Bok Bar and More Outdoor Drinking Spots Open This Week

Bok Bar opens this week for the season. / Photograph by Justin Oppus

With the city in bloom and this week’s temperatures reaching the 70s and 80s, it’s officially outdoor drinking season in Philly. Here are the openings (and re-openings) we’ve been awaiting all cold, dreary winter long. Get your spring wardrobe out of storage and consider your weekends planned.

Bok Bar

The beloved South Philly rooftop opens this Thursday, April 13th, with 29 weeks worth of chef partnerships and other events. For food, they’ve got seven month-long “kitchen takeovers” planned for 2023, including some of our favorite spots. Here’s the lineup so far:

• April: Small Oven Pastry Shop and Porco’s
• May: Tabachoy
• June: “Thaitalian” with Fiore Fine Foods and Kalaya
• July: Puyero
• August: TBA
• September: Jezabel’s
• October: TBA

In addition to the food collabs, Bok also has events planned, including  monthly performances by Best of Philly-winning Philly Drag Mafia (beginning on April 30th), salsa nights with DJs Big George and Veronica, and Sunset Yoga with Bok resident KG Strong (on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month).

Bok Bar is always dog-friendly; kids are allowed (with a caregiver) except for after sunset on Fridays and Saturdays, when admission is strictly 21-plus.

Parks on Tap

Parks on Tap / Photograph courtesy of FCM Hospitality

Back in 2016, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and FCM Hospitality conceived of a traveling beer garden series that would show off Philly’s many parks and neighborhoods while raising money for our green spaces. It’s been mostly stationary for the past few years due to COVID. But, for 2023, Parks on Tap is back to touring, popping up in a new location every week for 25 weeks. Regardless of the location, expect a laidback outdoor setting with beer, cocktails and snacks like pulled-pork sandwiches and elote. All seating is first come, first served; and, as always, kids and dogs are welcome. Remember to register in advance for (free) seasonal membership prior to entry.

Here’s the schedule:

• April 12th-16th: Azalea Garden (East Fairmount Park)
• April 19th-23rd: Columbus Square (South Philly)
• April 26th-30th: Pastorius Park (Chestnut Hill)
• May 3rd-7th: Penn Treaty Park (Fishtown)
• May 10th-14th: Matthias Baldwin Park (Logan Square)
• May 17th-21st: Campbell Square (Port Richmond)
• May 24th-29th: Clark Park (West Philly)
• May 31st-June 4th: Schuylkill Banks
• June 7th-11th: Shofuso (Fairmount Park)
• June 21st-25: Discovery Center (Strawberry Mansion)
• June 14th-18th: Dickinson Square Park (Pennsport)
• July 4th-9th: FDR Park (South Philly)
• July 12th-16th: Belmont Plateau (West Fairmount Park)
• July 19th-23rd: Gorgas Park (Roxborough)
• July 26th-30th: Pretzel Park (Manayunk)
• August 2nd-6th Burholme Park (Northeast Philly)
• August 9th-13th: Lemon Hill (Fairmount Park)
• August 16th-20th: Clark Park (West Philly)
• August 23rd-27th: Matthias Baldwin Park (Logan Square)
• August 30th-September 4th: Penn Treaty Park (Fishtown)
• September 6th-10th: Columbus Square (South Philly)
• September 13th-17th: Schuylkill Banks
• September 20th-24th: Dickinson Square Park (Pennsport)
• September 27th-October 1st: Strawberry Mansion Bridge

PHS Pop-Up Gardens

PHS pop-up in Manayunk / Photograph courtesy of Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

The PHS Pop-Up Gardens in Manayunk and on South Street opened for the season on April 1st. Both locations have lots of food, craft brews, cocktails, and activities, plant swaps and craft workshops throughout the spring and summer seasons. Also at both locations: Salads, sandwiches, vegan options, and a bright orange, frozen Gritty margarita rimmed with black salt. Not into drinking your favorite mascot? Look out for beer, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverage options, too.

Fringe Bar

👀 #sneakpeek 🤫 pic.twitter.com/DaLpZBoeDb

— FringeArts (@FringeArts) April 5, 2023

Replacing FringeArts’ La Peg, the new Fringe Bar will flow into the outdoor Haas Biergarten, offering views of the Delaware River and Ben Franklin Bridge alongside what they describe as “soulful pub cuisine” and “eclectic and funky beverage options.” What does that mean? Well, the menu ranges from burgers to sancocho to charcuterie and pimento cheese; drinks include beer, wine, and cocktails like Negronis and espresso martinis. Fringe Bar opens on April 13th with a weekend-long celebration including Quizzo with drag queen Eric Jaffe, dance parties, live-band karaoke, and music by The Funkitorium.

Bark Social

Bark Social’s outdoor area / Photograph by Daniel Stiles

Back in September, we told you about the dog-friendly sports bar/coffee shop/beer garden/dog park/retail store opening in the former Manayunk Diner space. Well, the “social club for dogs” will finally open on Monday, April 17th.

The indoor restaurant area will have a bar and cafe with seating — dogs aren’t allowed indoors, per the health code — as well as a retail shop. There’s also a covered patio with TVs, artificial turf for the dogs, and furniture for the humans (the tables are all high-tops, so the pups can’t swipe your snacks). The third section is a fully outdoor, off-leash dog park, with nighttime lighting, artificial grass maintained by employees they call the “Bark Rangers,” and a separate area for small dogs. The space has free wi-fi. Bark Social is membership-based, but you can get a free day pass on their website right now to try it out.