BAR #2 – DEER PARK TAVERN, DE

What can I say, my oldest bar quest got off to a great start. On the first day of the quest, I had lunch at BAR #1, the Barnsboro Inn, and then Happy Hour in Newark, DE, at the Deer Park Tavern, BAR #2. The Deer Park Tavern was another success. It did not have PBR in any form…but as I would come to realize…that’s a very rare and wonderful bird. Be that as it may, it was a great place. The current building was established in 1851 but the history of the site dates well before that date. The original establishment and the Deer Park Tavern are rich in history. There are claims of George Washington sleeping here, and as the rumor goes he rarely slept alone. As the bar lore also goes, there is also some curse from Edgar Allen Poe for which you will have to discover on your own…since I forgot to get the whole story. I had beers to drink.

The Deer Park Tavern is nestled in the midst of the University of Delaware. So, it can be a bit of a student bar. The good side of that is the place was down to earth and affordable. Plenty of beers to choose from. A bit too “crafty” for my taste, but a couple simple drafts were also available for those of us with simple tastes. The building was interesting. The food menu looked good, but I did not eat. Another proper bar that I would recommend to anyone looking to pound some beer in a comfortable atmosphere. PT