Deer Park Tavern, a staple among locals and students, made USA TODAY’s Bars of the Year list for 2024. The beloved Main Street joint was selected as one of the best bars in the country with 26 other bars by USA TODAY’s food writers.
Located at the end of Main Street, Deer Park Tavern has been around for nearly two centuries, serving generations of students and locals in Newark. Before the tavern was built in 1851, St. Patrick’s Inn stood in its place since 1747 and was used as a rest stop for travelers and guests. After the original inn burned down, the brick building known today as Deer Park Tavern was built in its place.
Over the years, the appearance and ownership of the bar have changed, and its main purpose has shifted to the bar-restaurant it is known as today. Deer Park Tavern is now owned by Ashby Hospitality Group.
“I think our long-standing history in our city makes a huge impact,” Morgan Minner, director of special events, marketing and social media for Ashby Hospitality Group, said.
Minner has worked for the company that owns Deer Park since 2014, and emphasized that many people who come to the tavern create long-lasting memories and connections.
Although Deer Park is best known among students as being a college bar, it is also a popular place for locals. Minner attributed this ability to appeal to such a wide age range to the overall atmosphere of the bar.
“The atmosphere in Deer Park is high-energy yet homey, with a touch of nostalgia for everyone,” Minner said.
Minner herself has attended many parties hosted at Deer Park and even held her baby shower there. In terms of being one of the best bars in the country, Minner credited the staff.
“We have a standout team,” she said. “Our team makes the place.”
Part of this team is General Manager Robert Dawson, who spoke on Deer Park’s growth throughout the years as a bar and place for people to come and enjoy themselves.
Existing since 1851, Dawson noted how Deer Park has watched Newark grow around it, making it such an integral part of the town. According to Dawson, people always seem to come back to the tavern, and there was even a 50th-anniversary class reunion held there.
“We’re the last and the best stop for a reason,” Dawson said.
The fact that people always come back is sometimes said to be because of the supposed curse put on the bar by Edgar Allen Poe. When Deer Park was still an inn, it is rumored that the poet tripped getting out of his carriage outside of it and stated “A curse upon this place! All who enter shall have to return!”
Deer Park Tavern also has long-standing staff members. Justin Sepulveda, a bartender at Deer Park for almost 20 years, described the bar as fun and exciting and compared it to a house party on the weekends.
“It’s fun, it’s a good time, all the people there are fun,” Sepulveda said.
Whether the tavern’s success is really due to a curse put upon it by Edgar Allen Poe, those associated with Deer Park feel its title as one of the best bars in the country is well deserved.