Wisteria Tavern – Pensacola

Now a family owned bar, the Wisteria is a Pensacola legend and as a result its history is somewhat muddied with urban legend and misconceptions. Here is what is known to date.

It all started as a grocery and supply store sometime in the late 1920’s to early 30’s. At that time beer was being served at its current location to customers late in the day as they came back from hunting and fishing in what is now the Cordova mall area. Because of this the grocery store took on more of a life as a bar and less as a grocery store. The entity of the Wisteria Tavern was born in 1935 with the issuance of a “Beer only” liquor license by the State of Florida. Since then the bar has been in continuous operation in the same location with only 4 different owners to date.

Currently, the bar operates as a beer the only establishment due to the designation of “non-conforming existing business”. This means that zoning in the area has changed to residential and the existing business of the Wisteria Tavern was “Grandfathered” in and is allowed to remain open. The conditions allow operation at the currently maintained state with no increases in the size of the building or changes in the configuration of the business. This means that the Wisteria can continue to do what it is good at, but not increase its size or function.

So keep the tradition of the “Wis” alive by coming in and trying some of our wonderful beers and neighborhood atmosphere. With currently over 100+ beers to choose from we have a large variety of both Ales and Lagers, bottled and on draft. I personally sit down with each of our distributors and hand pick each beer sold at the Wisteria bringing only the best beers to our valued customers. Beer is obviously a passion of mine, and I want to spread that passion to each and every person in our community. Come and join us.