Cheers to McGillin’s: Philly’s Oldest Tavern

Cheers to McGillin's: Philly's Oldest Tavern won honorable mention from the Pennsylvania Press Club, affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women.McGillin’s Olde Ale House is the oldest continuously operating tavern in Philadelphia and one of the oldest in the country. The historic tavern’s colorful history includes romances, celebrities, ghosts, and a tale of survival through the Civil War, two world wars, Prohibition, a fire, and two pandemics. Opening in 1860—the year Abraham Lincoln was elected—McGillin’s is an iconic Philadelphia institution. This book solidifies the owners’ mission to carefully preserve McGillin’s unique historic legacy by chronicling the most enduring tales of McGillin’s from the late 1800s through today. Cheers to McGillin’s contains many never-before-published photos, along with plenty of great food and drink recipes from its bar and kitchen. Whether in happy times—first dates, marriages, anniversaries, Eagles games—or tragic moments like 9/11 or the bombing of Pearl Harbor, McGillin’s has been there to celebrate and mourn, sharing common experiences with Philadelphians from all walks of life.McGillin’s has been owned by just two families for the past 165 years. The McGillins (an Irish couple who raised their thirteen children upstairs) and their descendants ran the pub for ninety-eight years. Then the Spaniak / Shepaniak / Mullins family took over and have owned the tavern since 1958—three generations and counting. Read more