Astoria, Bars
Dec 24, 2014

Old Watering Holes – Who Has the Oldest Liquor License in Astoria

A post over at I Quant NY caught my eye—The “Oldest” Place to get a Drink in Each and Every Neighborhood. No way could I not check it out and (…)

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Photo credit: Kelly’s Bar

A post over at I Quant NY caught my eye—The “Oldest” Place to get a Drink in Each and Every Neighborhood. No way could I not check it out and at first glance, it was fascinating to see what is considered old—well, at least old as far as liquor licenses on record (date range is 1964-2014). I Quant NY makes this statement to clarify:

Note that this does not mean these are in fact the oldest bars or restaurants, but rather the oldest with a single continuous liquor license and a proper start date on record. Unfortunately, that is the best we can do with this data.

For purposes of this project Astoria is split into “Astoria” and “Ditmars Steinway.” In Astoria, the oldest liquor license belongs to one of the neighborhood’s most beloved dive bars, Kelly’s Bar (1958) at 31-04 Crescent. Also divey and under the radar is O’Hanlon’s (1972) at 22-57 31st Street in the Ditmars-Steinway area of Astoria. In LIC, the Waterfront Crab House at 2-03 Borden Avenue has the oldest liquor license (1978).

Of course, there are older spots to get a drink in Astoria, like the Beer Garden. Pretty interesting stuff, nonetheless. Here’s the full map:

The “Oldest” Place to get a Drink in Each and Every Neighborhood [I Quant NY]

About Meg Cotner

Meg Cotner was trained as a harpsichordist and now works as a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of "Food Lovers' Guide to Queens," and is a skilled and avid home cook, baker, and preserver.

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