11 oldest bars in Boston

The Warren Tavern has been in its current location in Charlestown, on Pleasant Street (near the Bunker Hill Monument) since 1780, making it the oldest tavern in Massachusetts. When it was built, it supposedly replaced a nearby tavern burned down by the British troops either during the Battle of Bunker Hill or another Revolutionary War skirmish. Back in the day, this watering hole hosted prominent American patrons like Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, making this the ideal bar to check out for a cold beer, cuppa chowder and a history lesson.

JJ Foley’s is a true Boston icon, opening its doors in 1909 and establishing itself as a South End institution well before the neighborhood became the bustling slice of gentrification that it is today. A haven for Boston Herald reporters when the paper was printed right where the Whole Foods now sits, this family-run pub has kept it classic, pouring pints of Guinness and other draft beers from behind its dark wooden bar, and serving straight comfort food with a smile. There’s a Downtown Crossing outpost as well, that’s a decent stop after a long workday, but it’s not the same, as any Bostonion will let you know.

The Bell in Hand is charmingly named after its original owner’s trade, a retired Boston town crier named James Wilson, who opened the pub way back in 1795. The charming old bar is, however, not the first location, serving as this tavern's home since only 1844. It's believed that, despite its move from Elm Street to where it now stands on Union Street, the Bell in Hand still uses the original, physical bar dating back to 1795. Whether or not its claim to being the oldest tavern is true, it’s a solid spot to stop near Faneuil Hall for a cold beer on a hot day, and the fish and chips are a crispy crowd pleaser.

Another spot to celebrate our nation’s history, the original Green Dragon Tavern was built way back in 1654, but was sadly torn down in the 1850s. It was almost certainly the spot where Paul Revere set out for his midnight ride on April 18, 1775, to warn the militias at Lexington and Concord that the British troops were on their way to take their weapons stash. The current Green Dragon, on Marshall Street, is part of a small local chain of bars and dates only to 1993, but still has the quaint look and feel of a classic Boston pub, and things turn lively on the weekends with live music.

The bar at the Fairmont Copley Plaza has undergone many transformations over the years. Originally called the Copley Café, which opened in 1912 alongside the hotel, the Copley Café became the Merry-Go-Round Bar in 1934, complete with a carousel; in 1978, it was simply The Plaza Bar and Dining Room; then, in 1996, it became The Oak Room. Popular with the Back Bay set, the Oak Room was renovated in 2011, becoming a bright, shimmering bar and lounge that befits the hotel’s jazz age birth. It remains one of the best places in the Hub to grab a cocktail, and their menu is updated seasonally.

The Last Hurrah is located inside the Omni Parker House hotel, which itself dates to 1855, and claims the much-traveled British author Charles Dickens as a reveler and a guest. It was here that Dickens first read his magnificent novel, A Christmas Carol, in America. The then-Parker House Hotel had become a gathering place for transcendentalists and writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Rich with history, today the Hurrah is a gathering place for hotel guests, after work drinkers and the occasional local politician.

Deep in the narrow cobblestone streets near Faneuil Hall, Union Oyster House feels like a step back in time (maybe due to the costumed tour guides on every corner). The Oyster House is located in a building that dates to the early 1700s and is listed as a National Historic Landmark, and the bar itself dates to 1826 when it opened as the Atwood & Bacon Oyster House. It handily holds the title of oldest restaurant in Boston, and among the oldest in the United States. Though now more a restaurant than a bar, you can still stop in for a drink and a half dozen, following in  the footsteps of one of the Union Oyster House’s regular customers, Statesman Daniel Webster, who was said to eat 36 oysters a day, washed down with brandy and water.

Amrheins claims lineage back to 1890, making it a cornerstone of South Boston for over a century, and while it’s been on the verge of closing a few times over the past few years, this bar keeps hanging on. Its owners boast that their taproom has the oldest hand carved bar in America, and it's where the first draft beer pump in Boston was installed. A look at the gorgeously carved old bar is worth a visit, whether it’s the first or not. This is the kind of spot you can take your parents for a classic pub lunch or grab a few drinks during a night out on West Broadway in Southie, and they serve a diner breakfast as a tip of the cap to the departed Mul’s Diner, which sat across the street until a few years ago.

Paddy’s Lunch is the oldest family owned pub in Cambridge, dating back to 1934, when Irish immigrants Patrick and Margaret Fennell opened the doors. In the 1960s, the Fennell's daughter took over the operation with her husband, and in 1998 their daughter took over and still runs the bar to this day. A classic dive bar in the best sense of the term, the cozy spot welcomes all with well-priced drinks and opens at 9am every morning.

At fifty years old and counting, the Cask ’n Flagon has weathered all of the drastic changes surrounding it on Lansdowne Street. While new clubs and pubs seem to open every other week, the Cask remains a popular pre-game favorite. Before this bar opened in 1969, the building was a Ford dealership. Though it’s a solid, year-round neighborhood drinking and dining spot, it turns into a complete madhouse on game days during baseball season.

Beyond Boston’s Colonial past, there are some more recent – but still historic – watering holes worth checking out. The Tam first opened its doors sometime during the 1940s, thriving as a beloved townie bar ever since. Smack in the middle of the pricey theater district, the Tam continues to sling inexpensive, no-nonsense beverages in an area where such a thing is a real rarity.