The Arizona Saloon That Wyatt Earp Once Drank In Is Still Serving Whiskey Today

Tasty food and drinks aren't the only things on the menu when you dine at an older restaurant. There's history to sink your teeth into, and a fascinating, memorable atmosphere. To help you experience this wherever you live and to inspire future travels, we rounded up the oldest still-operating restaurant in every state. Arizona's boasts a real rootin,' tootin' legacy.

The Palace Restaurant & Saloon is a time capsule of exciting Wild West history you can still visit. As a saloon with infamous past imbibers, it counts as one of the oldest still-running bars in the United States, too. The Palace opened in 1877 in Prescott, 35 years before Arizona became a state in 1912, and served some legendary gunslingers. Wyatt Earp and his brother Virgil as well as his friend Doc Holliday drank and may have even played poker at The Palace. This was before they moved to Tombstone, where Wyatt and Virgil were lawmen and, backed up by Holliday, faced off against outlaws in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881. That showdown has lived on in tales, books, and movies, but the story's stars made an impression at The Palace, first.

Doc Holliday was alleged to have participated in a knife fight at The Palace, and that wasn't the only incident of violence for this Wild West saloon. Murders took place in this onetime drinking and gambling den, and some believe it's haunted, to the extent that Travel Channel paranormal investigation series "Ghost Adventures" filmed there.

Another wild tale from The Palace's history involves its beautiful bar. In 1900, a devastating fire tore through Prescott. Dedicated patrons dragged the bar from the saloon and across the street away from the dangerous flames. It had been crafted in the Northeast and sent on a long journey via train and ship to The Palace when it opened. More than just a bar, it was a work of art and the saloon's centerpiece. Thanks to those brave customers, you can still see it today.

The Palace sits on Prescott's Whiskey Row. This runs along downtown's Montezuma Street, where there were once as many as 40 saloons in the salad days of the Wild West. The name came out of that 1900 fire, a nod to how quickly locals rebuilt their saloons in the aftermath. You can get a feel for the hubbub that community would have felt on a night out while visiting the present-day Whiskey Row nightlife spots — though none are quite as rich in history as The Palace, easily one of the best restaurants for an authentic taste of the Wild West.

The menu at The Palace includes elevated bar fare, comfort dishes, and American classics — think cheese curds, tacos, wings, salads, burgers, fish and chips, and country-fried steak. To really immerse yourself in The Palace's legacy, though, say "cheers" to Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday with whiskey.