McGlinchey’s Employees Say the Bar Is Closing Forever (Updated)

The Philadelphia dive bar McGlinchey’s, which is closing on Friday. (Photo by Michael Cramer via Flickr/Creative Commons)

Update: As of August 21st, some prominent potential buyers have lined up for McGlinchey’s. You can click on this link to read the full story.

[Ed. Note: After we reported that McGlinchey’s was closing for good, a report based on what McGlinchey’s employees told us, the Philadelphia Business Journal published this piece in which the owner of McGlinchey’s states that he intends to sell the bar and that he does plan to close temporarily for vacation — but not for good. The owner has not responded to our request for comment that we made on Sunday. We guess time will tell exactly what the future of this institution is.]

Original story:

Philadelphia dive bar lovers have a reason to mourn: McGlinchey’s is closing its doors forever on Friday.

A source inside McGlinchey’s, who asked to remain anonymous, gave us the bad news late Sunday afternoon. And the bartender on duty on Sunday confirmed the closure, saying, “Our last day is this Friday, so tell everybody to come in when they still can.” The reason for the closing of McGlinchey’s is reportedly simple enough: There’s just not enough business to sustain it.

In 2013, Philly Mag named McGlinchey’s “the best dive bar of them all.” Back then, drinks were cheap, service sometimes leaned into the surly, the bathrooms were covered in graffiti and more than a little scary to newcomers both for their perceived filth and their claustrophobic nature, the jukebox was louder than it had to be, hot dogs were for sale, and McGlinchey’s was about as smoky as could be imagined. In 2025, well, not much about any of that has changed. And I’m pretty sure there are no other bars in Center City, other than private clubs, where you can still smoke. (If I’m wrong about that, let me know!)

There’s no word yet on what is going to take the place of McGlinchey’s once the bar closes on Friday. But one thing is almost certain: If it is a bar, you won’t be able to smoke there. The smoking exemption that McGlinchey’s enjoys through a grandfather clause cannot extend to a new owner, according to the law that bans smoking in Philadelphia bars.

You can read all about the history of McGlinchey’s in this fascinating Hidden City piece from 2013. You can also check out the 2009 photo book The Regulars, which documented the customers at McGlinchey’s and received accolades from the New York Times.

My own history with McGlinchey’s dates back to the mid-1990s. Within minutes of ordering my first drink there upon that first visit shortly after my 21st birthday, I managed to get screamed at by the nasty bartender and then someone spilled a beer on me. On a subsequent visit, a bartender hit me in the eye with an ice cube. Oh, and on that same visit, a young woman puked on my shoe. But I’ll still miss the damn place.