Old Main Street's Oldest Pub

Long before Old Main Street became downtown Bradenton's nighttime destination for bar hoppers, the was the place to be.

It wasn’t always called the Old Main Pub, but it has been for a while. It has changed ownership and appearances during the past 60 years, too. Bartenders recall stories of their predecessors serving mixers with alcohol on the side to get around stringent laws on the sale of mixed drinks, shag carpeting covering the walls, and local judges, lawyers and politicians trading stories at the bar after work.

Located in the same stand-alone building at the corner of Old Main Street (12^th Street West) and Third Avenue that it has been seemingly forever, the current ownership plans to celebrate its 20^th anniversary in August.

Just in time to show off the pub’s recent and much-needed renovations. New bathrooms grace the pub now. As many patrons would attest, the former johns were not in the best of shape. The floor was creaky and the toilet leaked, at least in the men’s bathroom. (This writer cannot vouch for the appearance of the ladies room.)

New bathrooms were added to the back of the bar. A new floor for the entire building is next.

But the pub isn’t losing its “dive bar” feel, said bartender Lisa Ritchey. That’s what makes the Old Main Pub the Old Main Pub. “It’s still going to stay a dive bar,” she said, “but with a facelift.”

The pub always maintains a dim interior, even in the middle of the day. It’s smoke friendly and doesn’t serve food except for chips and other bar snacks. Its beer choices include everything from the popular domestics to higher-end brews like Guinness, Magic Hat No. 9, Sam Adams, Stella Artois and Blue Moon. For a pint or a bottle, beers cost between $2.50 to just more than $4.

Mixed drinks — and the pub prides itself on its liquor selection — cost anywhere from $3.25 to $5.25. Flavored vodka bombs are always $3.50, and the neon menu boards behind the wall announce the day’s other mixed drink or shot specials.

The bar has eight television sets. It’s not a sports bar; The television volume is muted and the closed captioning turned on in favor of the jukebox. But it is sports friendly, and the marquee outside the bar routinely advertises gameday beer specials when the Tampa Bay Rays are playing. Most of the televisions, if not all of them, will be tuned to some sort of game. 

Old Main Pub is one of the few, if not only, bars in town open 365 days a year. Even Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day — you name it.

The pub accepts cash and credit/debit cards, but there is a $10 minimum charge on cards.

IF YOU GO

The Old Main Pub, 313 Old Main St., is open from 11 a.m. until 2:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-2:30 a.m. Sundays. On holidays the bar may open later in the day, but it opens during all of them.