Not sure how many Philadelphians troll this forum but I wanted to represent.. Lived outside Philadelphia my whole life (Havertown) and in the city the last 6 years (graduated from Drexel in 09'). I know where all the good/cheap/fun bars are in every major neighborhood but I'm looking to upgrade and find out where the best lounge/hang out spots are that may be a little more pricey. Anyway, this is where I go in my free time:

Center City (bus district):

• Drinkers Pub is always fun and cheap. If I remember this is 18th and chestnut, could be wrong.
  Irish Pub - same as above and this is where Pat Burrell aka Pat the Bat used to get smashed and pick up every hot blonde in the city. Bouncers here can tell you some stories.
  Raven Lounge - Hipster hang out. Better music than most bars even though I'm not really into the hipster scene, they don't just play the same stuff - lots of variety and good DJs. I think 16th and samsom
  O.N.E. Rittenhouse - cool after hours club - open till 4am and right next to rittenhouse square. (all PA bars close at 2am).
  McGillian's Irish Pub - Oldest bar in the city and a lot of fun. If you can only go to one bar in Philadelphia, go here. Great fun every night of the week. 13th and Drury (between sansom and chestnut I think)

Olde City:
Lucy's - 3rd and Market, fun and cheap, same owner as all the Drinker's Pubs
Steven Starr restaurants and lots of clubs/upscale bars I haven't been too. Which are the best?

Been to bars all over the city but I just picked a few that are pretty fun.

Philadelphia Art Museum - never been, lol I'm a drunk
Philadelphia Zoo - great place to take a female and look at the otters

Events:
Manyunk Bike Race - professional bikers from all over the world come and race around manyunk - yearly drinking fest in manyunk - lots of fun
Erin Express - every Saturday leading up to St. Patricks Day in March. Lots of fun, busses take you around to every bar for free, total chaos all over the city. Tons of people young and old partying all day - awesome.

All I can think of at the moment. Philly people where you at?!

I found out about The Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co. just a few weeks ago. Old-fashioned bar with lots of nontraditional (for me) drinks. Pricey, but good atmosphere. On 18th, a bit north of Sansom.

Wrt Stephen Starr, I've never been to Jones, Barclay Prime, or Morimoto. Or Pizzeria Stella, now that I am looking at his wiki.

Pod is pretty good I guess, but I'm not the hugest sushi fan. Buddakan is fabulous. El Vez has great guacamole and is okay otherwise. Parc is right on Rittenhouse--fun atmosphere, overpriced food. Alma de Cuba is great, but overpriced iyam. The Continental has really hot waitresses.

Eurotrash sighting requested ITT.

Abner's steaks on Penn's campus is great--OP has prob. been there--and overlooked by most who don't live in the area.

Been to el vez and Alma de Cuba, good food. Haven't been to the other steven starr restaurants.. probably the trendiest scene in philly bars/restaurants so yea overpriced. Continental - yes hot broads. I've never been to the roof deck, heard its a good scene for that.

Barclay prime is obv baller, lots of philly 'elite' go there i've heard... I currently commute to and work in Princeton NJ (sucks) but used to work at 20th and Market and would go out to the bars downtown all the time... fun times

Have eaten there, but its been a long time and I forget if I liked it or not. My favorite cheese steak place is probably Tony Luke's with Pat's close behind. Jim's on south street is great too

I'm going to recommend Nick's Old Original Roast Beef located on S 20th St. I moved to NYC earlier this year after growing up in Philly and the next time I visit I'm going to not Pat's, not Geno's, not Tony Luke's, but Nicks. Without a doubt the best roast beef sandwich you will ever have and I would argue the best sandwich period in all of Philly...in fact, I still haven't found a sandwich in NYC that I like more than it.

Here is an accurate review from one Mr. Thad S. on Yelp:

Nick's is located in deep South Philly. It's old school. And that is what makes it so amazing. Although the prices have slightly increased since my last visit, the remarkably dingy, dark dining has not. Neither has the most incredible roast beef I may have ever tasted. Ever. Although they offer a few other items, the beef is where it's at. Hand carved to order, the au jus tastes as though it has been slowly reducing from the original slab of beef when they opened sixty years ago. That good.

I order the roast beef combo, on the outs, meaning they slice the crispy bits off of the outside and mix it with your sandwich meat. A slice of provolone makes it a combo and oh, SO good (can you tell I like this place?). The interiors of the bun are lightly dipped in the meat gravy, and you won't believe how good it is. Rich, salty, indulgent, simple and oh so satisfying. The only condiments are banana peppers, horseradish and yellow mustard, all served table side.

That does sound good, I have to go check it out. I forgot about probably my favorite steak place (very hard to get out there, it closes at 2pm weekdays not open on the weekends so I haven't been there too many times), but John's Roast Pork off delaware ave at snyder. They use the best bread I've ever had with seseme seeds - good stuff check it out

Awesome to see a Philly thread now!

I live in Manayunk and grew up in Lafayette Hill. It's getting late and I'm tired, so I'll be brief for now...

Good bar recommendations (esp. McGillian's), though the better Drinker's (Tavern) is on 1st & Market in Old City. I will add some more this weekend.

A good dive bar I used to go to during college and a little after (2003-2006) when already very lit up is Bob & Barbara's on 15th and South. $3.50 for a PBR (for the hipsters) and shot of Beam and live jazz, though sadly the band leader passed away earlier this decade. Not sure if the clientele has changed since I've last been there. Just don't go on Thursday's as this is Drag night!

I've eaten at Pizzeria Stella and the prices were surprisingly not ridiculous. I've only had a few of the pizzas, but it's good if you're looking for something different (i.e. prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella & arugula ). Not sure how tough it is to get a table, but the time I went with 3 friends we walked up and got a table at 8PM on a Saturday night (though being a few days after one of the stupid snowstorms probably helped).

Tony Luke's is probably my favorite cheesesteak, though the others mentioned are all good. Pat's is probably my favorite drunk cheesesteak, and Dalessandro's is the local choice for me.

I've heard good things about Paddy's Pub. It's in kind of a sketchy neighborhood but the owners are a riot.

FYI, Drinkers is at 19th and Chestnut. Great place to go after midnight and a grab a 40 and end the night on a good note.

Devil's Alley is also right next door. Great place for lunch.

I'm a fan of Ladder 15. 15th and Sansom. Always packed on Fridays and Saturdays. Wait in line for like 5 minutes. $5 cover. But it's a good crowd. Dress to impress. Drinks are pricey, but you should already be feelin' good by the time you get there. LOTS of talent here.

I'll also second the el vez and the good guac and their margs are awesome. Right nearby is Lolita, which is upscale Mexican and its BYOT. Solid place and not crazy expensive.

The problem I have with One at Rittenhouse is that it's like a $15 cover (although there are always guys right outside giving out coupons for $10 covers), which is kind of ridiculous. But no many places to go after the bars close, so I guess they can do whatever the hell they want.

Good idea for thread, btw. Just moved into Philly. Been in suburbs entire life, save 4 years of college.

The Drinker's group of bars are all good, there are drinker's pubs on 1st and market, 19th and now 39th and chestnut. They also own Lucy's on 3rd and market and No Che, right above Drinkers in center city. Not sure of any others but they are all fun and cheap.

Been to ladder 15 a few times and its good as long as your not eating, food isn't very good. But yea, lots of talent.

Also I'm moving to port richmond in a few months, an area I don't know a whole lot about. I know northern liberties isn't too far, but I'm looking for some good local spots in Port Richmond if anyone knows

Headed down there tomorrow night with some friends. How is the strip club scene? Anyplace to definitely go or avoid?

If you're downtown, Gold Club (14th and Chancelor, I believe) is your only option, unless there are others that I'm unaware of that are in the heart of the city.

All the others are on the outskirts of the city. Delilah's is arguably the best (especially if you want a nice steak to go with your bewbs).

Yeah I hadn't heard of GC, but Delilah's and Christine's I had heard of as well as Daydreams. But I didn't know the differences in price, service, caliber of chicks, etc.

Never heard of Christine's. And if Daydreams is the place I think it is, I wouldn't recommend it.

Problem with Delilah's is that theres no ATM in the place (which I suppose is a good thing, but is a pain in the ass when you legit need cash since place is no credit). Delilah's had best calibur of all strip clubs I've been to in Philly (which is only a handful, admittedly).

Gold Club has the feel of your buddy's basement with naked chicks. There is usually someone standing outside with coupons ($10 for 2 people, or something like that), so keep your eyes peeled for that if you go there.

I'm sitting home bored so I put a little effort into this:

another Manayunk'er over here; graduated Drexel in 06


Drink
Drinkers is totally meh and only a good happy hour spot in my opinion. Same with it's sister bar Noche. Both have decent specials and you can buy 40s at drinkers!

Buffalo Billiards in Olde City is a great place to go if you want to play pool, shoot darts, nice change of pace.. there is also a brewery across the street which I have been to once and is pretty nice.

Eulogy is many beer drinkers favorite bar in Philly and it's also in Olde City.. Monk's Cafe in Rittenhouse is another Belgian bar with belgian beers and decent burgers (burgers are overatted imo).

Manayunk Bike Race is definitely a great excuse to come visit Philly for the weekend, a fun day in the sun (hopefully) with lots of outdoor drinking/partying.

Erin Express is also a fun weekend. It occurs the 2 weekends near St. Pattys. For a complete **** show, head to University City. For a similar experience but a little more low key, hit the Irish bars in Rittenhouse/Center City. Also head to McPattyfest at McFaddens around 5 or 6 pm that's where all the lushes head for the post party and Mr. Greengenes is usually playing there.

Ladder 15 isn't a bad bar, I think it's 23 and over so the crowd is a bit more sophisticated (but not by much).

Drinks at Continental Midtown (Stephen Starr) on the roof with the fireplace going in the winter or outside in the summer is a great place. It's also a great happy hour scene after work. They have decent cocktail specials and food specials from like 5-7.

Davio's is another good secret happy hour spot. They give you free food while you sit there and drink and it's all delicous. I recommend the cheesesteak spring rolls which you dip into a ketchup that has whiz on top, so yum.


Food

Definitely check out every Jose Garces (iron chef) restaurant:

Amada (tapas) is probably the best (recommendations: clams with chorizo, crab stuffed peppers, lamb meatballs, beef shortrib bacon parmesan and horseradish flatbread, serrano ham, baked goat cheese to name a few).

Tinto (tapas) is also delicious. Recommend the flourless chocolate cake for dessert if they have it.

Village Whiskey has one of the best burgers in the city which you can customize and top with things like a perfectly cooked egg over easy, crab, onions, bacon, etc... I recommend the pickled heirloom tomatoes as well they are freakin so good and so flavorful. They also make some amazing drinks (esp whiskey obv) but also sell stuff like absinthe (american version)

Distrito is a pretty cool mexican place; $2 tecate cans all the time; great tacos, dips, margaritas, etc.

Haven't been to JG Domestic, Garces Trading Co, or Chifa (tapas) yet but others can add for those..

Cheesesteak - Tony Luke's is the best imo it's down by the stadiums on oregon ave, followed by Pats (like 7th and passyunk ave?).. Genos, Delassandros (manayunk), and jim's all chop up the meat too fine imo and Tony Luke's somehow isn't greasy. The restaurant across from the stand ain't bad either pretty good food; Also, Tony Luke's has a great pork italian with broccoli rabe. Abners is also not very good unless drunk (I lived across the street in Hamilton Court for a year, trust me I know).

Soft Pretzels - try Philly Pretzel factory, they're everywhere and they're delicious

Falaffel - we have some pretty decent falaffel places in Philly, my favorite is Mama's on 20th between chestnut and market

Bobby's Burger Palace - it's in University City and run by Bobby Flay.. delicious burgers with great sauces to put on the burger.

Reading Terminal -

Rick's? that has the great pork sandwiches as well;
13th street cantina isn't bad for some simple mexican, there are a few other interesting places to eat as well.

Chinese - Late night chinese food in Chinatown is always a good time. Several places open until 4 am and perfect for drunken eats late at night and a place to sit down. Some even serve alcohol and a couple are BYOB late night which is fun. Try David's Place if you're clueless.

Other great restaurants:
Lolita - BYOT (Bring Your Own Tequila) - they give you the margarita mixed in a pitcher (flavors I've seen are blood orange, watermelon and mint, strawberry and basil, traditional but they change daily) .. pitcher is around 15 bucks then you pour the tequila in yourself.. can also bring non-tequila booze if you like.. food is good, beef tenderloin is delicious

Chloe - BYOB in olde city area - great food, I guess it's american style cuisine.. I hiiiiiiiiiighly recommend the bbq pork ribs.. freaking delicious. Their grilled romaine salad is great too. All the fish specials are always tasty looking as well but I always get the ribs (haven't been there in a couple years though)

Stephen Starr - Alma de Cuba and El Vez - both are cuban/mexican themed and good places to get some good expensive drinks and good food. Buddakan is great asian food. He just opened an English Pub type place called The Dandelion which is supposed to be pretty awesome. POD has sushi in university city. Morimoto has great sushi and some good kobe beef that's down in olde city. Parc is highly recommended in Rittenhouse and has been on the Food network a few times. All Stephen Starr restaurants are good date spots (swanky scene with good food).


I haven't been to Vetri or Zahav (israeli) but have heard really, really good things about both spots

Casinos

They're starting to pop up around Philly, currently only one in the city which is in Fishtown called Sugarhouse which has table games and slots only. The limits tend to be pretty high during peak hours ($25 min tables) mainly because of popularity since they're new; They plan to triple the size but they had to open up so they could start making money. Not sure if they plan to add a poker room eventually or not.

Harrah's chester is 20 minutes outside of Philly in a shady town but the casino area isn't bad and it's pretty nice inside (although you feel like you're in an office building) - they do have poker at Harrah's Chester;

Parx - I haven't been there since they added table games/poker room but have heard good things.


Other Stuff

Italian market is a pretty cool area to walk around on a nice day, lots of fresh produce and stuff for pretty reasonable prices. They have a couple butchers which allow for a lot of different meats, also some fresh seafood, stuff you wouldn't find in the grocery store.

A walk down Kelly Drive on a nice day is also a decent activity and a good place to run (although I've only walked it probably 5 times in 10 years).

Northern Liberties is an up and coming area with a few bars/restaurant.. great bowling alley called North Bowl on 2nd street in NoLibs. Great bar food, good bowling, great tater tots, but a little expensive but a fun night and they have some discounted nights like sunday and monday ... It's upscale similar to Lucky Strike which we also have in Philly which is near broad and spruce.

The Piazza in NoLibs is also pretty cool and they show Phillies games outside on the big screen and also hold small concerts and stuff as well as have some good bars food.. cool place to check out. I haven't been to the restaurants but they looked decent.

Definitely try and go to Philly sports venues, Phillies, Eagles, Flyers etc. We also have soccer down in Chester if that's you're thing, I heard people enjoyed it. Phillies venue is so much fun on a summer day and you're guaranteed to see an ace pitch every 4/5 games!

Helium Comedy Club - only been here once but definitely plan on going back. They get some big names and some smaller names but it's a lot of fun.

Mohagony Cigar Bar - great place to smoke a cigar and drink a scotch. I never realized how much I loved both before Mohagany. Great spot to hit after work or to start your night on the weekend (but you will stank afterwards).

Hotels

Don't know much about Hotels, we have some boutique-ish ones I don't know much about then we also have the 4 seasons, Ritz, Westin, etc.. No W hotels or anything too fancy

Movies

I recommend going to what used to be called the Bridge (not sure what it is now it has a new name) at 40th and walnut, it's a bit pricey but you can actually reserve a specific seat which is great. UA on Delaware ave is kind of shady, the Ritz theatres are an interesting experience but outdated (non stadium seating)...

Manayunk:

I've lived here like 7 years (way too long imo).. the nightlife scene is very college oriented as it's more of a yuppy town. Nowhere is really that good foodwise and the only place I would say is worth eating at is Cooper's Brick Oven pizza and Wine Bar, good pizzas and other foods like mussels, etc. Hickaru is Hibachi and is a fun experience with a group, their sushi sucks though. Brew Pub is the best summer drink scene out on the back deck, Mad River is a college frat party type bar, Bayou is a great sports bar more for the atmosphere than the TVs, they also have decent wings (Mad River has decent wings and pretzel bites btw). Flatrock has a cool beer selection but is a pretty beat scene. Kildaire's is a disaster in every way and a terrible bar (yet i went there every weekend for like 2 years straight). Couch Tomato is great pizza/salads/wraps and has good semi-healthy eats. Also Mauchismo isn't a bad burrito spot. Also a cigar club opened in Manayunk that is BYOB it's called Ashes near Green Lane.

oh and who would guess that the prime rib at "The Prime Rib" restaurant is freakin delish

Oh and for the above question:

Try Oasis outside of the city

Nice post, thanks.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?se...cal&id=7221808


Two side questions. First, on movie theaters, unless I am missing something, Philadelphia is absolutely pathetic. How is there not a Loews or something in Center City? The Bridge is the best theater around me but it's not really close and you have to deal with the lame combo of Penn kids and West Philadelphia ghetto trash. All the other ones around here are Ritzes and they rarely seem to show the hot new movies. Last year when Iron Man 2 came out it wasn't playing anywhere except Northeast Philly for weeks. (Granted I'm happy I saved that money.) But WTF, this is the sixth biggest city in the country. Where in the **** is the big chain movie theater?

Second, how is late night transportation between Manayunk and Center City? (Late night meaning 11 given Philly's wonderful schedules.)

I usually don't take SEPTA home after a night out, however, they now have extended service that runs until I think like 1:45 am between manayunk and the city.

The only other big theater I can think of is UA Riverview on Delaware Ave and it gets sketchy there too

A small group of us really enjoyed a classical French place called Bibou while we were visiting Philly in the Fall.

Below is a food and wine review of our first experience. Our return trip a few days later we found to be not as good, mostly because our group was different and we had to sit at two tables, but also because the menu didn't quite meet the first time's level of excellence (sweetbreads replaced the squab, which was a miss among our less adventurous eaters, and I don't even remember what replaced the marrow, but it was obviously forgettable; the star of the second menu was a Chanterelle bisque, which was phenomenal).

The first part describes the wine that was brought from one of the diners' private cellars. The second part describes the food experience.

Just had lunch at El Rey, it was pretty good traditional style mexican between 19th and 20th on chestnut (the old midtown diner)

they have a happy hour 5-6:30 with $1 tacos (fish, pork, chicken, steak i believe) i had the fish for lunch and they were decent; they also have $2 tecate, $3 corono, and $4 margaritas during those hours

there is also apparently a speakeasy attached to the restaurant that opens at 7

yeah, i live right there (23rd and walnut) but have yet to go there, but i've heard the happy hour is very solid.

and as for the speakeasy, its called the Ranstead Room (since the main door to it is on Ranstead, but you can also enter through the kitchen). I guess it's trying to be like Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., with snacks.

Not sure if Franklin Mortgage has been mentioned in this thread, but it's a great place for cocktails, and it's never crowded because you must have a seat to be in there. It's obv pricey, but a cool place to go for a couple hours.

also, kyle's write up is very solid. I +1 everything said. There are some more things I could add, but I don't feel like typing it all out.