How Andy Lee put the classic Aussie pub back on tap in New York with Old Mates

Old Mates is bringing something new to Manhattan: an Aussie pub with footy on the TV, a “sticky carpet lounge” and the city’s coldest beer. But will it be a parma or a parmi? Watch video.

The only thing worse than a pub with no beer is a city with no pub. And in New York, it’s been years since Australians have had a classic Aussie watering hole to call their local.

Comedian Andy Lee thought that was a travesty, so he and a bunch of old mates decided to hop to it and open Old Mates, the pub of their dreams in the city that never sleeps.

Six weeks before the first beers are poured – which co-founder Eddy Buckingham promises will be Manhattan’s coldest pints – the venue is starting to feel like a home away from home.

“It’s going to be the real embassy for Australians,” Lee said while visiting the worksite.

Left to right: Andy Stone, Nick Stone, Eddy Buckingham, Andy Lee. Picture: Courtesy of Old Mates / Ben Hider

Inside the 184-year-old building, it’s hard to turn your head without spotting a nod to one of Lee and Buckingham’s favourite pubs, particularly those in their hometown of Melbourne.

The stools are inspired by Richmond’s Corner Hotel, the carpet by Fitzroy’s The Standard and the upstairs bar by Young and Jackson in the CBD, with the picnic tables like those at the Great Northern in Carlton North still to come for a beer garden on the patio out the front.

“We’ve tried to capture the real qualities and energies of a classic heritage Australian pub,” said Buckingham, who already runs several successful New York bars and restaurants.

It took about three years for Andy Lee and his mates to find the right site for their Aussie pub in New York.

Lee took a hands-on approach to the project.

Their strategy extends to the menu, with Buckingham promising a burger with the lot, potato wedges, salt and pepper calamari, and a chicken parmigiana with chips.

That dish will go by its full name, although Lee insists it should be called a parma, despite being shocked to learn on his game show The Hundred that more Australians call it a parmi.

“We don’t want to start a brawl on night one, so it’s going to be parmigiana,” he laughed.

Buckingham has also been focused on developing an all-Australian drinks list, with Carlton & United Breweries to supply barrels to help rectify the lack of Aussie beers on tap in America.

“The beer is a huge part of the mission … We’ll have the genuine article,” he said.

“I hope this is the start of something. There is a huge opportunity for Aussie beers here.”

Left to right: Andy Lee, Andy Stone, Eddy Buckingham and Nick Stone. Buckingham has been focused on developing an all-Australian drinks list for their venue.

It took the Old Mates founders – also including ex-AFL player Nick Stone, who founded the Bluestone Lane cafe chain that has exploded across the US – about three years to find the right site for their pub after they decided to turn their fantasy into a reality.

The 430-capacity venue by the East River ticked all the boxes, with three levels to incorporate a front bar, a dining area and a “sticky carpet lounge” to host musicians and DJs, as well as a 4am liquor licence to stay open for big sporting events down under.

Inside the 184-year-old building.

The interior takes inspiration from Melbourne pubs.

Lee fondly recalls being a regular at The Australian – which was where he met Buckingham, the pub’s manager – when he was developing his TV show Gap Year in New York in 2011.

“If I was ever in need of an Australian beer or to watch the footy or just needed a slice of home, that was where I’d go,” he said.

“I’m excited to be able to get that back.”

The interior is akin to a classic heritage Australian pub.

Classic Australian!

He roped in a high-profile but top-secret cast of “extremely patriotic” investors, ranging from athletes to entertainers, who he says also saw the need for “a real embassy” in New York.

Old Mates is set to open on January 24, just in time for Triple J’s Hottest 100. Buckingham wants Australians to feel right at home – and to share the pub with their American friends.

“I’m hoping that the Aussies here are going to act as the gateway drug to broader New York,” he said.

Originally published as How Andy Lee put the classic Aussie pub back on tap in New York with Old Mates