The Most Famous Bars Featured in Films

Open since 1854 and among the oldest bars in New York, McSorley's has appeared in or been referenced in dozens of films and plays over the decades. The sawdust floor, the wishbones hanging above the bar (placed by soldiers heading to WWI who never returned), and the policy of serving only two drinks — light ale and dark ale — make it one of the most photogenic and atmospheric bars in the city.

Order: Two light ales. They come in pairs and there is nothing else on the menu.

The original Prohibition-era speakeasy at 86 Bedford Street in the West Village — source of the expression "86'd," meaning thrown out — has been immortalized in multiple films as the archetypal hidden bar. The entrance through an unmarked door, the low ceilings, and the walls covered in first-edition book jackets from the writers who drank here create a room that does not need a screenplay to feel cinematic.

Order: The Chumley's Sour — rye whiskey, lemon, honey, egg white. A classic that suits the room.

The Algonquin's bar has served as a film location and a reference point for countless scripts, most drawing on the hotel's history as home to the Round Table — Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, and the sharpest tongues in 1920s New York. The resident cat (always named Matilda) still occupies the lobby. The cocktail menu has always been better than a literary hotel bar needs to be.

Order: The Dorothy Parker cocktail — gin, hibiscus liqueur, lemon, egg white. Named correctly.

Harry's New York Bar at 5 Rue Daunou has appeared in or been referenced in more films set in Paris than any other real bar. The Bloody Mary was invented here in 1921, the French 75 cocktail gets its name from a French artillery gun and was popularized here during WWI, and Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Gershwin all drank at the mahogany bar. The bar is unchanged and the drinks are made correctly.

Order: A Bloody Mary, made the original way — vodka, tomato juice, and the house spice mix.

The Daiquiri was refined and popularized at El Floridita, where Hemingway's custom order — double rum, no sugar, extra lime — became the Papa Doble. The bronze statue of Hemingway at his corner of the bar is accurate to his actual position. The bar has appeared in films, documentaries, and photographs that shaped how the world imagines Cuba. The Daiquiri here is still the benchmark.

Order: A Floridita Daiquiri — frozen, light rum, maraschino, grapefruit juice. The house version, not the Papa Doble, unless you are committed.

The American Bar at the Savoy has provided the location or inspiration for scenes in more films than any other London bar. Ada Coleman, head bartender from 1903 to 1926, invented the Hanky Panky here. The room faces the Thames and the cocktail list reads like a history of the twentieth century's most important drinks. The standard has not dropped in over a century.

Order: The Hanky Panky — gin, sweet vermouth, Fernet-Branca. Ada Coleman's invention and her best.

Open since 1919, Musso and Frank Grill is the oldest restaurant in Hollywood and the bar where Raymond Chandler wrote, Hemingway drank, and half the films set in Golden Age Hollywood were plotted out. The red leather booths, the flannel-jacketed bartenders, and the Martinis — made with proper proportions and served ice-cold — are exactly as they were. It appears in films as a shorthand for a certain kind of Los Angeles gravity.

Order: A Martini, gin, very cold. The bartenders here know exactly what they are doing.

The Dresden became famous internationally when it appeared in Swingers (1996) as the bar where Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau attempt to pick up women while Marty and Elayne play the lounge. Marty and Elayne Roberts have been the house entertainment since 1982, playing Tuesday through Saturday. The room has not changed and Marty still plays his keyboard. This is a genuine Los Angeles time capsule.

Order: A Blood and Sand — Scotch, cherry brandy, sweet vermouth, orange juice. The house cocktail since the 1980s.

Next door to City Lights bookstore in North Beach, Vesuvio has appeared in documentaries, biopics, and countercultural films as the ur-bar of the Beat Generation. Kerouac drank here. Ginsberg read nearby. The stained glass windows, the two-floor layout, and the neighbourhood remain essentially unchanged from the 1950s. The city has changed around it and Vesuvio has absorbed none of those changes.

Order: A Jack Kerouac — rum, tequila, orange juice, cranberry. The house cocktail named for the bar's most famous patron.