Bar Crawl: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The City of Brotherly Love has one of the country's best bar scenes — here are 8 of our favorite places to get a drink.
Welcome to the weekend!
In today’s newsletter, we’re taking you to some of our favorite bars in Philly for the latest installment in our popular Bar Crawl series. This is a serious drinking city and we’ve put together a list of our eight favorite spots, which serve everything from Japanese-influenced cocktails to citywides, for you to check out on your next trip to town.
In a new feature, Wish You Were Here, we’re also sending a dispatch from a few standout places we visited for the first time on our recent trip to Portland, Oregon. (Turns out Portland is a serious drinking city as well.)
Also, be sure to download this month’s Featured Field Guide to McMinnville & Oregon Wine Country, a three-day itinerary that features all our favorite places to eat and drink in the area. From fancy lunches at winery tasting rooms to Neapolitan pizza, our guide covers the best of the region. All our Field Guides are included in a paid subscription, or can be purchased individually on our website.
Before we log off for the weekend, we’ve put together a Weekend Reading List for you, featuring cheesesteaks in New York City, barbecue in Kansas City, and a road trip through the South Carolina Lowcountry.
Thanks for reading!
— Amy Cavanaugh & Kenney Marlatt
“The Gang Goes Out for Cocktails”
PHILADELPHIA, PA. — Philadelphia’s food scene has been garnering lots of love lately, and rightly so - every time we visit, we have absolutely fantastic meals. But on every visit, we also have fantastic cocktails, and pay visits to fun wine bars and dives. For the latest installment in our Bar Crawl series, we’ve picked out eight great spots for a drink in Philadelphia. Whether you’re feeling freezer Sazeracs or non-alcoholic Penicillins, citywides or happy hour wines, our list will steer you to the right bar stool.
Want our Philadelphia restaurant recommendations? Head right here.
COCKTAIL BAR
Almanac
Why you should go: A dark, cozy Japanese-influenced cocktail bar tucked above Ogawa Sushi & Kappo (walk into the restaurant and check into the host stand), Almanac features well-crafted drinks from Danny Childs and Rob Scott. Cocktails include both Japanese and locally foraged ingredients and draw on classic builds. Two favorites: The Kasugai Sour is a fresh take on a daiquiri with barley shōchū, Midori, yuzu, lime, and Calpico, while the Juban District is a Manhattan with Japanese whisky and Scotch along with Nocino, Japanese vermouth, umeshu, and bitters. Be sure to make a reservation and request a bar seat so you can chat with Scott while he stirs and shakes your cocktails.
What to get: Juban District, Kasugai Sour
310 Market St, Philadelphia | @almanacphilly
COCKTAIL BAR
R&D Cocktail Bar
Why you should go: An industry-favorite hangout, R&D offers well-crafted crowd-pleasers like a mulled wine cosmo, freezer martinez, and paloma milk punch. The team puts the same thought into their non-alcoholic offerings, and there’s a particularly nice non-alcoholic penicillin. The vibe is low-key and comfortable, and there’s also a menu of easy snacks like smash burgers, hummus, and arancini if you’re feeling peckish.
What to get: N/A Penicillin
1206 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia | @rd_philly
RESTAURANT BAR
Middle Child Clubhouse
Why you should go: The rare place that we’re just as quick to send you for breakfast (don’t miss Olivia's big pancake!) as for cocktails, Middle Child Clubhouse is an all-day local favorite hangout. Try drinks like the Seawater Margarita, a savory celery-laden take on the classic; the MidKid Vieux Carre, an inspired version made with whiskey, brandy, amaro, and Benedictine; or a chai-enhanced espresso martini. The food menu is terrific, so no matter when you visit, be sure to grab a bite - the okonomiyaki-style latke, dressed with unagi sauce, Kewpie mayo, pickled ginger, and scallions, makes for a fine drinking snack.
What to get: Seawater Margarita, latke
1232 N Front St, Philadelphia | @middlechildclubhouse
WINE BAR
Superfolie
Why you should go: This breezy wine bar offers a fun array of vino by the glass along with cocktails like a freezer martini and draft Negroni. There’s a daily happy hour (held 4 to 6 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 3 to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday) with excellent deals (we drank $8 pours of riesling during our visit). A snack menu includes Mediterranean-ish plates like charred eggplant yogurt or merguez with cornichons and Dijon.
What to get: Wines by the glass
1602 Spruce St, Philadelphia | @superfoliephl
RESTAURANT BAR
The Lovers Bar at Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Why you should go: A must-visit for both drinks and dinner, Friday, Saturday, Sunday is an anchor of Philly’s Rittenhouse neighborhood and works as both a special occasion destination spot and local favorite bar. Arrive promptly at 4:40 p.m. so you can be in the first wave of folks let in, then work your way through noted barman Paul MacDonald’s terrific cocktails. Take his carousel cocktail menu for a spin to see how he uses the Fibonacci sequence to create balanced drinks. When you feel hungry, you can order a la carte plates or a tasting menu from chef-owner Chad Williams. There are no misses, though we especially love the shrimp cocktail and octopus dishes.
What to get: Fibonacci cocktails, shrimp cocktail
261 S 21st St, Philadelphia | @friday.saturday.sunday
NEIGHBORHOOD BAR
Poison Heart
Why you should go: Poison Heart is a cozy, dimly lit spot that makes a nice place for a nightcap. Drinks are affordably priced at $14. Order the freezer Sazerac, made with rye, demerara, and bitters; a rhum agricole painkiller; or the bittersweet Daniella, a Dr. Pepper-amaro highball (as great as it sounds). The service is friendly and there’s also a simple snack menu, in case you want to end the night with a Lillet creme brulee.
What to get: Freezer Sazerac, Daniella
931 Spring Garden St, Philadelphia | @poisonheartbar
COCKTAIL BAR
A. Bar
Why you should go: For more than a decade, a.bar has been home to some of Philadelphia’s best drink makers. They don’t take reservations, so it’s perfect for happy hour or a nightcap. Try Somebody’s Gotta Do It, a stirred Saturn with gin, lime cordial, passion fruit, falernum, and sherry or the Ocular Patdown, a tequila soda with Braulio, Bonal, rosemary, and yuzu. If you need a snack, food is available from sister restaurant a.kitchen next door. Small plates include the classic chickpea panisse or oysters with jardiniere mignonette. For something larger, try the beautiful ricotta rosette.
What to get: Somebody’s Gotta Do It, chickpea panisse
1737 Walnut St, Philadelphia | @a.barphilly
DIVE BAR
Bob & Barbara’s Lounge
Why you should go: You can stop in at most any bar in Philadelphia and order a “Citywide.” This is the local shorthand for Citywide Special, a beer and shot combo that’s most often a can of PBR and a shot of Jim Beam. The slang term got its start decades ago here at Bob and Barbara’s, where the order is known more simply as “The Special.” Bob and Barbara’s is cash-only, and known for their Thursday night drag shows and live jazz music. No matter the night, they keep the party going until 2 a.m.
What to get: The Special
1509 South St, Philadelphia | @bobandbarbs
New Favorites in Portland, Oregon
PORTLAND, ORE. — After our trip to Oregon wine country, we made sure to set aside some time to explore Portland, a city we are especially fond of. Since our last visit, there are a number of standout new openings that should be on your radar.
For starters, we’ll go anywhere that Jeffrey Morganthaler is making cocktails, and his latest spot, Pacific Standard, is the breezy lobby bar at the Kex hotel. We loved the easy-drinking strawberry rhubarb Aperol spritz, which was perfect for a spring afternoon; the Richmond Gimlet, with Tanqueray gin and mint cordial; and the bloody Mary with Deep Eddy vodka, house bloody mary mix, and a pickle.
We were thoroughly impressed with Too Soon, Nick Flower and Adam Robinson’s new bar, which offers an extensive menu of house drinks, expert dealer’s choice offerings, clever snacks, and free cookies at closing time. For menu drinks, we loved the melon and pandan highball and the dirty martini with blue cheese-washed vodka. But Flower, who worked at New York’s Little Branch and Middle Branch, is also masterful at fielding dealer’s choice requests, so see what classics he can pull out for you — he made us a low-alcohol Negroni with Bruto Americano, Lo-Fi Gentian Amaro, and blanc vermouth. It was outstanding.
Finally, Gregory Gourdet’s Haitian spot, Kann, is the hottest ticket in town (you will need a reservation but don’t panic — we had no issues securing two chef’s counter seats. Just plan in advance!). Gourdet won back-to-back James Beard Awards in 2023 and 2024 for his work here, and it shows — the food is exceptional. Get the griyo, Haiti’s signature pork dish, which comes with chunks of twice-cooked pork, pikliz (Haiti’s pickle condiment), avocado, and fried plantains. The jerk cauliflower and peanut creamed greens were also standouts.
Download All Our McMinnville Recommendations
Ready to plan your trip to Oregon wine country? Our full list of favorites is available in our Field Guide to McMinnville & Oregon Wine Country — free for paid subscribers! This 44-page dining guide includes a curated three-day itinerary with more than two dozen recommendations for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks. It’s downloadable for offline reading, includes Google Maps and Instagram links, and is formatted for your phone — perfect for easy reference on your next trip.
Paid subscribers can download a free copy from our website by using the code found in this month’s Weekend Getaway newsletter. Plus: As a paid subscriber, you can use the code to get any other Field Guide you’d like, free of charge!
SOUTH CAROLINA
A Visit to South Carolina's Lowcountry: “South Carolina's coast, made up of islands, marshes, deltas, rivers, and small towns, is known as the ‘Lowcountry’ because so much of it lies close to sea level. But to think of this term as merely geographical is a bit too literal for my taste,” writes Tayari Jones in Travel + Leisure. “I’ve lived in Atlanta most of my life, and though South Carolina is only one state away, it has a distinct, complex history that has always fascinated me. As a Southerner, I also understand things operate on more than one frequency. Sure, the topography may be low, but there is also a feeling that there are hidden histories beneath the surface.” Jones explores the area’s haunting history, goes crabbing in the Ashley River, and stops in at Linnette’s for dinner. I’ll have the collard green hushpuppy with chili remoulade, please.
MISSOURI
A Kansas City BBQ Road Trip Roundup: Ryan Cooper wrote about some recent BBQ stops in Kansas City over at
. Standouts included the Korea-meets-Kansas mashups at Smoke-n-Seoul, burnt ends from Jazzy B’s BBQ, brisket from Wolfepack BBQ, and more.NEW YORK
Bradley Cooper Makes an Awfully Good Cheesesteak: “The important thing to know about Danny & Coop’s, the new Philly-cheesesteak restaurant in the East Village co-owned by Bradley Cooper, of the piercing blue eyes and the considerable acting-directing chops, is this: the cheesesteak is good. It’s very good.” So begins a love letter from
to the celebrity-backed, shoebox-sized sandwich shop that recently opened in the East Village. But the key partner in Danny & Coop’s isn’t Coop. It’s Danny. That’s Danny DiGiampietro, of Angelo’s Pizzeria in Philadelphia, a restaurant that has reshaped that city’s fabled cheesesteak scene. The lines are long at both establishments, but importantly the spread of quality cheesesteaks like these is likely going to relegate the flavorless old guard sandwiches to the culinary history books. I, for one, welcome our new Cooper Sharp overlords.— Compiled by Kenney Marlatt
Want more? Chat with us on Substack, download our Field Guides, check out our archives, or follow us on Instagram @americanweekender. We’ll be back next week.
Thanks, Jolene!
Thank you for the shoutout!!