MacAlpine's Soda Fountain

Note: Due to COVID-19, this restaurant is closed until further notice.

Since 1929, MacAlpine’s has been known for its soda fountain. That’s because it used to be a pharmacy, and pharmacies often had soda fountains, which gave pharmacists a place to create their medicinal concoctions. In 1938, pharmacist Fred MacAlpine purchased the place and changed its name from Birch’s 7th Street Pharmacy to MacAlpine’s. He sold it 10 years later, but the name stuck around. During the 1950s and 1960s, MacAlpine’s was ground zero for geeks, greasers and pink ladies who would hang out and drink ice-cream sodas, egg creams and malts. And many of those kids left their mark. “The underside of the fountain is covered in bubblegum,” says owner Monica Heizenrader, who took over in 2001. “We left the gum since it’s part of the history.” Kids back then! Besides the gum, there’s plenty of other history still intact, like the counter and malt machine. Even some of the waitresses get in on the act, wearing their hair in victory rolls. Visitors who pop by can order old-school sodas or choose a bite to eat from MacAlpine’s full menu.