Read more: 10 Restaurants Frank Sinatra Used To Frequent<\/a><\/p>\n Neir’s Tavern then and now Robert De Niro in a scene from “Goodfellas” shot at Neir’s Tavern – Warner Bros.\/YouTube<\/p>\n Neir’s began life as a bar called the Blue Pump Room in 1829, where patrons of the Union Course Racetrack went to party. It went through many hands and many names before German immigrant Louis Neir bought it in 1898 and renamed it after himself. In 2009, when it nearly closed, current owner Loycent Gordon\u00a0\u2014 a New York City firefighter\u00a0\u2014 bought the establishment, renovated it, and helped transform it into a centerpiece of the neighborhood where it’s as much a community hub as it is a bar. Today, Neir’s Tavern is still serving drinks on its historic carved mahogany bar and serving food to locals. It doesn’t mind playing up the “Goodfellas” connection, with film memorabilia on the walls, and the Goodfella\u00a0Burger on the menu.<\/p>\n Neir’s Tavern claims to be the oldest continually operating tavern in New York City, pitting it against some other Manhattan establishments that have also staked that claim, like McSorley’s Old Ale House, which has been around since 1854<\/a>, and Fraunces Tavern, opened in 1762, where George Washington used to dine<\/a> and drink (although the latter has been rebuilt over the years). But neither of these other establishments can lay claim to being the location for a Scorsese movie or a slightly less iconic film, “Tower Heist,”\u00a0the Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy comedy from 2011, which was also filmed at Neir’s Tavern.<\/p>\n Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter<\/a> where we’re helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source<\/a> on Google.<\/p>\n![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/17ba3fd19c0b9d9e4a63bfd5f982a219.jpeg\"\/)
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