Old Town Tavern

Old Town Tavern is a bar in Ann Arbor, Michigan, serving food and drinks in a friendly atmosphere since 1972. The kitchen is open for dine-in and carry-out, with a food menu that includes appetizers, soups, salads, burgers, Southwestern dishes and dinners, alongside a separate drink menu. The tavern hosts events, including a monthly gathering on the first Sunday of the month from 7pm to 9pm, and welcomes performers who want to take part in those events. It has served the Old West Side and greater Ann Arbor, including University of Michigan students, faculty and staff. Old Town Tavern holds a rating of 4.50 from customer reviews.

The building at this location has operated as a bar or saloon since 1898, when John Berger opened a saloon called The Bismark. It later became The Union Bar, then Merkel's Friendly Corner, and in 1972 Jerry Pawlicki bought it and renamed it the Old Town Tavern. He built the bar, bar cabinets, tables and booths, laid the hardwood floor and preserved the original tin ceiling. In its early years it was a blue collar bar that opened at 6am for third shift workers from area factories. In 1998 the business passed to his sons Chris and Steve. Chris Pawlicki is the owner and Theresa Zavisa is the general manager. Old Town Tavern is the last survivor of Ann Arbor's townie bars.

The tavern sits on West Liberty Street at its intersection with South Main Street. The Ark theater and the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase are both a short walk away, and Allen Creek runs about a tenth of a mile from the door.

Its long history at the same downtown address and its positive customer rating reflect a bar that has stayed familiar to generations of Ann Arbor regulars.