The Best Places to Day-Drink in Philadelphia

Long summer days are the perfect time to spend an afternoon imbibing. Here are our favorite spots.

Frankford Hall | Photo by Ted Nghiem

Welcome to day drinking season. The days are long and the sun is bright, and it’s the best time of the year to spend a Saturday afternoon hitting the bar. Any day-drinking fan knows there are four major elements you’re looking for: drink specials to keep it affordable, comfortable seating since you’re in it for the long haul, plenty of space so you don’t get rushed out, and a good selection of snacks. Bonus points for fun activities. Here are some of our favorite places in the city that hit one or more of these categories.

Dock Street WestWest Philly
Dock Street West has the double appeal of a brewery (where it’s socially acceptable to spend hours drinking in the middle of the day) and a restaurant (where we would normally not recommend you day-drink, since they want to sell food). Luckily, the food at Dock Street West ranges from snacks (fried mozzarella and buffalo cauliflower bites) to 100 percent meal-worthy burger and pizzas.

The Lawn at Loveluck | Photo by Bondfire Media

The Lawn at LoveLuckCenter City
This summer pop-up by Safran-Turney Hospitality includes over 9,000 square feet of LOVE Park, so it’s perfect for a big group, especially if that group includes friends or family visiting the city. It’s ideal for groups of all ages, with plenty of snackable food, beer, wine and cocktails, plus lawn games and sandboxes for kids.

Frankford HallFishtown
Frankford Hall has the feeling of an adult playground: the beers are comically huge (as are the pretzels) and there are tons of activities: corn hole, ping pong, and foosball are sure to keep you occupied in between drinking (the other all-important activity).

Parc, Rittenhouse Square
Every now and then, when the weather is perfect and you just want to feel extra Philly, we are overcome with the need to go to Parc and sit facing Rittenhouse Square, drinking one too many cocktails, eating fries, and loving the city in a very cliché, expensive kind of way. We recommend you try it.

 

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American Sardine BarNewbold
No matter the seasons, day drinking in American Sardine Bar’s side patio is lovely. In the winter, they set up fire pits to keep you toasty, and in the summer their (comfy!) lawn chairs feel perfectly appropriate for a sorta urban-beach vibe. It’s easy to wile away an afternoon sampling through their beer and cocktail selection, snacking on fries, pimento cheese, and of course, sardine sandwiches.

Fountain PorterEast Passyunk
Day drinking is best in a big group, and a big group means lots of preferences. When you can’t decide between a wine bar and a brewery, head to Fountain Porter, where the natural wine snobs can get their Georgian oranges and the beer drinkers will be satisfied by a lengthy list of draughts and bottled options.

Nunu/Cheu, Fishtown
Under-appreciated fact: Nunu and Cheu (which now operate from the same menu) has a weekend happy hour running on Saturdays from 3-5 p.m. and Sundays from 4-6 p.m. They do a handful of drink specials, including a dollar off their excellent highballs, and do a bunch of discounted food options, including furikake cheese fries and their crunchy spicy tuna roll.

 

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The Garagemultiple locations
The Garage has two locations: one in Fishtown, across from Joe’s Steaks, and one just a few blocks south of the Italian Market, right on the corner between Pat’s and Geno’s — which means BYO cheesesteaks, should you so please. Spend the day people-watching, working your way through their immense beer selection, and playing pool, skee ball, and pin ball.

Sunset Social, University City
Situated on top of a twelve story building just over the river in University City, Sunset Social has some of the best views in the city. It’s also the only bar in the city with a dog park, so bring your pooch for any afternoon of frozen cocktails, city views, and maybe a hot dog or two.

Landing KitchenBala Cynwyd
The Landing Kitchen’s riverside patio is the perfect spot to spend an afternoon with a group of friends. Graze your way through Nick Elmi’s menu of perfect any time toasts, salads, sandwiches and canned cocktails.