City Tavern at Independence National Historical Park

SITE OVERVIEW

The City Tavern first opened in 1773 and remained in business until 1834. It was a popular meeting place for businessmen and politicians. When the British occupied Philadelphia from September 1777 through June 1778, the building served as a prison for captured American soldiers. Later in the war, after the British left the city for New York, it was used for a few days by George Washington as the headquarters for the Continental Army.

The tavern returned to its business roots after the war. One room was turned into a coffee room, and the establishment eventually became known as the Merchants’ Coffee House. The place was so popular with businessmen that the entire building became a business meeting place until it was severely damaged by fire in 1834. Twenty years later the building was finally demolished.

The current building is a reconstruction done by the National Park Service in 1975. It opened for business in 1976, though at the time it wasn’t much more than a glorified concession stand. It wasn’t until 1994 that it reopened as an actual restaurant under Chef Walter Staib. Unfortunately, the business did not survive the COVID epidemic, and in 2020 Staib decided to move on to other things and did not renew the contract with the National Park Service.

The City Tavern is now operated as a tavern exhibit. It is decorated as it might have been during the late 1700s, and costumed historians are on duty to answer any questions you might have.