The short answer

At least 43 of the 50 “oldest bar” establishments in our survey were founded before national Prohibition began in January 1920 and are still open today — so each one endured the dry era in some form. Common strategies were pivoting to food and legal “near beer,” operating a grocery or restaurant up front, running a quiet back-room speakeasy, or simply keeping the business alive until repeal on December 5, 1933.

National Prohibition — the ban on manufacturing, selling, and transporting alcohol under the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act — took effect on January 17, 1920 and lasted until repeal by the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933: nearly fourteen dry years. For a bar, staying alive meant finding a legal (or quietly illegal) way to keep the lights on without selling a legal drink.

How old bars survived Prohibition

The survivors in our survey used a familiar set of strategies:

  • Pivot to food and “near beer.” Many taverns became restaurants, cafés, or lunch counters, serving legal sub-0.5% “near beer,” soft drinks, and meals until repeal.
  • Run a second business up front. Groceries, cigar counters, soda fountains, and boarding houses kept the doors open and the rent paid.
  • Serve quietly in back. Some operated as speakeasies — back rooms and basements where regulars still found a drink, at real legal risk.
  • Simply wait. A few closed the bar but kept the building and the business identity, reopening the moment repeal came.

The numbers

Of the 50 bars featured in our survey, 43 were founded before 1920 and are still open today — meaning each one lived through Prohibition in some form. Below are the establishments whose recorded histories specifically document a Prohibition-era chapter.

For the full account of how each one made it through, follow the link to its profile.

Key takeaways

  • National Prohibition ran from January 17, 1920 to December 5, 1933 — nearly fourteen years.
  • 43 of the 50 featured bars predate 1920 and still operate, so each survived Prohibition in some form.
  • The most common survival strategies were pivoting to food and “near beer,” running a second legal business, and quiet back-room (speakeasy) service.
  • A bar is generally still counted as “continuously operating” if the business survived Prohibition, even if legal alcohol service paused.

Frequently asked questions

Did any bars stay open during Prohibition?

Yes. Many survived by becoming restaurants or cafés, selling legal sub-0.5% “near beer” and soft drinks, running a second business such as a grocery, or operating quietly as speakeasies. Others closed the bar but kept the building and reopened at repeal.

How long did Prohibition last?

National Prohibition under the 18th Amendment and Volstead Act lasted from January 17, 1920 until it was repealed by the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933 — almost fourteen years.

Does closing during Prohibition disqualify a bar from being the oldest?

By common convention, no. Because Prohibition forced nearly every American bar to stop selling alcohol, most historians count a bar as continuously operating if the business itself survived the dry years, and note the interruption rather than disqualify for it.

Sources & further reading

  1. 1. National Constitution Center — The 18th and 21st Amendments
  2. 2. Imperial Bar and Grill — Alaska's Oldest Bar (official site, history page)
  3. 3. Ohio Club — Encyclopedia of Arkansas
  4. 4. Griswold Inn celebrates 250 years as one of America's oldest continuously operated inns - WFSB (April 2026)
  5. 5. Visit Florida — The Palace Saloon of Fernandina Beach: The Oldest Bar in Florida

Related reading

GuideWhat “Continuously Operating” Really Means State ProfileOld Absinthe House, Louisiana State ProfileScholz Garten, Texas

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