Dante in Greenwich Village
Dante in Greenwich Village by Steve Freihon

The restaurants that our grandparents told us about are getting replaced weekly. The last automats in New York have long since closed down. And naturally, many New Yorkers are worrying for their city. Our suggestion? Go dine at some of the most iconic New York restaurants before they’re replaced. Or go with faith that they won’t be replaced; after all, they’ve withstood the test of time so far. With the help of Mitch Broder’s book, Discovering Vintage New York, we’ve compiled some of our favorite iconic, vintage discoveries.

1. McSorley’s (est. supposedly 1854)

McSorley's Old Ale House

Standing inconspicuously at 15 E. 7th Street, McSorley’s Old Ale House offers two drinks: McSorley’s Dark Ale and McSorley’s Light Ale. Despite their lack of variety, or perhaps because of it, the bar has thrived throughout the years, managing to keep fairly low prices.

Collectibles line the walls, some of them there since 1910. Wishbones hang from above placed there by neighborhood boys who went to war and did not make it back. Though the ale house is declared to go back to the year 1854, records deem it impossible. Whatever the year the establishment came to be, they have some of the oldest urinals, dating back to 1911.