20 Pics Of What It Looked Like To Own A Bar In The 1970s

Daniel Bonfiglio Published 02/17/2025 in wow

That's what I love about beers. I get older, and they still taste the same.

Drinking in the 1970s wasn't all too different to how it is today; going to a bar, ordering a drink, and downing it with your friends on repeat until somebody finds some keys in their pocket.

But somehow it doesn't quite hit the same without a grungy, old, alcoholic bartender to serve it to you. Somebody who could sweat into your drink and leave its composition unchanged.

Here are 20 pics of what it looked like to own a bar in the 1970s.

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1. An Irish Pub
Drinking in the 1970s.
2. Waitresses
A bar in Philadelphia, 1974.
3. Range Riders Bar & Lounge
Miles City, Montana, 1978.
4. “My Mom and Some of Her Friends”
At the Jersey shore bar they managed in the 1970s.
5. Irish Pub McSorley's Old Ale House
Patrons are upset after the bar is ordered to admit women for the first time in 1970.
6. Messing With Friends
A bar in the 1970s.
7. Kelly’s Pub
Pleasant St in Fall River, MA, 1976.
8. A Bar in Milan
More than 100 years old.
9. Salty Dog Bar
Ithaca, NY, 1970s.
10. Cypress Gardens Quality Inn
Hotel bar, Winter Haven, FL, March, 1979.
11. Marquette University Students
Enjoying drinks at a local bar, 1977-1978.
12. Pool Room and Snack Bar
Outside a Toronto joint, 1970s.
13. The Fireside Chalet Restaurant
Overlooking the Ice Palace skating rink at Tower Plaza Mall in Phoenix, Arizona, circa 1970.
14. Zeke's Place
Victor, Colorado, 1970s.
15. Million Dollar Cowboy Bar
Jackson, WY, 1978.
16. Joe Namath
Behind the bar at his club, Bachelors 3, Circa 1970s.
17. “My Grandma Jean Bartending”
“She owned a bar, in Gulliver, Michigan, sometime in the 1970s.”
18. Billy Connolly and Gerry Rafferty in the Scotia Bar
Glasgow, 1970. Along with their friend Tam Harvey they formed the folk rock band Humblebums.
19.
20. “Melva Behind Her Bar”
Kiln, Mississippi, 1972.

1. An Irish Pub
Drinking in the 1970s.
2. Waitresses
A bar in Philadelphia, 1974.
3. Range Riders Bar & Lounge
Miles City, Montana, 1978.
4. “My Mom and Some of Her Friends”
At the Jersey shore bar they managed in the 1970s.
5. Irish Pub McSorley's Old Ale House
Patrons are upset after the bar is ordered to admit women for the first time in 1970.
6. Messing With Friends
A bar in the 1970s.
7. Kelly’s Pub
Pleasant St in Fall River, MA, 1976.
8. A Bar in Milan
More than 100 years old.
9. Salty Dog Bar
Ithaca, NY, 1970s.
10. Cypress Gardens Quality Inn
Hotel bar, Winter Haven, FL, March, 1979.
11. Marquette University Students
Enjoying drinks at a local bar, 1977-1978.
12. Pool Room and Snack Bar
Outside a Toronto joint, 1970s.
13. The Fireside Chalet Restaurant
Overlooking the Ice Palace skating rink at Tower Plaza Mall in Phoenix, Arizona, circa 1970.
14. Zeke's Place
Victor, Colorado, 1970s.
15. Million Dollar Cowboy Bar
Jackson, WY, 1978.
16. Joe Namath
Behind the bar at his club, Bachelors 3, Circa 1970s.
17. “My Grandma Jean Bartending”
“She owned a bar, in Gulliver, Michigan, sometime in the 1970s.”
18. Billy Connolly and Gerry Rafferty in the Scotia Bar
Glasgow, 1970. Along with their friend Tam Harvey they formed the folk rock band Humblebums.
19.
20. “Melva Behind Her Bar”
Kiln, Mississippi, 1972.