NYC has more bars over a century old than any other US city. This guide picks the eleven where the room has actually been on screen, Mad Men, Sex and the City, The Devil Wears Prada, The Lost Weekend (1945), and the floorboards aren't a set-dec rebuild.
Half pre-date Prohibition. One pre-dates the Civil War.
Your Plan, Stop by Stop
5 stops · across NYC · 12-min walk
1. Bemelmans Bar: The 1947 Ludwig Bemelmans murals are the only Madeline-creator...
The 1947 Ludwig Bemelmans murals are the only Madeline-creator originals left anywhere; a $30 Manhattan buys you 80 unbroken years of NYC. Bemelmans Bar sits in Upper East Side.
- Address: The Carlyle Hotel · 35 E 76th St, Upper East Side
- Vibe: cinema · heritage · carlyle
- Official: https://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/the-carlyle-new-york/dining/bemelmans-bar / Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosewoodthecarlyle/
2. King Cole Bar: Where The Devil Wears Prada filmed and the Bloody Mary was...
Where The Devil Wears Prada filmed and the Bloody Mary was reportedly invented; the Maxfield Parrish mural takes up an entire wall. King Cole Bar sits in Midtown.
- Address: St. Regis Hotel · 2 E 55th St, Midtown
- Vibe: cinema · heritage · luxury
- Official: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/nycxr-the-st-regis-new-york/dining/ / Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stregisnewyork/
3. The Campbell: A 1920s financier's private office turned bar; some 30 Manhattan...
A 1920s financier's private office turned bar; some 30 Manhattan films have used the painted ceiling. The Campbell sits in Grand Central.
- Address: 89 E 42nd St (since 1923), Grand Central
- Vibe: cinema · heritage · secret
- Official: https://www.thecampbellnyc.com/ / Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecampbellnyc/
4. P.J. Clarke's: Billy Wilder shot The Lost Weekend (1945) here; Sinatra came...
Billy Wilder shot The Lost Weekend (1945) here; Sinatra came almost weekly. Skyscrapers came up around it but the door's the same. P.J. Clarke's sits in Midtown East.
- Address: 915 3rd Ave (since 1884), Midtown East
- Vibe: cinema · heritage
- Official: https://pjclarkes.com/ / Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pjclarkes/
5. McSorley's Old Ale House: 170 years of two beers
170 years of two beers, light or dark, no music, no TV, women only since 1970. Lincoln drank here and the floorboards remember. McSorley's Old Ale House sits in East Village.
- Address: 15 E 7th St (since 1854), East Village
- Vibe: heritage · beer · oldest
- Official: http://www.mcsorleysoldalehouse.nyc/ / Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcsorleysnyc/
How to actually use this
- Most of these rooms charge a small premium for the years on the wall — $30 Manhattans, $25 covers, $50 minimum spends
- If you have more nights: Pete's on a Sunday afternoon for the O
- You're paying so the room stays open for the next eighty years
- Henry shrine, Old Town for a $9 draft and the longest mahogany bar in Manhattan, Ear Inn on a weekday for the Federal-period feel, PJ Clarke's for the burger that has not changed since 1884
Most of these rooms charge a small premium for the years on the wall, $30 Manhattans, $25 covers, $50 minimum spends. You aren't paying for the drink.
Sources consulted: The New York Times — 'NYC's Oldest Bars' (March 2024 feature) · Atlas Obscura — Carlyle, Pete's, McSorley's, Ear Inn entries · Architectural Digest — The Campbell feature 2023 · Time Out NY — Heritage Bars annual guide
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Information current as of May 2026; please verify reservations and hours before travel.
