Tattooed Mom Philadelphia
South Street
Tattooed Mom is South Street's most beloved dive bar — a multi-level Philadelphia institution with extraordinary visual décor (covered floor to ceiling in outsider art and cultural ephemera) that has been a gathering place for Philadelphia's alternative and punk communities since 1997. South Street's legendary status as Philadelphia's most countercultural corridor (where do all the hippies meet? South Street!) and Tattooed Mom's extraordinary atmosphere create one of the most visually and culturally distinctive bar experiences in Pennsylvania.
Craft Beer Cellar Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Philadelphia's extraordinary craft beer culture (one of America's most active craft beer cities, with Yards, Dogfish Head nearby in Delaware, and Victory in nearby Downingtown) creates one of the finest craft beer bar markets in the United States. The city's blue-collar beer heritage (Yuengling is America's oldest brewery, located in nearby Pottsville) combined with contemporary craft appreciation creates a uniquely deep Philadelphia beer culture.
R5 Production Upstairs Philadelphia
Old City / Center City
Philadelphia's Old City cocktail lounge scene represents the most historically resonant bar culture in America — establishments serving cocktails steps from Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the most important constitutional sites in American history. The extraordinary combination of early American history and contemporary cocktail culture creates a bar experience available nowhere else in the United States.
The Twisted Tail Philadelphia
Society Hill
The Twisted Tail is Philadelphia's most beloved whiskey and blues bar — a Society Hill establishment presenting an extraordinary American whiskey collection alongside live blues music in the most authentically soulful bar atmosphere in Philadelphia. Society Hill's extraordinary preservation of colonial-era architecture and its transformation into one of Philadelphia's most sophisticated residential neighborhoods create the ideal context for a bar celebrating the deep American traditions of whiskey and blues.
Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co Philadelphia
Center City / Rittenhouse
Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. is Philadelphia's most celebrated craft cocktail bar — a Rittenhouse speakeasy consistently ranked among America's best cocktail bars that presents extraordinary cocktails in the most beautifully designed bar interior in Pennsylvania. Its consistent recognition in national top-100 bar lists, its extraordinary cocktail program, and its role in establishing Philadelphia as one of America's serious cocktail cities make it the flagship of Philadelphia's acclaimed bar culture.
Round Corner Cantina Philadelphia
Northern Liberties
Round Corner Cantina is one of Philadelphia's most beloved neighborhood bars — a Northern Liberties taco bar with outstanding margaritas and tequila selection that has become a gathering place for the creative and artistic community of one of Philadelphia's most rapidly evolving neighborhoods. Its extraordinary value proposition (exceptional food and drinks at genuinely affordable prices in a city known for its value dining culture) and its community spirit make it one of Northern Liberties' most beloved establishments.
Varga Bar Philadelphia
Midtown Village
Varga Bar is Philadelphia's most celebrated LGBTQ+ bar and cocktail destination — a Washington Square West establishment serving the Gayborhood community with exceptional cocktails, craft beers, and pin-up art in one of the most welcoming bar atmospheres in Philadelphia. Philadelphia's Gayborhood (one of the oldest established LGBTQ+ neighborhoods in the United States) and Varga's consistent quality create the most beloved LGBTQ+ bar experience in Pennsylvania.
Ranstead Room Philadelphia
Center City West
Ranstead Room is Philadelphia's most beloved speakeasy — a Center City cocktail lounge hidden in a Rittenhouse alley presenting extraordinary cocktails in the most genuinely intimate and exclusive drinking environment in Pennsylvania. Its hidden location (accessible only if you know the address), its extraordinary cocktail craftsmanship, and its reputation among Philadelphia's bar community as the city's finest cocktail experience make it one of the most sought-after bar destinations in the mid-Atlantic.
Yards Brewing Philadelphia
Northern Liberties
Yards Brewing is Philadelphia's most beloved craft brewery — a Northern Liberties taproom producing the famous Philadelphia Pale Ale, Brawler Pugilist Style Ale, and Thomas Jefferson's Tavern Ale (recreated from a historic recipe) that have made Yards synonymous with Philadelphia craft beer quality. The brewery's extraordinary connection to Philadelphia history and its role in establishing the Northern Liberties neighborhood as a craft beer destination make it one of Pennsylvania's most culturally significant beverage establishments.
Standard Tap Philadelphia
Northern Liberties
Standard Tap is Philadelphia's most influential neighborhood gastropub — a Northern Liberties establishment that pioneered the American craft beer bar concept when it opened in 1999, serving exclusively Pennsylvania craft beers alongside outstanding food sourced from local farms. Its role in launching Philadelphia's extraordinary gastropub culture and its consistent presentation of outstanding Pennsylvania craft beers have made it one of the most historically significant bars in American craft beer history.
The Franklin Bar
Rittenhouse Square
The Franklin Bar is one of Philadelphia's most acclaimed craft cocktail bars — an intimate basement speakeasy below an otherwise unremarkable address in Rittenhouse Square. The bartenders are widely considered among the best in the city, and the drinks list changes regularly to reflect seasonal ingredients and classic techniques. A must-visit for cocktail enthusiasts making the AC corridor trip.
Monk's Café Philadelphia
Center City / Rittenhouse
Monk's Café is one of America's most important Belgian beer bars — a Center City Philadelphia institution that helped establish American appreciation for Belgian ales through its extraordinary tap and bottle list and its famous mussel frites. Its consistent recognition as one of the best beer bars in America, its extraordinary connection to Belgian brewing culture, and its role in educating a generation of Philadelphia beer drinkers make it one of the most historically significant beer bars in the United States.