Iconic East Side Irish Pub Neary’s Closing its Doors After 57 Years

The famous Irish bar and restaurant Neary’s on E. 57th Street and First Ave. is finally closing shop after 57 years of business.

“What! Are you kidding me? That’s terrible,” said a passerby learning of the news, remarking on the growing line outside the pub’s entrance as its 4 p.m. opening time drew nearer on July 18, their second-to-last day of business.

The old-school Irish watering hole was so beloved that the city dubbed 57th Street “Jimmy Neary Way” in 2022 following the founder Jimmy Neary’s death on Oct. 1 2021. After three years of posthumous business from the family, they have decided to sell the building and close an iconic chapter in both their lives and those of the establishment’s devoted patrons, of which there are many. Neary’s was frequented by famous politicians, actors, athletes, business leaders, and more, as well as a slew of regulars who became family themselves.

“We’ve been coming here for 48 years,” said Bill, who lined up outside with his wife in anticipation of one last order of lamb chops.

“I lived down the street,” he said. “Jim Neary was just the best, I would see him at 11 o’clock each morning outside on the street, every day. People who own and run restaurants, they just aren’t like that anymore. He was special. It made all the difference.”

“Plus they make a mean dirty martini,” his wife added.

The restaurant first opened on St. Patrick’s Day 1967, by Neary and his since deceased business partner Brian Mulligan, who was a fellow bartender. Neary and his wife Eileen emigrated from Ireland to America, he from Sligo and she from Dublin, and their family views the pub’s success as symbolic of their achievement of the American Dream.

New York during that period was filled with traditional Irish pubs and saloons, and Neary told the New York Times that what differentiated his establishment was Governor Hugh Carey taking a liking to the menu’s smoked salmon, after which the restaurant’s clientele began to skyrocket in social status. Neary’s bar stools have sat the likes of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Michael Bloomberg, both George W. and George H.W. Bush, and more.

But all the while a plethora of regulars patronized Neary’s, staying loyal decade after decade, which is largely why its closing strikes such a chord in the heartstrings of the city.

“I’ve been coming here for 25 years,” said an older woman named Diana.

“I also used to live down the street. I would recognize my neighbors here. There were so many outstanding memories, so many happy times,” she said.

When asked how she felt about it closing, she said “sad, but mostly grateful. And very, very appreciative.”

It’s clear Neary’s gave its patrons so much more than smoked salmon and dirty martinis throughout its more than half-century of business. For so many, it became a home away from home, and for that it will be deeply missed.

In a farewell note posted on the door, addressed to “Neary’s Family and Friends” the family thanked the “outstanding bartenders, wait staff kitchen crew and coatroom staff both past and present. Their unwavering dedication and hard work ensured that our customers received the highest level of service every day.”

”Neary’s has been blessed to welcome patrons from all walks of life--our cherished Sutton Place community, esteemed politicians, religious leaders, television personalities, reknowned authors and photographers, sports legends, business leades and our dedicated law enforcement and military personnel.”

“In closing,” the family wrote, “we are forever grateful for our extraordinary parents who taught us the value of hard work, respect, faith, generosity, gratitude and love of country.

”We feel their love and support today and always. Mom and dad we love and cherish you both. With eternal gratitude, The Neary Family.

But they added a P.S. in case anyone wants to relive the good times. “We would be remiss, and our father would not be happy, if we didn’t remind everyone to watch Neil Leifer’s documentary on our father called Neary’s: The Dream at the End of the Rainbow” on Amazon Prime.