The Story Of… McGillin’s Olde Ale House in Philadelphia

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen
Photos courtesy of Thomas Robert Clarke Photography, J. Fusco and McGillin’s

McGillin’s Olde Ale House is the oldest bar in Philadelphia and was founded by William “Pa” McGillin in 1860. O’Hara’s Irish Stout is a must to drink when you visit and as for food try Shepherd’s Pie, Mile High Meatloaf and Fish & Chips. Along the east wall of the first floor, behind the booths, is a collection of signs from iconic Philadelphia businesses that McGillin’s has outlived. Internationally known politicians, professional athletes, rock stars, and television and movie stars have visit McGillin’s over the years. The list is long. The bar’s long-time publicist Irene Levy Baker wrote a book about its 166-year history called “Cheers to McGillin’s, Philly Oldest Bar” which is a must read! The bar has become part of the soul of Philadelphia and an iconic American institution.

KB: Describe to the RSR readers when and by who McGillin’s Olde Ale House was founded?

William “Pa” McGillin opened the bar in 1860 – the year Lincoln was elected. He and Catherine “Ma” McGillin raised their 13 children upstairs. It was originally called the “Bell in Hand” and the original wooden sign (a hand holding a bell) hangs above the bar. Pa died in 1901 and Ma took over. On the bar’s 50th anniversary she changed the name to McGillin’s, because that’s what everyone called the bar anyway and re-did the facade. She ran the bar, even through Prohibition.

When she died, her daughter, Mercedes, and son, Michael, took over. When Michael died, Mercedes ran the bar with her nephew, who was the 3rd generation of the family to run the tavern. In 1958, the family sold the bar to Henry Spaniak & Joe Shepaniak, brothers who spelled their last name differently when they Americanized it. Henry & Joe ran the bar until 1993, when they sold it to their daughter and son-in-law, Mary Ellen & Chris Mullins, Sr. They still run the bar today, with their son, Christopher Mullins, Jr. (who is Henry’s grandson and the 3rd generation of his family to run the bar).

KB: What is a drink that people must try at McGillin’s?

O’Hara’s Irish Stout. Some people lament that the bar doesn’t serve Guinness. But, that’s probably because they’ve never tried O’Hara’s Irish Stout, which is the only stout made exclusively in Ireland of Irish grains and water. It’s made by two brothers in County Carlow. Other than Irish Stout, we specialize in local, craft beers including three house beers made by Troeg’s and only available at McGillin’s.

KB: What dish on the menu people must try?

Shepherd’s Pie, Mile High Meatloaf, Fish & Chips. The recipes are in our new book, “Cheers to McGillin’s: Philly’s Oldest Tavern” along with tales about our colorful history, romances, ghosts, and how we survived the Civil War, two world wars, two pandemics, a fire and even Prohibition. Check it out on the website.

KB: There are signs of closed stores in McGillin’s collection. Can you mention a few?

Along the east wall of the first floor, behind the booths, is a collection of signs from iconic Philadelphia businesses that McGillin’s has outlived: Lit Brothers, CoreStates, Schmidt’s, Gimbels, Snellenburg’s, the F. W. Woolworth Company, Macy’s, and more.

In 1961, John Wanamaker opened the first department store in the United States. When Wanamaker’s closed in 1995, an original logo patterned after John Wanamaker’s signature became part of the collection at McGillin’s, thanks to John Connors from Brickstone Realty, a good friend and customer. The sign from Strawbridge & Clothier hangs in the tavern as well. That department store was founded in 1868, and when it closed in 2005, the sales clerks held the wake at McGillin’s. Francis R. Strawbridge III, continued to stop by until his death in 2024.

While the Mullins family cherishes the collection, they are in no hurry to acquire any additional signs, as that would mean a local business had met its demise.

KB: Every liquor license since 1871 hangs on the wall at McGillin’s. Whose idea was it to do this?

Guessing that maybe William “Pa” McGillin did, since he owned the bar back then.

KB: Which famous people have visited over the years?

Many celebrities have bent an elbow at McGillin’s—including internationally known politicians, professional athletes, rock stars, and television and movie stars. Here’s a list of some of the most surprising and best-known celebs who have visited:

Stage and Screen: Actors, Actresses, Producers, Playwrights, Screenwriters:
Aziz Ansari
Ethel and John Barrymore
Tony Danza
Kim Delaney
Alice Faye
Will Ferrell
Malachy McCourt
Howard McGillin
Ethel Merman
David Merrick
Kate Mulgrew
Ty Pennington
Robert Picardo
Vincent Price
Will Rogers
Robin Williams
Tennessee Williams

TV Anchors, Journalists, and Sports Commentators:
Chris Berman and Joe Jackson, ESPN
Ed Bradley
Tom Brokaw
Mika Brzezinski
Brent Celek
Ronan Farrow
Francis FitzGerald
Willie Geist
Kasie Hunt
Chris Jansing
Chris Matthews
Andrea Mitchell
Joe Scarborough

Professional Athletes:
Pat Burrell, baseball
Steve Carlton, baseball
Brent Celek, football
Wilt Chamberlain, basketball
Ron Darling, baseball
Darren Daulton, baseball
Joe Frazier, boxer
Scott Hartnell, hockey
Ryan Howard, baseball
Nikola “The Joker” Jokić, basketball
Jason Kelce, beloved retired Philadelphia Eagle/football
Joffrey Lupul, hockey
Frank Edwin “Tug” McGraw, baseball
Donovan McNabb, football
Scottie Upshall, hockey
Chase Utley, baseball
Mitch “The Wild Thing” Williams, baseball
Athletes from the Flyers, Sixers, Eagles, and Phillies

Philadelphia Mayors:
James Tate, 1962–1972
Frank Rizzo, 1972–1980
William “Bill” Green III, 1980–1984

Edward G. Rendell, 1992–2000 (afterward Pennsylvania
Governor) – wrote a forward for our book!

Michael Nutter, 2008–2016
Jim Kenney, 2016–2024

Politicians: International, National, Local:
Gerry Adams
Madeleine Albright
Joe Biden (then Vice President)
Jerry Buttimer
William J. Green, Jr.
Kamala Harris (then Attorney General of California)
Thacher Longstreth

Singers, Musicians, and Dancers:
Frank Bello, Anthrax
Zach Bryan
Nick Carter
Billy Daniels
Geoff Downes, Yes
Michael Flatley
The Foo Fighters
Keith Harkin, Celtic Thunder
Phil Kates, Philadelphia Orchestra
Kerry King, Slayer
Zach Lamprey
Mick Moloney
Eugene O’Donnell
David Paich, Toto
Phish
The Scorpions
Alan White, Yes
Simon Willescroft

Famous Philadelphians:
Jerry “The Geator” Blavat
Ron Castille
Francis Strawbridge
John Wanamaker

Famous Chefs and TV Personalities:
Chef Robert Irvine
Bam Magera and Ryan Dunn
Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro

Other Famous Visitors
Thomas Eakins, artist
John Sloan, artist
Carol and Ed Stoudt, brewers
Charlie Welch, “Pepperidge Farm Man”
Ed and Carol Stoudt.

KB: Why should people read your book “Cheers to McGillin’s, Philly’s Oldest Bar”?

Who doesn’t love a good bar story? This one is full of colorful history, trials and tribulations, recipes, historic and contemporary pictures and more.

KB: Describe to the RSR readers what they can expect on a visit to McGillin’s?

When first-time guests turn onto Drury Lane and spot the unexpected glow of McGillin’s red neon sign and then the charming exterior with its seasonal flags, overflowing window boxes, and other greenery, they often feel as if they’ve stumbled upon a hidden gem. The sign’s glow is like a beacon, inviting them into the historic bar.

Behind the heavy double doors, McGillin’s is a classic English-looking pub with a beamed ceiling, tall windows, dark paneling, a working fireplace, and the original red tile floor.

The focal point of the bar is its brick fireplace. In the old days it was used to roast the free potatoes. Now the seats nearby are considered some of the best in the house, especially during snowstorms.

The decor is a virtual walk through Philadelphia’s past and present:

Liquor licenses dating back to 1871 hang above the bar. The original sign—a wooden hand holding a bell representing the original name of the tavern, Bell in Hand—hangs above the bar. A famous sign states that “Gentlemen will please avoid all political and religious discussion. Loud talking and singing strictly forbidden.” Ma and Pa McGillin enforced this rule, but no one pays attention to it today.

Hanging throughout the first and second floors and along the staircase are photos of celebrities who have visited over the years, including professional athletes, actors and actresses, rock stars, politicians from the United States and abroad, and regulars who made a name for themselves at Philly’s oldest bar.

Over the years, some guests surreptitiously hung their own photos along the staircase. They thought that, with so many other images on the walls, no one would ever notice. The family did notice—but left the pictures up anyway, taking them as a sign that guests felt at home at the bar.

Throughout the bar, but mostly on the staircase, are historic photos, such as Ma and Pa McGillin posing with their family, the Spaniak/Shepaniak brothers, the Mullins family, and photos of past eras at McGillin’s and in Philadelphia. Plus old menus, university pennants, breweriana, old newspaper articles and much, much more.

KB: Why should people visit McGillin’s?

After more than a century and a half, McGillin’s has continued to receive accolades, including being named one of the 8 most authentic Irish pubs in the USA by USA Today, being featured on national morning shows, CNN, Al Jazeera, and MSNBC’s Morning Joe, and it was even a clue in a New York Times crossword puzzle.

But we don’t rest on our laurels, we work hard every day to make guests feel welcome. McGillin’s is a popular hangout for all ages, races, sexual orientations, blue and white collar workers, students and retirees, from around the world. McGillin’s is beloved by locals and tourists and especially the Irish community. Whether guests visit as part of tradition or family lore; whether they are looking for great times on a Saturday night, or a hearty meal on their lunch break, or whether they are looking for their soulmate or for the bar they spotted on social media or TV – they always have high expectations. We strive to be just as extraordinary as the last time a local visited and to live up to the hype for a first timer.

More couples have met at McGillin’s than anywhere else in Philadelphia and the tavern is an annual anniversary destination for hundreds of couples who have met there, with their children and grandchildren.

Over the years, the historic bar has been owned by only two families: the McGillins, who raised their thirteen children upstairs and passed the bar down through three generations and the current owners, who have run the bar for three generations.

Both families have set the bar high. They have dedicated every waking hour to being the best, to making memories, and to keeping the bar’s 166 year history alive. And through it all, the bar has become part of the soul of Philadelphia and an iconic American institution.

For more info, check out McGillin’s Olde Ale House’s website: HERE

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