If you want to drink whiskey in a landmark New York bar, few are better to find yourself at than the Ear Inn, located in SoHo a stone’s throw from the Hudson and a drinking destination for over 200 years (probably).

The story starts back in 1817 when the building housing the Ear Inn was originally built. The story goes that it was constructed by a black Revolutionary War veteran named James Brown who opened a bar on the ground floor. We’re not sure if he really opened a bar at that time, but we do know that when he sold it to a man named Thomas Cloke in 1933, a tavern was finally opened here.

At the time, the building was right next to the river (urban development has since filled in the river so that it’s now about a block away), and riverboats would often lash up to it so their captain and crew could get some refreshment.

Cloke had a brewery and distillery in the basement while the top floors were used for…other sorts of recreation (we’ll leave it at that).

The pub stayed relatively the same for the remainder of the 19th and even through most of the 20th century. As a riverfront, the neighborhood, and most likely the Ear Inn, was a dangerous place, filled with pirates and thieves. Then the area went through industrialization and was a hub of manufacturing right up through the 1950s when most of the commercial enterprises finally moved out. At this point, the area was pretty unsafe with blocks and blocks of urban decay.

But in the 1970s, artists began moving into SoHo and converting the abandoned industrial buildings into lofts and galleries. Little by little, the neighborhood went through gentrification, and the urban decay was halted and then reversed. Today, the SoHo everybody knows is a trendy, hip part of town, a highbrow haven for the well-heeled and fashionable.

If someone who lived in this part of the city in 1850 travelled to the present day and looked around, they wouldn’t recognize it. But then they would see the Ear Inn and probably feel right at home because despite all the changes SoHo has gone through, its oldest bar has remained virtually untouched.

(Okay, there’s no longer a brothel upstairs and the owners don’t make booze in the basement but other than that the Ear Inn is pretty much the same.)

Once inside a visitor finds a beautifully wood-paneled, dark but friendly pub. Along the wall to the left is the bar, festooned with Irish whiskey advertisements and Guinness signs. To the right are a scattering of tables and chairs, with locals and visitors dining on steamed mussels or a New York Strip steak.

Some televisions flicker quietly above the bar, but for the most part, people are in conversation. You can hear laughter and shouts as stories are told and retold to friends and strangers alike.

Adorning the interior are a smattering of relics and artifacts that demonstrate this place’s age. Huge glass “demijohns” used to bottle and ship wine between the 16th and 20th centuries sit regally above the bar. These were found in the basement and point to the Ear Inn’s 200-year-old past as a riverside pub.

The bartenders here know how to pour a drink, be it a whiskey on the rocks, an Irish stout, or a craft cocktail. They make the classics – like the Manhattan or the Side Car – especially well, so don’t be afraid to order one of those.

The crowd is friendly, talkative, and colorful. Many of those I met on my last visit were from the surrounding neighborhood who’d popped in for a bite and a drink, but as the dinner crowd drifted out, they were replaced by people who stopped in before going to a show or a gallery down the street. It was crowded, but in a good sort of way—people were pleasant and happy, having a good time, as it should be.

Look, I love old bars, they have a character and quality that you just can’t put into words. Places like the Ear Inn are a rare breed even among the oldest of bars here in the US. If you’re in New York City, and if you get the chance, trust me: you need to spend a night in this pub. You won’t be sorry.