Old Town Bar

Founded in the 1890s as a German drinking hall and currently under Irish ownership, the Old Town is nonetheless the most democratic of Gotham’s ancient taverns. Patrons range from twenty- to eightysomethings, bohemian to businessman, locals to out-of-towners. The space is old-world grandeur itself, with 17-foot-high tin ceilings (stained tobacco-brown), a row of roomy booths opposite the bar, touches of stained glass, a working dumb waiter and, in the men’s room, majestic, century-old Hinsdale urinals. Conversation is unusually lively and the food hearty and satisfying.