden structure in Big D, this local institution – a joint venture between four Dallas lodges of the Sons of Hermann, a fraternal organization for German immigrants founded in New York City in 1840 – today functions as a popular neighborhood bar for one and all, complete with happy hour and rotating beer and spirits specials – and the space that once housed a bowling alley is now a major music venue, which in the past has hosted such performers as Wilco, Son Volt, Arlo Guthrie, Guy Clark, Billy Joe Shaver, Gillian Welch, and James McMurtry.”