The American hotel bar at its best is a specific kind of place — a preserved interior, a long bar with a brass rail, a bartender who has worked the same shift for two decades, and a clientele that has been arriving for over a century. The country contains approximately thirty hotel bars meeting these criteria, scattered across the major cities and a few smaller historic destinations. The bars survived two World Wars, Prohibition (1920-1933), the Great Depression, the post-1970s decline of urban hotel culture, and the 2008-2010 financial crisis. They remain operational in 2026, often serving cocktails using recipes documented in their original 19th or early 20th century opening years. Here are fifteen historic American hotel bars worth visiting at least once — with the specific year each one opened, the signature cocktail or feature at each, and the specific reason each one is worth the trip.
1. The King Cole Bar at the St. Regis (New York, 1932)
The King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel in midtown Manhattan opened in 1932, anchored by the Maxfield Parrish “Old King Cole” mural that gave the bar its name. The painting was completed in 1906 for the original Knickerbocker Hotel and moved to the St. Regis in 1932. The bar is the original home of the Bloody Mary, invented (per St. Regis’s account) by bartender Fernand Petiot in 1934, who renamed the Parisian “Bucket of Blood” cocktail to fit the St. Regis’s more genteel clientele. The bar remains operational in 2026 with limited reservation availability and a strict dress code.
2. The Round Robin Bar at the Willard InterContinental (Washington D.C., 1850)
The Round Robin Bar at the Willard Hotel, located two blocks from the White House, has operated continuously since 1850 — making it one of the oldest continuously operating hotel bars in the United States. The bar is reportedly the origin of the term “lobbyist” (Ulysses S. Grant used the lobby for evening cigars and was approached by petitioners — the term “lobbyists” was coined to describe them). Henry Clay reportedly introduced the Mint Julep to Washington at the Round Robin in the 1850s. The bar remains operational with a clientele heavy on Washington political-class regulars.
3. The Oak Bar at the Plaza Hotel (New York, 1907)
The Oak Bar at the Plaza Hotel on Central Park South opened with the hotel itself in 1907. The bar features the original carved-oak paneling, the gold-leaf ceiling, and the murals depicting Central Park scenes by Everett Shinn. The bar has appeared in dozens of films including “North by Northwest” (1959), “The Way We Were” (1973), and “Crocodile Dundee” (1986). The Oak Bar has closed and reopened multiple times during the Plaza’s ownership transitions but remains operational in 2026 under the current Sahara India Pariwar ownership.
4. The Pfister Hotel Lobby Bar (Milwaukee, 1893)
The Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee opened in 1893 and contains one of the most intact Victorian-era hotel bar interiors in the United States. The lobby bar features the original Mason and Rixie hand-painted murals, the ornate Victorian woodwork, and the original 35-foot-long bar carved from a single piece of Honduran mahogany. The bar is widely regarded by hotel historians as the most-intact Gilded Age hotel interior in the American Midwest. The Pfister remains operational under Marcus Hotels ownership.
5. The Hay-Adams Off the Record (Washington D.C., 1928)
The Hay-Adams Hotel directly across Lafayette Park from the White House opened in 1928. The hotel’s basement bar, named “Off the Record,” is a legendary Washington political haunt where journalists and political operatives meet under an informal understanding that conversations are not for publication. The bar features the original 1928 wood paneling, custom-commissioned political caricatures of presidential figures, and a bartender corps that has operated under strict confidentiality protocols for decades. The Off the Record remains operational with limited public reservation availability.
6. The Buena Vista Cafe (San Francisco, 1916)
The Buena Vista Cafe at the foot of San Francisco’s Hyde Street cable car line is famously the American originator of Irish Coffee, served from a continuously operating pour line that produces hundreds of glasses daily. The cocktail was introduced to the Buena Vista in 1952 by owner Jack Koeppler and travel writer Stanton Delaplane, who recreated a drink they had tasted at Shannon Airport in Ireland. The Buena Vista is not strictly a hotel bar — it’s a stand-alone establishment — but is the most famous Irish Coffee origin in American bar history and remains operational in 2026.
7. The Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel (New York, 1947)
Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side opened in 1947. The walls are painted with murals by Ludwig Bemelmans, creator of the “Madeline” children’s book series, who painted the murals in exchange for 18 months of free lodging for his family. The murals depict Central Park scenes featuring whimsical animals. The bar features live cabaret jazz piano nightly. The dress code is enforced. Reservations are essentially required. The bar has been a Manhattan institution for nearly 80 years.
8. The Hotel Monteleone Carousel Bar (New Orleans, 1949)
The Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter of New Orleans opened in 1949 and features a literally rotating bar — the central bar surface revolves slowly (approximately one revolution per 15 minutes) with seated patrons drifting past the surrounding lounge. The mechanical concept has not been replicated at any other major American hotel bar. The bar features prominently in New Orleans’s literary history — Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, and Truman Capote all drank there. The Monteleone remains operational with the carousel mechanism preserved and functioning.
9. The Algonquin Hotel Round Table Room (New York, 1902)
The Algonquin Hotel in midtown Manhattan opened in 1902 and is famous as the home of the Algonquin Round Table — the daily lunch gathering of New York literary figures (Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Alexander Woollcott, George S. Kaufman, others) that ran from 1919 to 1929. The hotel’s bar and dining room remain functional. The signature cocktail is “The Algonquin,” combining rye whiskey, pineapple juice, and dry vermouth. The hotel has maintained a resident cat in the lobby since 1932 — currently Hamlet VIII. The Algonquin remains operational in 2026.
10. The Cigar Bar at the Driskill Hotel (Austin, 1886)
The Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin opened in 1886 and contains one of the most-intact 19th-century hotel interiors in the American Southwest. The hotel bar features cattleman-baron-era oil paintings, mounted longhorns, and the original wood paneling. Lyndon Johnson conducted significant 1960s political business at the Driskill. The hotel was acquired by Hyatt in 2013 and renovated to preserve the original 1886 elements. The Cigar Bar remains operational with a strong Texas political-class clientele.
11. The Brown Hotel English Grill and Lobby Bar (Louisville, 1923)
The Brown Hotel in downtown Louisville opened in 1923 and is the home of the original Hot Brown — an open-faced turkey sandwich with Mornay sauce and bacon, invented by Brown Hotel chef Fred Schmidt in 1926. The lobby bar features the original Florentine carved ceiling and travertine floors. The Brown is one of the most-intact 1920s-era hotel interiors in the American South and remains operational with a strong Kentucky bourbon program. The bar regularly hosts Kentucky Derby week events.
12. The Top of the Mark (San Francisco, 1939)
The Top of the Mark at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel on Nob Hill opened in 1939 as the world’s first 19th-floor rooftop bar. The bar offers 360-degree views of San Francisco and the Bay. World War II GIs who shipped out from San Francisco to the Pacific Theater established a tradition of having a final cocktail at the Top of the Mark before boarding their transport ships — a tradition documented in numerous memoirs. The bar remains operational with the original 1939 floor plan substantially intact.
13. The Bar at the Hotel del Coronado (Coronado, 1888)
The Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island, San Diego, opened in 1888 and is the largest wooden Victorian beach resort in the United States. The hotel’s Babcock & Story Bar (named after the original founders) features the original 1888 mahogany bar, Victorian woodwork, and ocean views from the front porch. The bar appeared in “Some Like It Hot” (1959). The Del has hosted 14 U.S. presidents. The bar remains operational with substantial Victorian-era preservation.
14. The Skylight Room at the Stafford Hotel (Baltimore, 1894)
The Belvedere Hotel in downtown Baltimore opened in 1903 and contains the famous Owl Bar — a Gothic-revival barroom with the original 1903 wood paneling, original carved owl figures throughout, and Prohibition-era hidden alcohol storage that is still partially intact. The bar has operated continuously since opening (with limited modifications during Prohibition). The hotel has changed ownership multiple times but the Owl Bar interior is substantially intact. The bar remains operational in 2026.
15. The Lobby Bar at the Mayflower Hotel (Washington D.C., 1925)
The Mayflower Hotel in downtown Washington D.C. opened in 1925 and was the site of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s pre-inauguration cocktail in March 1933, where FDR reportedly drafted parts of his “Nothing to fear but fear itself” inaugural address. The lobby bar features the original 1925 marble columns, the gilded ceiling, and the original Federal-era furniture. The hotel hosted Inaugural Balls for nine presidents. The Mayflower bar remains operational in 2026 with substantial preservation of the original Roaring Twenties interior elements.
