But at the tail end of the pandemic, after a rocky couple of years, both men were on a boat on the Jersey Shore, lamenting the demise of the Australian pub in New York. Someone should do something about it, they thought. “And then there was a sense of: Well, if not us, then who?” Buckingham says.

So began a three-year process of searching for a suitable property, negotiating the licence and transforming a former Irish pub and one-time ship chandlery into the sort of venue that wouldn’t be out of place in Sydney’s Paddington or Melbourne’s Fitzroy.

With capacity for more than 400 people, it’s Buckingham’s most ambitious project to date. “It was never supposed to be this big,” he says. “This was going to be a side hustle for both of us.”

The size may have been fortuitous because on a recent Friday night, the place was packed and raucous. That included the large main bar, an upstairs dining room and a basement featuring a bar, DJ booth and carpet that would transport any Australian straight back to the boozers of their youth.

Old Mates even boasts a “beer garden” – although it’s five tables on a narrow street-side strip. After all, this is Manhattan, not Melbourne.

In a corner of the basement, Riley Binder, a 27-year-old tech salesman from New York, was drinking beer with four American friends, celebrating a birthday.

“We’ve always been interested in Australian culture, and we wanted to come try out some of the food,” Binder said. “Australians know how to party, know how to have a great time, so when we saw the Australian pub, we figured it’d probably be a good time.”

At the bar, you’ll find lager and mid-strength beer, brewed in Brooklyn, flowing from icy taps – an Australian specialty that’s more difficult to replicate than you’d think. There’s also Four Pillars gin and Penfolds wine.

On the menu, you’ll find the comforts of a top-notch chicken parmigiana, Gundagai lamb and barramundi, handled by chef Simon Drolz-Cox, formerly of Sydney’s Dear Sainte Eloise and 10 William Street.

The walls are decked out in Australiana, but it’s classy, not cringy. You’ll see a Kylie Minogue album cover, a photo of American-born Helen d’Amico infamously streaking her way across the MCG during the 1982 AFL grand final, and homages to Melbourne’s Revolver nightclub or the Reclink Community Cup.

Investors in the pub include comedians and TV hosts Andy Lee and Hamish Blake, who were present for opening night. Lee went up and down the street telling hundreds of people in the queue: “We’re so happy you came, we think we’re going to run out of beer by the time you get in.”

New York drinkers are spoilt for choice, from cocktail bars and dives to speakeasies and restaurants. Buckingham says the Australian pub is a different proposition and serves a different purpose. It’s a meeting place – often for multiple generations, including children. Old Mates recently held an Easter egg hunt. On Anzac Day, it will stage two-up. Trivia nights and karaoke are also coming soon.

“The Aussie pub is very special, and is unlike the American bar,” Buckingham says. “An American bar, they’re not doing an Easter egg hunt for the seven-year-olds.

“They’re very much more adult spaces, they’re often more about drinking. They’re about liquor. There’s a reason that martinis are huge in New York, and cold schooners or mid-strength beers are huge in Australia.”

Sophia Siegel, who lives on the next block, was enjoying one of those cold schooners with her friend Amelia O’Keefe. Siegel said she loved Australia and Australians, and nearly moved there with her family.

“You guys are so upfront and brash and honest. I respect that,” she said. “There’s not a lot of beating around the bush and bullshit.”