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This old watering hole has been pouring cold ones since 1762, and is said to have been the tavern wherein George Washington bade goodbye to his officers after the Revolutionary War. But as far as goes the current set-up of the place, history be damn’d. Sure, there’s some exposed brick walls that look old as ’76, and a few splintery liquor cabinets that may very well have been salvaged from an 18th century shipwreck, but let’s face it: Fraunces Tavern, or Fraunces Tavern® as their website helpfully proclaims, is a throwback to the vanished days of 2010. With all the high-end cherry trees that went into crafting the varnished floor and elegant tables, and with all the raw-hide calfskin booths that look like they were rounded up in a Tex-Mex airport lounge, it’s hard to picture anyone but frat-rockers and i-bankers enjoying all the colonial ambiance. Scratch that. It actually would be pretty awesome to see our first President lose his wig doing a keg stand. — John Wheeler-Rappe

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