House of Shields

📍 🍸 Historic Bar

The Verdict

"Old fixtures, no clocks, a long mahogany bar. A classic downtown saloon."

What you need to know

House of Shields opened on New Montgomery Street in 1908 as a working-class saloon for the printing-trade workers and journalists in the surrounding buildings. The room has barely changed since: dark wood, a long bar that runs the length of the space, no clocks. Warren Harding reportedly drank his last cocktail here in 1923, hours before he died across the street at the Palace Hotel.

The Drinks

Classic cocktails. The bar pours about 80 percent whiskey and the bartenders know every bottle. Beer and wine lists are focused. Happy hour is on the menu.

The Space

Two-story room with a mezzanine. Stained-glass skylights, original fixtures, mahogany bar. The crowd mixes after-work Financial District professionals and visitors interested in the historic room.