Inside the pub behind 1,000 love stories

A 165-year-old tavern in Philadelphia is the US city's unlikeliest match-maker, proving in-person connections hold more power than dating apps

- Teja Lele

The McGillin's Olde Ale House; and (top) the city of Philadelphia.

Tucked in a narrow alley off Drury Street in Philadelphia's Center City, McGillin's Olde Ale House takes you back in time, courtesy its oak floors, tin ceilings and walls lined with vintage signs. Along with the clink of pint glasses and laughter, another sound lingers: the echo of love stories.

Founded in 1860 by Irish immigrants William and Catherine McGillin, the tavern holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating pub in Philadelphia, a city that has a diverse mix of historic taverns and modern gastropubs. McGillin's has survived wars, recessions, Prohibition, and two pandemics. Yet its most surprising legacy is not its endurance, but the hundreds of romances that have unfolded under its roof.

For Irene Levy Baker, author of Love Letters to McGillin's, releasing later this November, the pub's romantic reputation was impossible to ignore. "I've been at McGillin's for 20 years," she says. "I've seen sports championships, beer tours, celebrity visits, but my favourite stories are always from the couples who met here. Everyone seems to have a unique, joy filled story that somehow circles back to this old Irish pub."