Hop Sing Laundromat
Though the cocktails are clever, delicious and prepared and served with panache and pomp, the true genius of Hop Sing is the theatre: It's a faux speakeasy in Chinatown, with an unmarked door whose bell must be rung. The single-named proprietor Lée will open the door and judge your dress: no sneakers, no T-shirts, and certainly no shorts. Should you pass muster, you will be led to an anteroom where you will be tongue-in-cheekily lectured about the house rules; no cellphone conversations, no talking, cash only, etc. Then, and only then, are you led into the bar – think super-opulent faculty lounge at Hogwart's – where you are made to feel welcome. It's an experience as much as it's a cocktail.
• 1029 Race Street, hopsinglaundromat.com. Open nightly 5pm-2am
Trestle Inn
With burlesque girls adorning the dark walls and as fine and varied a selection of whiskeys as you will encounter anywhere in the city, The Trestle Inn quickly became a new favourite when it reincarnated two years ago (It was, in its previous incarnation, one of the city's most famously shady strip bars). On the far corner of a block that looks sketchier than it actually is, the Trestle Inn is more than just a whiskey-a-go-go: stop in for a local IPA, or one of those fancy drinks where they set light to the orange oil.
• 339 North 11th Street, +1 267 239 0290, thetrestleinn.com. Open nightly 5pm-2am
Eulogy
Twenty-two tap lines and almost 400 other bottles and cans alone don't make Eulogy a must on your Philadelphia drinking list. It is your server's ability to divine your tastes and, like a boozy Virgil, guide you to the right beer for your palate. Serving this vast selection since before vast selections were cool, Eulogy's beers are complimented by excellent pub food, including delicious Belgian-style fries and a big steaming pot of mussels – not to be missed.
• 136 Chestnut Street, +1 215 413 1918, eulogybar.com. Open Mon-Wed 5pm-2am, Thur-Sun
11am-2am
The Twisted Tail
The Twisted Tail in Headhouse Square not only features great food by new head chef, Leo Forneas, and local and national blues at the juke joint upstairs, but the bar manager Matt Deutsch is always cruisin' for an infusion. Along with a comprehensive whiskey list that currently exceeds 90 varieties, Deutsch is always offering a couple of seasonal in-house infusion cocktails, like The Rubino Rosemary Vodka or Blueberry Gin. Whether you sit at the old wooden back bar or take your cocktail upstairs to sip while you listen, the charcoal grill bar menu items (such as the grilled octopus) pair nicely with whiskey and song.
• 509 South 2nd Street, +1 215 558 2471, thetwistedtail.com. Open Mon-Sat 11am-2am, Sun 10am-2am
Bob and Barbara's
The birthplace of the "Citywide Special" – an ice-cold can of Pabst Blue Ribbon and a shot of Jim Beam, now available almost anywhere in town – Bob and Barbara's is ground zero for this local "happy meal". Always a crowded but friendly dive, owner Jack Prince bought the joint next door several years ago and knocked out a wall, so that now you can even sit down, enjoy the dusty PBR ads on the wall or, even better, listen to live music. If you go on a Thursday, you'll catch the best drag show in town.
• 1509 South Street, +1 215 545 4511, bobandbarbaras.com. Open daily 3pm-2am
Sassafras
Sassafras has all of the cosy 1920's charm of a prohibition-era speakeasy, with none of the pretence of Franklin Mortgage or Hop Sing (since the 21st amendment removed the need for such). A long, thin room in a very accessible part of Old City, friendly bartenders in waist aprons and black ties pull pints and mix cocktails behind an antique, dark cherrywood bar. There are half a dozen tables in the back where speciality burgers of bison or ostrich can be washed down with IPAs and bitters both local and imported.
• 48 South 2nd Street, +1 215 925 2317, sassafrasbar.com. Open Mon-Thur 5pm-2am, Fri 3pm-2am, Sat-Sun 12pm-2am
Barcade
With 25 lines on tap, Barcade is sure to have a beer for you. Between sips, you can place that beer on specially designed stands that reside here, next to each of the dozens of classic video arcade games of your youth (or maybe your older brother or sister's youth.) Were you a Zaxxonomist? A Centepedestrian? Perhaps a Pac-Maniac? Barcade has you covered. If you thought those games were fun after school, try them as an adult … while drunk.
• 1114 Frankford Avenue, +1 215 634 4400, barcadephiladelphia.com. Open Mon-Thurs 4pm-2am, Fri-Sun noon-2am
Bottle Bar East
Bottle Bar on Frankford Avenue describes its beer selection as "omnipotent" and that's only a slight exaggeration. Hundreds of different beers line the back room walls like wallpaper and are available to imbibe on the spot or to purchase individually for take out; which is a much rarer thing than you'd think, as Pennsylvania liquor laws are mostly relics imposed in the 1930s by temperance heads, still sore about the repeal. The space is open and casual with football tables and TVs broadcasting the games. Casual fun, and not to be missed, Bottle Bar is a great addition to the ever-blossoming Fishtown neighbourhood.
• 1308 Frankford Avenue, +1 267 909 8867, bottlebareast.com. Open daily noon-2am
Bike Stop
A gay bar called Woody's is and has been the staple dance club of Philly's (self-named) Gayborhood for decades. But The Bike Stop, a leather bar tucked up on tiny Quince Street, is truly a much more fun experience. The Bike Stop has the grungy decor you would expect, and serves cheap beer in big mugs to leather-clad gentlemen. Though intimidating looking, to a man everyone has always been super friendly and, with four floors, the place is huge. Its parties are as legendary, as they are fun, though you might wanna stay out of the downstairs bar unless you take this sort of thing very, very seriously.
• 206 S Quince Street, +1 215 627 1662, thebikestop.com. Open Mon-Fri 4pm-2am, Sat-Sun 2pm-2am
Johnny Brenda's
All of the beer served at JB's is brewed within a 100-mile radius of Philadelphia. Not so for the music presented (almost) every night upstairs. Among the labyrinth that is Johnny Brenda's, the big room can fit a few hundred folks, including balcony viewing where weekly, the venue hosts local, regional and national touring acts. The food is excellent but, on show nights, you might want to eat early. The servers and bartenders can help you navigate all the local brews and then maybe you'll stick around for the show. If the band that night isn't your thing, you can drink quite pleasantly in the front bar, or mosey over to one of the other Fishtown bars in this great neighbourhood in the City of Neighbourhoods.
• 1201 Frankford Avenue, +1 215 739 9684, johnnybrendas.com. Open daily 11am-2am
When not editing the Philadelphia bar and restaurant blog Phoodie.info, Adam Brodsky is a touring folk singer and minor league baseball superfan
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