Formerly: The Bell in Hand Tavern (1860–1910)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Founded 1860
A Philadelphia tavern opened in 1860 as The Bell in Hand, still run by the Spaniak-Mullin family and known for its Prohibition survival story.
McGillin's Olde Ale House began in 1860 when Irish immigrants William and Catherine McGillin opened The Bell in Hand Tavern on Drury Street in Philadelphia. Regulars soon called it McGillin's, and the tavern formally adopted the McGillin's Olde Ale House name in 1910. It survived Prohibition by operating food and ice-cream service downstairs while its second-floor "tea" room reportedly served bootleg liquor.
Irish immigrants William "Pa" McGillin and Catherine "Ma" McGillin opened The Bell in Hand Tavern on Drury Street in Philadelphia.
Source: 6abc, "Art of Aging: 165-year-old McGillin's Olde Ale House run by generations of same family since 1958," January 29, 2026; National Trust for Historic Preservation, "McGillin's Olde Ale House in Philadelphia," November 17, 2016
William McGillin died, and Catherine McGillin continued operating the tavern.
Source: McGillin's Olde Ale House, "History"; National Trust for Historic Preservation, "McGillin's Olde Ale House in Philadelphia," November 17, 2016
The tavern celebrated its 50th anniversary with a new brick façade and officially adopted the McGillin's Olde Ale House name.
Source: McGillin's Olde Ale House, "History"; National Trust for Historic Preservation, "McGillin's Olde Ale House in Philadelphia," November 17, 2016
During Prohibition, Catherine McGillin hired a chef and kept the business going with food and ice cream on the first floor; historical accounts say bootleg liquor was served as "tea" upstairs.
Source: McGillin's Olde Ale House, "History"; National Trust for Historic Preservation, "McGillin's Olde Ale House in Philadelphia," November 17, 2016
Catherine McGillin died, and management passed to her daughter Mercedes McGillin Hooper.
Source: McGillin's Olde Ale House, "History"; National Trust for Historic Preservation, "McGillin's Olde Ale House in Philadelphia," November 17, 2016
Brothers Henry Spaniak and Joseph Shepaniak bought McGillin's from the McGillin family, beginning the current family ownership era.
Source: 6abc, "Art of Aging: 165-year-old McGillin's Olde Ale House run by generations of same family since 1958," January 29, 2026; McGillin's Olde Ale House, "History"
6abc reported that co-owner and manager Chris Mullins Sr. and his son Christopher were running the tavern as the third generation of the Spaniak-Mullin family to do so.
Source: 6abc, "Art of Aging: 165-year-old McGillin's Olde Ale House run by generations of same family since 1958," January 29, 2026
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Visit Philadelphia, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 6abc, and McGillin's itself identify the tavern as Philadelphia's oldest continuously operating pub or tavern, with a documented 1860 opening. The claim is exceptionally well supported by public-history and current-operation sources, but this review did not inspect a full historic-license chain or complete a direct comparison with every Philadelphia competitor under a consistent continuity definition.
National Trust reporting says the tavern displays liquor licenses beginning in 1871, the year construction began on Philadelphia City Hall. The collection is not an unbroken set from 1860 because Prohibition-era licenses are absent.
The well-known license display begins in 1871, not 1860, and historical accounts note that the Prohibition period is not represented. The candidate's claim of every federal, state, and local license since opening is too broad and inaccurate.
The official McGillin's history and National Trust preservation reporting describe Catherine McGillin hiring a chef, serving food and ice cream downstairs, and offering "tea"—described as bootleg liquor—on the second floor during Prohibition. This documents the business's own well-established Prohibition survival narrative, although the illicit-serving details are inherently less likely to have formal licensing documentation.
The McGillin family operated the tavern from 1860 until Mercedes McGillin Hooper sold it in 1958. 6abc and the tavern's own history identify the Spaniak-Mullin family as the second ownership family, now in its third generation of operation.
McGillin's displays every liquor license issued to the tavern since 1860.
The tavern displays a historic license collection dating from 1871. National Trust reporting and local history accounts note that the Prohibition years are not represented, so the display is not an unbroken set from 1860 onward.
Source: National Trust for Historic Preservation, "McGillin's Olde Ale House in Philadelphia," November 17, 2016; Scoundrel's Field Guide, "McGillin's Olde Ale House — Philadelphia"
McGillin's was sold in 1958 to Henry Spaniak and Joe Feeney.
The McGillin family sold the tavern in 1958 to brothers Henry Spaniak and Joseph Shepaniak, whose surnames were spelled differently. Their family descendants continue to run the business.
Source: 6abc, "Art of Aging: 165-year-old McGillin's Olde Ale House run by generations of same family since 1958," January 29, 2026; McGillin's Olde Ale House, "History"
The current McGillin's building dates to circa 1855 and preserves its original 1860 wooden floor and bar fabric.
This review did not locate a reliable building-history source establishing a circa-1855 construction date or identifying the original surviving interior fabric. One local historical account says William McGillin replaced the original wooden floor with tile before his death in 1901.
Source: Scoundrel's Field Guide, "McGillin's Olde Ale House — Philadelphia"
McGillin's Olde Ale House is definitively Philadelphia's oldest continuously operating tavern.
The claim is widely and credibly repeated by Philadelphia tourism, preservation, media, and the business itself, but this review did not inspect the full historic-license record or complete a direct citywide competitor comparison. It remains plausible but unresolved in this register.
Source: Visit Philadelphia, "McGillin's Olde Ale House"; National Trust for Historic Preservation, "McGillin's Olde Ale House in Philadelphia," November 17, 2016
McGillin's survived by retaining its role as a high-energy, affordable neighborhood tavern while preserving a remarkably legible family story. The McGillins raised 13 children above the bar and ran it through three generations; the Spaniak-Mullin family bought it in 1958 and has now operated it through three more. Its appeal is not just age: the license wall, dense beer history, downtown alley location, food service, and family continuity give the place a public identity that adapts without becoming generic.
McGillin's Olde Ale House opened in Philadelphia in 1860 when William and Catherine McGillin founded The Bell in Hand Tavern on Drury Street. Regulars called it McGillin's, and the tavern formally adopted McGillin's Olde Ale House as its name in 1910. The business survived Prohibition through food and ice-cream service downstairs and a reported second-floor "tea" room, then passed from the McGillin family to the Spaniak-Mullin family in 1958.
McGillin's Olde Ale House is widely recognized by Visit Philadelphia, National Trust for Historic Preservation, the tavern itself, and local reporting as Philadelphia's oldest continuously operating tavern, dating to 1860. This register rates the exact citywide title plausible rather than fully resolved because it has not yet reviewed a complete liquor-license chronology and every competing Philadelphia tavern under the same continuity standard. Its 1860 origin and long family operation are well supported.
McGillin's Olde Ale House was originally called The Bell in Hand Tavern. William and Catherine McGillin opened it under that name in 1860, and customers commonly called it McGillin's before the business formally adopted McGillin's Olde Ale House in 1910.
McGillin's historical account says Catherine McGillin hired a chef during Prohibition and operated food and ice-cream service on the first floor. The same history says patrons were discreetly served bootleg liquor as "tea" on the second floor. That account documents the tavern's longstanding Prohibition survival story, not a legal liquor-service operation during the ban.
No. McGillin's is known for displaying historic liquor licenses, but National Trust reporting says the wall collection begins in 1871, not 1860. The Prohibition years are not represented, so it is not a complete unbroken display of every license issued since the tavern opened.
1310 Drury St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 735-5562
McGillin's is on Drury Street, an alley between Chestnut and Sansom Streets in Center City. The tavern is generally first-come, first-served; confirm current daily hours, kitchen service, reservations policy, accessibility, and seasonal schedule directly before visiting.