Philadelphia’s Best Bars

Our 85 favorite places to start a tab

For us here at Philly Mag, writing about drinking is a little bit like writing about art: We might not know precisely what art is, but we sure as hell know what we like.

What’s more, we know what you like. And what you like is, well … everything. You like swank lounges and honest dives. You like the soft anonymity of hotel bars, the comfort of a street-corner neighborhood joint, and the raucous community of a sports bar on game day. You like gay bars and wine bars, gin mills, Irish pubs, British pubs, gastropubs and everything in between. And in this package, we cover them all.

We’ve spent three months drinking our way through Love City, and what you’ll find in the following pages are our thoughts on all of our favorite bars in Philly and beyond—what we love specifically about each and every one. We’re also choosing Philadelphia’s new signature cocktail; calling an end to the love affair with pre-Prohibition drinking; offering tips on how to cure a hangover and fake your way through a wine tasting; and hoping to inspire you to a little bit of historically Philadelphian lawlessness with instructions on how to become a modern moonshiner.

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to dive right in. — Edited by Jason Sheehan

To see our list of Philadelphia’s best bars, click here.