Take a tour of Philadelphia through its classic watering holes.

For our updated 2011 list of Philly’s best bars, click here. Also, take a peek at Foobooz’s Top 50 Bars, a list curated by a diverse panel of Philadelphia’s drinking scene. 

You are about to take a tour of Philadelphia through its watering holes, from the classiest place in town that’s just a few steps off a gritty South Philly street, to a seemingly generic Jersey bar that manages to intoxicate a dry town (and Bobby Clarke), to the dive bar that started serving liquor at 7 a.m. in 1938 and still does so today. These places could only exist in and around our town, each with its own story to tell about us.

Click here for a slideshow of the 36 best bars in Philadelphia and the suburbs, listed alphabetically.