#6427 - Park House, Pittsburgh, PA - 12/10/2025

Park House, Pittsburgh, PA

Ever since we moved to the Pittsburgh area I've been waiting and hoping that the historic Park House bar, in the Deutschtown neighborhood, would reopen. Well on Repeal Day (12/5) of this year, it finally did, and the new owners have done an excellent job.

The Park House opened shortly after prohibition ended and some say it has the oldest and one of the first liquor licenses in Pittsburgh - with a past owner claiming it had the 2nd license issued by the county, on June 1, 1933. (I would love to see a primary source or other source of evidence for this?). In any case, city guides feature it under the "Park House" name starting in 1934. I do not have data for 1933, but a Pittsburgh Press article described it as a "restaurant since 1933 when predecessor of the Park House opened."

As for it's previous lifetime, the building appears to have been constructed in 1892, and the same Pittsburgh Press article says that it "Opened as a hotel in 1893." However, if it ever featured a bar before the end of prohibition - at least a legal one - this must have been very briefly. The liquor license data from the pre-prohibition era, available from newspaper archives, is quite comprehensive. The records do show that on Dec 7, 1908, Louis W. Stahl successfully transferred to Patrick Brennan, the owner the Park House address, the liquor license Stahl had obtained for 621 Ohio St., after he failed to secure the lease on the property for which he was authorized. However, the following April Brennan was refused renewal of the license, and neither he nor anyone else appears to have ever applied again for the property. (Most of the 279 refusals for that year in Allegheny County were on the basis that there was "no necessity" for new liquor retailers at the time.)  As for illegal bars (here in the city that coined the term for "speakeasies"), I can't rule that out of course, but there were raids of hundreds of these in Pittsburgh and I've found no evidence for this location so far.

During the several decades preceding and during prohibition, the property hosted a number of retail businesses, in addition the available living spaces on the upper floors of the 4-story building, most notably several years as the Park View Theater, a nickelodeon featuring singers and professional acts of a wide variety.

Where the Park House ranks among the oldest bars in Pittsburgh relies primarily on one's personal views on some fairly arbitrary questions about what constitutes a single bar. Primary among these is whether you allow for bars of entirely different names. The Pittsburgh city limits contain a good 20 or so bars that operate at addresses (and usually the same buildings) that hosted bars before prohibition, with at least eight of these dating back to the 19th century. For my part, I feel it's necessary to have basically the same name over a bar's lifespan (e.g. it's fine if it changed from using "saloon" to "tavern" to "cafe" to "bar and grill"). Given that, and my current state of knowledge, I would tend to put Park House second to the Original Oyster House, which opened in 1871, and was named as some kind of "Oyster House" for most if not all of that time. (And according to Rick Sebak, the space hosted the Bear Tavern as early as 1827.) The Squirrel Hill Cafe (AKA "Squirrel Cage") may also be a contender, as it opened sometime in 1934 (again, I don't know exactly when the "Park House" name was adopted during that year or possibly 1933). My visit to the Park House has made me commit to myself that I must post a good working page on the Oldest Bars in Pittsburgh sometime early next year.

Owner Michelle, The Park House, Pittsburgh, PA

Finally, to the current incarnation of the Park House: Seeking to avoid the crush of the opening weekend, I made it to the bar on the evening of Wednesday Dec 10. I had a very pleasant dinner discussing the old version of the bar with local Tim, running into bartender friend Bradley, and especially chatting with owner Michelle Lynch about all the work she and partner Patrick Edson have done on the place.

It looks beautiful now. Their prodigious work cleaning and remodeling is accentuated by a new antique back bar, obtained from the great Wooden Nickel Antiques in Cincinnati, and extended by a local craftsman, as well as lamps and wallpaper perfect for the vibe of the dark wood and old space. Even the flatware was thoughtfully researched and chosen. It's certainly more formal than the old days Tim described of free popcorn and peanuts, with shells strewn across the floor, but remains a comfortable neighborhood joint. As the new owners catch their breath a bit, Michelle plans to work on putting up old photos of the place, and collecting verbal histories from long time patrons (the stories were flowing at the grand opening, I was informed) and a sort of homage to previous owner Zamir (and his falafels). 

And while I confess I forget what I was told about the background of "Chef Issac," I loved the food. I started with a burrata bruschetta that was delicious, and then much enjoyed the meatball sandwich (in a town that features a lot of very mediocre Italian food at bars). I have added the Park House to my list of favorites in Pittsburgh and look forward to going back many times.

403 E Ohio St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 - (412) 224-2273

Est. 1933/1934 - Building constructed: 1892
Previous bars in this location: Possibly Patrick Brennan bar, 1907-1908
Web sites:  parkhouse412.com - facebook - instagram 
Articles: pghcitypaper - patch - yelp - tripadvisor - pittsburghhappyhour 

#6415 - Hoff's (Reithoffer's), Auburn Township, OH - 11/22/2025

Reithoffer's, Auburn Township, OH

Today Trista and I took a mini road trip up to Lake Erie, making several interesting stops, with my favorite being Reithoffer's craft cocktail bar, music venue, art gallery, and event center (AKA "Hoff's"). The facility lies in Auburn Township, Ohio, just southeast of Cleveland and Chagrin Falls, and is named for longtime resident and junk collector John Reithoffer. John, whose parents bought the 1906 building in the 1930s, passed away in 2016, and in 2018 the property was purchased by artists Jason and Debby Wein, who have transformed it into a lovely and unique space for lovers of bars, art, and design.

Hoff's, Auburn Township, OH

The building hosting the bar -- actually 3 of them -- and the galleries upstairs, is comprised primarily of Jason's work, his furnishings and decor, and in particular his glasswork. Jason, the founder of Cleveland Art whose work is found everywhere from Vegas casinos to various private homes and buildings, is a welder and glassblower, with particular eye for melding industrial salvage into beautiful new furnishings. Along with arts events, the bar now serves craft cocktails and hosts musical events. The scene we stumbled into this afternoon seemed to me some kind of neighborly open mic night with a large and friendly set of guitarists and other performers laughing and comparing notes as they took turns performing.

I immediately added Hoff's to my favorite bars list, and am looking forward to many future visits on our trips to the greater Cleveland area.

17711 Ravenna Rd, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023 - (216) 246-7644
Est. 2018? - Building constructed: 1906
Previous bars in this location: None known 
Web site: reithoffers.com - facebook - instagram
Articles: guaugamapleleaf.com - voyageohio.com 

#6182 - Ghost Baby, Cincinnati, OH - 5/16/2025

Ghost Baby, Cincinnati, OH

Find the purple orb light on Republican Street, descend the stairs down four stories below street level into the lagering caves last used by a Cincinnati brewing company in the 1850s, and you'll find a couple of the more beautiful bars I've been to. This is Ghost Baby, purportedly named for an infant specter that was somehow responsible for the shattering of the first light bulb inserted in the reopening of the caves. 

The first room, reservation not required, is the "Rattle Room," featuring a central bar that is said to have been designed after a baby's rattle. Step past that and behind the velvet curtains -- although you will probably need a reservation, into "The Den," with a bar in the corner and romantically lit tables, with a velvet curtain lined stage on the opposite end hosting various forms of live music performances. The award winning design, the fine craft cocktails, and the overall vibe all make it well worth a reservation (and fifty-some stair steps).

Ghost Baby, Cincinnati, OH

I also had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Heather and Chuck at the bar. They are a couple from Kentucky, she a school teacher, and he with the airline industry for many years. Chuck's job allowed them to fly for free on Delta flights that had available seating at takeoff time. So they would pack up the kids, go to the airport, and ask at the desk about any flights with several open seats; where ever those flights were going, they went. It sounded like a fun family.

Chuck and Heather,
at Ghost Baby, Cincinnati, OH

1314 Republic St, Cincinnati, OH 45202 - (513) 381-5333
Est. Feb 18, 2020 - Building constructed: Pre-1850
Previous bars in this location: None known 
Web site: ghost-baby.com - facebook - instagram 
Reviews: cincinnatidesignawards - esquire - cincinnati.com - 5chw4r7z - yelp - tripadvisor 

#6100 - Shooting Star Saloon, Huntsville, UT - 3/9/2025

Shooting Star Saloon, Huntsville, UT

The Shooting Star Saloon, sitting on the Pineview Reservoir in the Wasatch Mountains about 50 miles north of Salt Lake City, is said to be "Utah's oldest business" and "the Oldest Continuously Operating Saloon West of the Mississippi." How exactly they get to the latter claim, with several California bars dating back a few decades earlier, I am not clear about, but I suspect it hinges on the "continuously operated" phrase, alluding to continuous operation through federal prohibition.

In any case, it is quite old, with the building dating back to a mercantile business constructed around 1850, a bar first established here in 1879, and the name "Shooting Star Saloon," along with the current bar space on the main floor, dating from 1940. It is located in the town of Huntsville, population approx. 608. In the 2000 census there were 649 residents, 98.77% white, 0.15% African American, and 0.31% Native American (if you do the math that's one black person and two Indians). To the north are multiple ski resorts, which contributed to the saloon once being listed by USA Today as one of the top après-ski bars in the country.

Shooting Star Saloon, Huntsville, UT

The bar preserves a fine old saloon vibe, with dark wood walls, various old west gear hanging over the bar, taxidermy and skulls, and a large amount of signed dollar bills (once estimated at around 15,000 of them) hanging from the ceiling.

The menu is aggressively simple, listed on the side of napkin dispensers, and comprising one hot dog and six variations of burgers, served with chips. However, the burgers are renowned, once rated 3rd best in the country by USA Today, and I very much enjoyed my cheeseburger, passing on the more famous "Star Burger," which has two beef patties and a layer of knockwurst.

I've added this cozy, historical spot to my highest recommendations list, and close with a few additional notes from a couple online sources:

"The mercantile switched to a saloon in 1879, originally named Hoken’s Hole for its owner Hoken Olsen. Hoken (1862-1945) was the son of Norwegian immigrants who had converted to Mormonism and moved to Utah in 1876 as part of the “gathering.” He became a citizen of the US in 1902. Hunstville’s early newspapers are filled with accounts of how “Slippery Hoken'' had once more been fined for selling liquor without a license, or sent to jail for the same. His wife Maria Bingham operated the saloon when Hoken was in jail."  (Intermountain Histories)

"During the Prohibition Era in the 1920s, alcoholic drinks and card games were enjoyed in secret and a confectionery shop for children was displayed on the top floor of the saloon. However, Hoken continued to be arrested for selling liquor without a license. In 1929, Hoken sold his property to Ben Wood. In 1940, Huntsville’s Carl Stokes moved the saloon upstairs from the basement and named it the Shooting Star."  (ibid) 

"There have been seven owners of the Shooting Star Saloon in the past 135 years. Leslie Sutter is the current owner. Leslie had to prove to the owners she was legit enough to buy the famous saloon by working there for two years. The Shooting Star requires a good steward of the precious historic relics kept inside."

Utah Stories

"Mounted on the wall of the Shooting Star is Buck. He was the largest measured St.Bernard in Guinness Book of World Records. He held this record for seven years. Buck weighed 298 pounds and stood 41 inches tall. He died in 1957, and has been mounted watching over the saloon ever since." (ibid) 

7350 E 200 S, Huntsville, UT 84317 - (801) 745-2002
Est. 1940 as Shooting Star, 1879 as a bar - Building constructed: c1850
Previous bars in this location: Hoken's Hole
Web site: shootingstarsaloon.co - facebook - instagram 
Ranked articles and reviews: intermountainhistories - utahstories - oldestbarineverystate - today's outdoor adventure (video) - postcard.inc - sltrib - deseret - thetvtraveler - onlyinutah - kutv - 10best.usatoday - bearsbutt - highonadventure - yelp - atlasobscura - menu.com - salt lake city weekly - wayneontheroad - tripadvisor 

#6087 - Red Star Inn, Cumberland Township (Fairdale), PA - 2/26/2025

Serb Krewasky, Red Star Inn, Fairdale, PA

Miljo “Serb” Krewasky opened his bar here on Labor Day 1965 -- almost 60 years before I first set foot in it on this day, with him still working the bar. Serb says it had been the Red Star Inn since 1938. In this case, the nickname is accurate, as Miljo ("My-low") is indeed Serbian, and has hosted a Serbian Christmas celebration each Dec 7 for decades. He told me he served in the Army infantry 1961 to '63, and when he heard them call him "Miljo" instead of "Serb," he knew he was in trouble.

There's a framed, yellowed newspaper hanging over the paint peeling from the wall, with a blaring headline: "Cumberland Twp. Plays Wilmerding for Title." "That's older than you are," says Serb, and I thought he was probably wrong, but as it was about the 1952 squads, he was correct. The local Carmichaels boys (Cumberland Township), including freshman Miljo Krewasky, made it all the way to the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) B Division Championship that year, having whipped Zelienople 40-14 for their 10th straight win. The "Mighty Mikes" would go on to nip Wilmerding 12-6 to take the title.

Serb was started out as a quarterback and later played linebacker. He is 86 now, but he's not ready to give up the bar. When he does, he says it will be to family only. His hand shakes now as he pours me a shot of Jameson. It was a beer and shot bar when it was full of coal miners, and it's a beer and shot joint today. There's still a framed photo of FDR on the back bar. 

I went from doubting this place was still open to adding it to my list of favorite dive bars in western Pennsylvania. It was an old geezer in an old bar up the road that told me about the place -- "It's even older than this one," he told me. If you're not immediately endeared to a small town working class bar that features a 70-year-old news clip about the local high school team, and with an 86-year-old alumnus pouring you a shot, well, we just have very different tastes.

334 S Vine St, Carmichaels, PA 15320 - (724) 966-9937
Est. 1938 
Articles: greenscenemagazine  

#6088 - Pancake Inn, South Strabane (Pancake), PA - 2/26/2025

Dave Crompton, Pancake Inn, South Strabane, PA

Dave Crompton, AKA "Clem Riley," dressed in a bathrobe and shorts, sat at the bar of in the joint his father bought in in 1964, when Dave was 18. Dave's worked in it ever since, along with his other profession as a bricklayer. It's been the "Pancake Inn" since sometime before that -- I found several liquor license suspensions of former owner Charles Johnson in 1963 and '64, which perhaps contributed to his motivation to sell the place?

You can't get pancakes at the Pancake Inn, nor at any other business in the Pancake, the unincorporated community established in 1822 by settler George Pancake. Before it was a bar, the Pancake Inn building served at least into the 1920s as a one-room schoolhouse, hard by the famous "National Road," originally comprised of the Native Americans' Nemacolin's Trail and Mingo Path, which was later traversed by George Washington himself on his way to erect Fort Necessity during the French and Indian War.

From aged Insulbrick interior it doesn't look like a place where you could take for granted that non-locals were welcomed, but they definitely are by Dave. He tells Dan the bartender that my first drink is on the house, and tries to do the same with my second. He enjoys chatting, generally responding with a satisfied, "Cool beans!"

The decor is just what you'd want in a classic dive -- artifacts that have plainly been collected over many years from many sources, including "Dusty," the mounted deer head, much in winsome disrepair, shabby but perfectly functional.

It's the sort of joint that I will make a point of visiting when I am in the area.

1726 E Maiden St, Washington, PA 15301 - (724) 229-0648
Est. 1963 or earlier 
Previous bars in this location: None known 
Web site: facebook 
Reviews: triblive - untappd 

#4831 - Morcilla, Pittsburgh, PA - 10/5/2022

Morcilla, Pittsburgh, PA 

Morcilla is one of our favorite restaurants in the city, and if you're not interested in random bar history notes you should stop reading now and just go there if/when you're in the Pittsburgh area.

But I did spend some time investigating the history of bars in this location and for me there were some fairly intriguing stories, even if the info was largely limited to license applications and obituaries. The first bar I could find in the space was a saloon of unknown name owned by Jacob Stein, "a great big, blonde-bearded man," who was denied a liquor license in 1889, but granted one in 1890.

Stein died later that year at age 44 "from the effects of an abscess back of his ear." His wife Anna Stein then assumed ownership of the business, though she did not work in the bar, and she nearly lost the license in 1894 as anonymous sources reported she allowed women to drink there and colored people to "collect" there. In Sep 1896 she married Frank Oesterle, who was the head bartender since 1890, and he assumed the license. Then Frank died at age 43 in August 1898, and the restaurant and liquor license are thereafter run by Fred Voelker. Anna went on to marry John George Oesterle, who died in December 1918 at the age of 30. In 1922 an Anna Oesterle, I'm not sure if it is the same one, marries Joseph F. Kaiser Jr. I do not know what became of Kaiser, but in 1924 Anna Stein/Oesterle appears to marry again, this time to Walter Zehfuss. Anna herself passes away in Dec 1925 at the age of 80.

Morcilla, Pittsburgh, PA 

Meanwhile, Fred Voelker passed away in 1906, and the liquor license is transferred to his surviving wife Annie. By March 1907 the liquor license has been assumed by Joseph Hearn. Hearn's license was challenged in 1909 when two detectives testified to seeing women drinking in the back room (another witness claimed the women were drinking pop), but he continues to run the place until at least 1917, with Benjamin Zwolski taking over by 1918. Zwolski was arrested in late 1919 (during statewide and wartime prohibition) for selling a quart of wine, and again raided Nov 1921 with a bottle of wine and quart of "moonshine whisky" confiscated.

Morcilla, Pittsburgh, PA

In 1924 Matthew Maglicich buys the saloon and raids continue, with police seizing 5 gallons of moonshine in March of 1926. Maglichich shortens his name to Maglich -- which over the few years he owns the bar will be spelled by the newspapers as Mack Maglich, Matt Maglick, Matt Maglis, Milton Nuylick, and Nattern Mazlicick. In 1928 the police raids are after not liquor but slot machines, and they seize one 5-cent and one 25-cent machine from Maglich. Maglich passes away in June 1931 (with one obituary listing his widow and children with a surname of "Maglicih."

By 1934 the space is named "Herman's Tavern," run by Herman Frankel, who came to Pittsburgh from Germany in 1902 and was a "restaurateur and hotelman here for nearly half a century" until he died Jan 25, 1940. In the early 40s the tavern is owned by Wanda Wacht, who owned a barber shop just down the street and made headline news by refusing the shakedown threatened by Mike Circelli and his "Master Barbers" Association, which threatened and demanded dues from city barber shops. Wacht's shop has a brick thrown through her front window and a stink bomb thrown in before her testimony. Also while Wacht ran the place, a truck (apparently unrelated to the Circelli affair) ran through the front wall of the bar.

In the late 40s the bar becomes Mac's Tavern, and then McGwire's Tavern until 1967. In that year Charles and Mary Jane Sullivan purchase the place and move their "Chuck's Bar" to this location, where it would remain at least into the 1980s. I have not yet tracked down what was happening in the space over the next couple decades, but in 2009 it becomes the Tamari Restaurant and Lounge, with an asian-latin fusion cuisine. Finally, in December 2015, multiple James Beard nominee chef Justin Severino and Hilary Prescott Severino opened Morcilla, eventually closing their highly regarded Cure up the street, providing a lovely setting to sample Spanish influenced tapas, a great charcuterie board, and delicious cocktails under large hanging legs of cured ham. (Bon Apetit called Severino "the most underrated chef in America" and said Morcilla "serves the best Spanish food I’ve had outside San Sebastián.")

Pittsburgh Press - June 12, 1946

3519 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201 - (412) 652-9924
Est. Dec 2015
Previous bars in this location: Herman's Tavern, Mac's Tavern, McGuire's Tavern, Chuck's Bar, Tamari
Web site: morcillapittsburgh.com - facebook - instagram 
Articles ranked: pittsburghmagazine - davethegastronome - bykimberlykong - bonappetit - discovertheburgh - theinfatuation - cbsnews - yelp - tripadvisor 

#6009 - Medieval Tavern U Krále Brabantského, Prague, Czech Republic - 12/10/2024

Medieval Tavern U Krale Brabantskeho
Prague, Czech Republic

In the city of Prague there are many great bars in cellar and cave-like spaces of the old buildings, including multiple bars that provide a "medieval" experience, often with shows. But the "original" of these is Medieval Tavern "U Krále Brabantského," or "King of Brabant," said to have been established in 1375, in the shadow of Prague Castle. From the website: 

'From 1375, when the tavern was first opened, kings and smugglers used to come here. It is said that Czech kings used secret passages from the castle to get into the tavern and get drunk to forget their problems about Czech lands. Magister Kelly and Arcimboldo, Jaroslav Hašek and Karel Čapek, Mozart and Ondřej Soukup all used to drink here.

It is said that genius W.A. Mozart wanted to compose „Velkou Ranní" during his last visit in Prague. However from unknown reasons he ended up with „Malá Noční“.

At the end of the 18th century, the owner of our tavern was some "regimentstambor" called Krügler - famous showman. He could whistle and use a wooden spoon like he was playing the drums. Or he was just telling stories to his guests.'

 

Third Eye Traveller adds:

"The name comes from Duke John I of Brabant also known as Gambrinus who is the patron saint of brewers.

There are legends that the kings of Bohemia like Wenceslas IV and Rudolf II used to come to drink here in secret with smugglers and thieves.

Famous Czech figures would also haunt these halls like Italian painter Arcimboldo and the Czech writers Jaroslav Hašek and Karel Čapek."

The shows are not for me, so I made my way in the early afternoon, for the decor, atmosphere and some traditional Czech cuisine. The sources for the founding date and descriptions came from commercial sites and traveling sites, and I wish I'd come upon some more well founded and detailed descriptions of the history of the place from someplace like historic scholars or a university. But the decor and vibe definitely live up to the reputation, and show or no show, it would be among my highest recommendations for any visitor to Prague. 

 

Thunovská 198/15, 118 00 Malá Strana, Czechia +420 602 524 725
Est. 1375 - Building constructed: 1375
Previous bars in this location: None known 
Web site: krcmabrabant.cz - facebook - instagram 
Reviews: thirdeyetraveller.com - hikeandhostelch - yelp - tripadvisor - instagram (open group) - pragueexperience.com - prague-guide.co.uk - prague.eu