Five Furlongs Tavern: Classic Catskills Irish Pub with the Very Best Backyard
Furlong’s, one of the classic East Durham Irish pubs of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, reopened last August after it had been closed for a decade. The new owner of what is now called Five Furlong’s Tavern is native Irishman Garrett Doyle. He also founded Manhattan’s Tuttles Bar & Grill in Murray Hill, and he has made the most of Furlong’s enormous backyard by building out some of the best outdoor seating in the area.
Furlong’s, now known as Five Furlongs Tavern, in East Durham has some of the best outdoor seating in the Catskills.
Taking decor inspiration from the World’s Largest Map of Ireland, he’s flying flags from every Irish county. Furlong’s still has a rustic feel indoors—wood-paneled walls, stained glass lamps hanging from exposed beams, a long, polished bar that can definitely get rowdy—but outside, widespread umbrella tables overlook Thorp Creek. If there isn’t live music playing, you can count on the sound of a waterfall and the breeze through the trees.
My family (and my giant Mom Bag) snagged a leafy table that overlooks the creek— with hefty fences to keep anyone from falling in!
When the sun goes down, tiki torches, string lights, and a campfire illuminate the outdoor space. My kids are big fans of their chicken tenders, their mozzarella sticks, and their homemade mac and cheese—to the point that they generally order 3 kids meals to split between the two of them. Furlong’s Tavern has a solid handle on standard bar fare, with juicy burgers and generously stuffed quesadillas, plus killer fries and fresh, local salad greens.
Also worth noting: They pour Shirley Temples by the pint, so thank goodness there’s room for the kids to run around after dinner. They’ve got a basketball hoop and some lawn games, plus a firetruck that’s apparently set up to be an outdoor bar, though it wasn’t in service yet when we visited late last summer.
A Catskills restaurant backyard with room for kids to run free? Five Furlongs Tavern is hard to beat.
Just looking at these photos makes me long for summer nights—watching the dark take over the sky, listening to laughter float up from the tables around us, and sipping a Smithwick’s by the creek.
Five Furlongs Tavern makes summer in East Durham even sweeter.
Five Furlong’s Tavern is located at 2478 State Route 145 in East Durham. Follow them on Instagram @furlongsfive for regular updates.
