Desmond’s Tavern: For a weathered Irish pub sandwiched between a Subway fast food joint and a three-star hotel in Murray Hill, Desmond’s Tavern has served its fair share of New Yorkers. But while many have frequented this two-room dive bar, only a handful are devoted repeat customers. Among them are young out-of-towners who come every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday to enjoy the crunchy live bands performing in the back room. In the brightly lit front room, however, local customers plant themselves on stools for the long haul to enjoy a Smithwicks or a Guinness or two. What sets Desmond’s beer-soaked wooden walls apart from any other Irish pub is its 70-year history serving hoards of tourists, natives, and sallow, thirsty regulars who call the tavern home. |
