Old Town Bar and Restaurant
The Old Town Bar and Restaurant is a noted bar and restaurant located between Park Avenue and Broadway at 45 E. 18th Street in Flatiron District, Manhattan in New York City. In continuous operation since 1892, it is one of the oldest bars in the New York City area. The Old Town is two blocks north of Union Square.
The bar itself, dating from 1892, is 55 feet long and made of marble and mahogany. The ceiling, made of tin tiles, is 16 feet high. Most of the furnishings and decor are original, including New York's oldest dumbwaiter that ferries food orders from the upstairs kitchen down to the bar. Another notable feature is the row of old-style full-length urinals in the Men's room, located in the back right corner of the first floor. A creaky wooden staircase (also original) leads to the upstairs dining room.
Several artists and Hollywood directors have used the Old Town as a backdrop for their productions and movie scenes, including rap group House of Pain in the music video for Jump Around (1992) and director Whit Stillman for his The Last Days of Disco (1998). Other films partially shot at the Old Town include The Devil's Own (1997), State of Grace (1990), Q & A (1990) and Bullets Over Broadway (1994). The bar also appeared in the opening montage of Late Night with David Letterman when the show was on NBC (1982–1993).[1] In 2008, Life in Flight shot a sequence outside and inside the bar.
References
External links
- Official website
- Ed Levine, "The Best Bites in Burgertown", New York Times, January 15, 2003
- New York Magazine Bar and Restaurant Guide
Coordinates: 40°44′15.05″N 73°59′21.18″W / 40.7375139°N 73.9892167°W