Farrell's Bar & Grill
Farrell's Bar & Grill, often referred to as Farrell's, is a tavern in the Windsor Terrace neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, United States. Opened in 1933, the bar is frequently cited as one of Brooklyn's oldest continuously operating watering holes and a landmark of Irish-American community life near the southwest corner of Prospect Park. It is known for serving very cold beer in large "containers"—a house tradition that continued with paper or plastic cups after New York's styrofoam ban—and for its spare, old-school interior.
History
The bar opened in 1933, the year Prohibition ended; contemporary coverage and later retrospectives credit Eddie Farrell with establishing the business, which became a hub for the largely Irish working-class neighborhood. Through the mid-to-late 20th century, Farrell's developed a reputation for no-frills service, a long wooden bar beneath pressed-tin ceilings, and a regular clientele that included firefighters, police officers, and local writers.Ownership later passed to partners that included longtime bartender Jimmy "Hooley" Houlihan, who worked at the bar for decades and was widely profiled for community philanthropy; he retired in 2019 and died in 2022, aged 83. Another co-owner, Danny Mills, who had tended the bar since the 1960s, became part-owner in 1996; he died in 2008.
For much of its early history, Farrell's did not serve women at the bar counter; women were seated in the rear and drinks were ordered on their behalf. Some sources attribute the first unaccompanied woman served at the bar to actress Shirley MacLaine. The bar's best-known custom is its take-home "containers" of beer; after New York City restricted foam, Farrell's replaced its iconic styrofoam cups with paper or plastic while maintaining the tradition. Farrell's serves only two beers on tap, Budweiser and Stella Artois; in the 1940s and 1950s, they only served Rupert Knickerbocker.