East Village Irish Pub McSorley’s Reopens After Longest Closure in 166 Years

McSorley’s Old Ale House is back open for takeout this week

Historic East Village ale house McSorley’s has reopened for business after the longest closure in the bar’s 166-year history. The legendary Irish pub, one of New York City’s oldest, is back for takeout food and drink orders this week and next, the bar’s owners shared in a Facebook post on Friday. “Everyone at McSorley’s wants to get back to work and who are we to stop them,” the owners say. The bar will be open from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. daily for the next two weeks.

Ahead of reopening, the owners say that they have installed hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the bar — “even though they don’t match the ancient wood,” according to the owners — while the pub’s dark ales are being served out of 12-ounce plastic cups and growlers as a takeout-only option. The reopened McSorley’s may look a bit different from the bar that East Village revelers frequented in pre-pandemic times, but the owners say that all of the bar’s hits will eventually return. For now, hamburgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches make up the bar’s food menu, while light and dark ales are all that’s available on draft.

The East Village institution temporarily closed its doors on March 17, a week after Governor Andrew Cuomo officially postponed the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19. The holiday — and the events surrounding it — are typically among the biggest moneymakers of the year for Irish pubs in New York City. The two months since mark the longest closure in the bar’s 166-year run, according to the owners.

In other news

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— Manhattan beer favorite Torch and Crown has teamed up with Harlem’s Super Nice Coffee and Bakery on a new doughnut and beer bundle. The $65 package includes four tall-boy beers and half-a-dozen doughnuts. Order online for deliveries this Thursday, May 28.

— Downtown Brooklyn’s famed steakhouse Gage and Tollner has seen an outpouring of community support after its highly-anticipated comeback was postponed by coronavirus.

— Brooklyn piemaker Pels Pie Company is taking orders for pick-up and delivery every Saturday from 9 p.m. to 5 p.m. Order at the bakery’s website or by texting owner Allison Pels at 917-562-9604 by 10 p.m. on Thursday. Leftover pies can also be purchased at the bakery on Saturday.

— Fast-casual Lower East Side Vietnamese restaurant Ginger & Lemongrass has been the victim of theft for the second time in two months, Bowery Boogie reports.

— Packs of New York rats that normally subsist on restaurant scraps are now seeking out other food sources more aggressively, the CDC warned on Thursday.

— Customers at Bed-Stuy’s popular rotisserie chicken spot, the Fly, are still serving up looks, despite only getting served takeout.

— Vending machines selling face masks are beginning to pop up across the city, starting on the Lower East Side.

— Us this Memorial Day weekend: