Cavanaugh’s

Bar #31: Cavanaugh’s, 39th and Sansom

It apparently hasn’t snowed enough this winter in Philadelphia, because Emily and I found ourselves in the midst of yet ANOTHER storm as we tried to plan our next destination. We settled on Cavanaugh’s (Cav’s as it’s generally known) because of its convenient location right in the center of campus and the fact that neither of us had ever been. This seems to be a common trend among the Penn crowd; for whatever reason, Cav’s is more popular among Drexel students, which doesn’t really make sense because their campus is much further away. At any rate, we walked in and sat down at the bar, then ordered two margaritas. This may seem like a questionable choice for being at a sports bar, but there was a $5 special until midnight and we couldn’t really turn that down.

Enjoying Thursday night margarita specials at Cav's

Our margaritas were surprisingly tasty and also quite potent, definitely helping us warm up from the snow. In terms of décor, we were impressed by the huge number of television screens lining the walls—there were probably at least 50 of them total! Cav’s would be a fun place to watch a major sporting event, although you’d have trouble picking a screen to focus on. Also worthy of note was the DJ, who did a much better job of mixing songs than the guy over at Smoke’s.

Note the reversal of roles in terms of nail color

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why Cav’s isn’t more popular at Penn. It might have something to do with the drunken bar fights you often see outside the door while walking by, which definitely contributes to our sketchiness rating below. If you live in University City, though, Cav’s is worth checking out for its convenient location and reasonable drink prices.

Cavanaugh's Ratings

The Bar Graph: Cavanaugh's

Remember how Emily said we’re gearing up for another ridiculous weekend? Yeah, she wasn’t kidding. Stay tuned.

—Brynn

Fergie’s Pub

Bar #30: Fergie’s Pub, 13th and Sansom

Welcome to part 2 of Emily-and-Brynn-successfully-locate-an-Irish-bar AND part 5 of 13th-and-Sansom-party! Seriously, though, this one isn’t tricky to find at all, so it would’ve been a problem if we got lost again. First off, I would like to give Fergie’s credit for authenticity. Granted, I’ve never been to Ireland, but I’m pretty confident that Irish bars aren’t painted green and covered in shamrocks. Fergie’s is what I’d imagine an actual pub in Ireland to look like. However, we unfortunately have never showed up to Fergie’s before around 1:30, and their last call is at 1:45. Lame.

A toast to barely making last call at Fergie's

This probably has a lot to do with showing up just before they close, but we were not particularly well regarded there. I’m personally not a big beer drinker, so I like asking for recommendations when I go out. I usually tell the bartender that something along the lines of “I like triples and Stella,” and when I told the waitress at Fergie’s that, her response was “Why don’t you just get a Stella then?” Because I want to try something that makes your establishment unique, ma’am. However, being in no mental state to argue, I went with a Stella ($4) while Brynn chose a La Rulles Belgian Triple ($5).

Whiskey and beer was the theme of the night

I think that, if I get the chance, I’d like to visit Fergie’s sometime before 10 minutes prior to last call. It has potential. Ultimately, though, it doesn’t currently get points for anything other authenticity.

Fergie's Pub Ratings

The Bar Graph: Fergie's Pub

We’re gearing up for another ridiculous weekend. Get excited.

<3
Emily

Moriarty’s

Bar #29: Moriarty’s, 11th and Walnut

After leaving Dirty Frank’s, we walked a few blocks north up to Moriarty’s, an Irish pub on 11th Walnut. We sat down at a round table near the back with three of our friends, and ordered wings, cheese fries (recurring theme alert!), and some beers: a Victory Golden Monkey for me ($7) and a Chimay for Emily ($6). The wings and fries definitely hit the spot, and our beers were tasty and refreshing.

Matching glasses at Moriarty's

In terms of authenticity, Moriarty’s fell somewhere between McGillin’s and Fado. It didn’t have the same sense of history as McGillin’s, but it also wasn’t a dance club disguised as an “Irish pub” like Fado. Since we were sitting at our own table, we didn’t really have a chance to interact with the rest of the crowd, but it seemed like most people were in their mid-20s, which was cool. Left to our own devices, we ended up having an intense conversation about the fonts on Moriarty’s menu. (A note to our readers: if you happen to find us at a bar, feel free to interrupt us if we’re talking about fonts, though be warned that we may attempt to teach you the difference between serifs and sans-serifs. We’re really cool, we swear.)

Golden Monkey and Chimay...sounds like a band name

Overall, Moriarty’s has tasty food, a great beer selection, solid service, and a fun atmosphere. It may not be the most authentic Irish pub of all time, but is definitely a cool place to hang out. Oh, and ten points to us for successfully locating an Irish bar!

Moriarty's Ratings

The Bar Graph: Moriarty's

—Brynn

Dirty Frank’s

Bar #28: Dirty Frank’s, 13th and Pine

Brynn and I continued our adventure with a stop at Dirty Frank’s this weekend, a bar that had been recommended to us by a variety of different sources. In light of recent events, I’m pretty proud of us for successfully finding this one, seeing as there is no name above the door:

Where ARE we?!

Dirty Frank’s had a really sweet vibe to it. It seemed a lot like a corrupted preschool, which is probably just because of the paper snow flakes hanging from the ceiling, which, as the bouncer informed me, were made at some kind of craft night they held. Brynn and I knew better than to expect specialty drinks, so we ordered our standard shots of Jameson ($5), a choice that proved for an…interesting rest of the night for me. Oh, we also inadvertently dressed like Christmas, which is completely irrelevant but kinda fun.

Yes, we realize we look like Christmas

Jameson as per usual

I was personally a big fan of Dirty Frank’s clientele. I got into a conversation with the guy next to me at the bar, asking him if we looked out of place (which we probably did) and for some of his bar recommendations. I also tried explaining my major to him, an ambitious endeavor when drunk because most people don’t get it when I explain it sober. The guy on the other side of me took it upon himself to invite us to some dance party that was starting around 3:30, but I’m not really sure what that was about. All in all, though, we had a great time! Cool conversations, great vibe, and relatively cheap drinks – Dirty Frank’s was a really chill experience.

Dirty Frank's Ratings

The Bar Graph: Dirty Frank's

Keep reading =)

<3
Emily

The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co.

Bar #27: The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., 18th and Sansom

A few days later, Emily and I were hanging out downtown in Rittenhouse Square and decided to visit a place called Bar Noir before going home. On our ever-expanding map of bars to check out, this one was supposedly at 18th and Sansom. When we got to that location, however, no Bar Noir was to be found. Oh no, not again! Apparently we are really bad at finding bars. This time it wasn’t our fault, though—according to a helpful bouncer outside a nearby club, Bar Noir closed recently was been replaced by the Franklin, which is stealthily hidden down a flight of stairs and doesn’t even have a sign on its door. (Hey Google, update your maps!) Thoroughly intrigued, we walked inside, and were surprised to find ourselves in a 20′s-style speakeasy-themed room. We sat down at a table by the bar and ordered drinks off of the Franklin’s awesome (though pricey) drink menu.

Whoa crazy lighting!

The bartenders at the Franklin reminded us a bit of those at Apothecary—they took their jobs very seriously and prepared our drinks with great care. After much deliberation, I finally decided on a “Newark” ($12), which was a slightly sweeter twist on a classic Manhattan. Emily, always a fan of mint, went with an Aperitivo Julep ($10), which was tasty and came in a cool glass (literally), but was a bit too high on the ice-to-drink ratio. It also looked like a potted plant, which amused us.

My "Newark" Manhattan and Emily's "Aperitivo Julep"

Our visit to the Franklin may have been unexpected, but it was a great find. We loved the speakeasy theme, and the drink menu was among the most creative we’ve seen so far. With an average price of $12, though, the drinks are too expensive to keep us coming back on a regular basis (not that we’d even have time for that), but we will certainly keep it in mind for special occasions.

The Franklin Ratings

The Bar Graph: The Franklin

As a side note, thanks to the commenter who pointed out that we were not, in fact, at McGlinchey’s a few weeks ago—we were at Top’s, which is upstairs! All future versions of the bar graph will say Top’s instead of McGlinchey’s, and we’ll also be sure to go back and visit the REAL McGlinchey’s sometime soon.

—Brynn

McGillin’s Old Ale House

Bar #26: McGillin’s Old Ale House, 13th and Sansom.

We did, in fact, make it to McGillin’s shortly after leaving Bar. (Fun fact: upon learning that we were at “Bar,” Brynn Googled “Bar Philadelphia” on her phone, and McGillin’s was the first result) We were still a bit thrown off by the entire experience, but definitely enjoying the 13th and Sansom party. “Come on Eileen” was playing when we went in, so that made us immediately pleased with our experience. The whole Irish theme seemed a little hokey, but I think they were going for fun rather than authentic. We headed to the bar and, knowing there would be no specialty drinks, ordered our go-to drinks: Jack and Cokes ($4).

Jack and cokes at McGillin's

Pretty standard

From my understanding, McGillin’s is a pretty classic Philadelphia establishment, and I’m not particularly surprised: it’s a really good space, has great service, fun people, and generally just a good time. Also it’s apparently been around since 1860, which is ridiculous. It didn’t particularly blow us away (esp. in the drinks department) but we enjoyed ourselves, which is the whole point. I’d recommend checking it out sometime.

McGillin's Olde Ale House Ratings

The Bar Graph: McGillin's Olde Ale House

More to come!

<3
Emily

Bar

Bar #25: Bar, 13th and Sansom

Emily and I left Time with a plan to check out McGillin’s, an Irish bar that was supposedly right around the corner. We did indeed find a bar right around the corner, and after reading the sign on the door that said “cash only motherf#ckers,” we assumed we were in the right place. We went inside and received further confirmation from the laminated menus at the bar, which include the following sections: “Beer,” “Hot Dogs,” “Cup Noodles,” and, perhaps best of all, “Hot Dogs + Cup Noodles.” For whatever reason, this was precisely what we expected from an Irish bar called McGillin’s. We sat down at the bar and ordered beers: a Bells Two Hearted for Emily and a PBC Walt Wit for me. I also convinced Emily to order a Cup Noodles, which was exactly what it claimed to be.

Beers at...?

Bells Two Hearted and PBC Walt Wit

About 15 minutes later, Emily was in the midst of an intense debate regarding the legitimacy of ordering extra maraschino cherries for a drink when the guy she was talking to claimed that the bar had only been open for two weeks. Still thinking we were at McGillin’s, we insisted that he was wrong. Well, TURNS OUT he wasn’t, though by now you probably saw that coming. We were, in fact, at the newly opened and questionably named “Bar (Drink About It).” In retrospect, it was a pretty cool place—the beer list had some great selections, there was an extremely entertaining movie playing called “Kung Fu Frenzy,” and the bartender was friendly and told us how to ACTUALLY get to McGillin’s when we left. At the time, though, we were completely disoriented…a bar called Bar? Really? I guess we’ll just have to “drink about” that one.

Bar Ratings

The Bar Graph: Bar

Did we manage to make it to McGillin’s, or would we stumble upon another unknown bar? Stay tuned to find out!

—Brynn

Time

Bar #24: Time, 13th and Sansom

Brynn and I then took a delightfully short walk over to Time for the second stop of 13th-and-Sansom party. We were greeted by a $5 cover (which apparently doesn’t exist until midnight, so take note) to which we thought “minus 5! …from our wallets.” Sometimes we think we’re funny, but we usually aren’t. We were then confronted with a decision between going left, right, or straight up the stairs. We went with the one that seemed the most familiar to us: the whiskey lounge to the right. Though Time has three different bars, they all have the same menu. Brynn and I both decided to branch out from our standard whiskey drinks – I went with a Champage cocktail with a sugarcube ($9), and Brynn chose an Absinthe and sparkling wine mix intriguingly named “Death in the Afternoon.”

'Time' for some stemmed glasses!

Note: Brynn wrote that caption.

Death in the Afternoon and a Champagne Cocktail

I would say this journey has been one of lessons for me. This time I learned that I hate Absinthe. It tastes like black licorice and is gross. But Brynn enjoyed it so that’s the more important part. My drink, on the other hand, was pretty good, but not worth $9. After sitting at the bar for a while, we decided to backtrack a bit and check out the absinthe lounge and restaurant. Going upstairs to the absinthe lounge was one of the more unexpected moments of our evening: Ke$ha was blasting (no complaints there), our favorite very drunk white people were dancing, and there was a disco ball. In terms of target audience age range, think Smokes < Time Absinthe Lounge < Fado. It was fun, but we were not nearly drunk enough for it. Then, for another complete change of gears, we checked out the restaurant to find a bunch of people in their late 30′s and some live jazz music. Ultimately, we were just amazed at the fact that these three different sections could coexist in the same building. Time gets +5 for being “choose your own vibe.”

Time Ratings

The Bar Graph: Time

Stay tuned to hear about the rest of the 13th-and-Sansom party!

<3
Emily

APO

Bar #23: APO, 13th and Sansom

The vicinity of 13th and Sansom in Center City is basically a lazy bar-goer’s dream: it’s home to at least ten different spots that we’ve counted so far, all located within a two-block radius of each other. Emily and I took advantage of this convenient intersection during the aftermath of yet ANOTHER February blizzard, starting out at APO. We were excited to discover $5 snowstorm drink specials, which were a great deal compared to the regular menu, where the cocktails ranged in price from $10 to $14. Emily ordered one of the specials, a vodka and grapefruit juice concoction called the “Sweet Louise” ($5), while I couldn’t resist APO’s description of their “Booty Collins” ($11): “A word of warning– not for the faint of heart, or hypertensive. Proprietors take no responsibility for bad decisions made.”

Drinks at APO

Emily got a stemmed glass and I didn't! Oh how the tables have turned!

The bartenders at APO prepared our drinks with extreme care and meticulousness, a process that was entertaining to watch but took a frustrating amount of time. We appreciate the attention to detail, but think they could benefit from a larger staff, especially on crowded weekend nights. The drinks, once we finally got them, were delicious—my citrus-infused gin drink was the perfect balance of sweet and sour, and Emily’s vodka cocktail was smooth and refreshing. Despite that warning on the menu, though, neither drink was especially potent. Ratings below…

APO Ratings

The Bar Graph: APO

While the service at APO may be slow, the vibe of the place is pretty cool the drinks are extremely creative and tasty—definitely worth the wait! More 13th-and-Sansom adventures to follow.

—Brynn

Raven Lounge

Bar #22: Raven Lounge, 17th and Sansom

Brynn and I then made our way to Raven Lounge, which we’d heard some cool things about. We entered to find a black room with neon paint splatters on the walls, which unfortunately was fairly empty because of the raging blizzard. Oh, and there were board games. Awesome. After making the very difficult decision between Jenga, Connect Four, and Battleship, Brynn and I chatted with the bartender about their specialty drinks: Champagne with Pop Rocks ($5) and alcoholic root beer floats ($5). Again, awesome. We ordered one of each:

Getting our game started with a toast

Root beer float and champagne with pop rocks!

We had a great time reliving our childhood in this new and corrupted way. I’m going to say the only bad part of the experience was that Brynn beat me in Battleship – fuck the submarine!

You sunk my battleship!

Raven lounge is a really chill place and somewhere I’d definitely like to return to. They seem to have a pretty awesome calendar of events, and it’d be cool to see the place when it’s actually full and not blizzard-ing outside. Definitely worth checking out.

Raven Lounge Ratings

The Bar Graph: Raven Lounge

Remember that its interactive when you click on it! Also, we had quite an eventful weekend, so stay tuned.

<3
Emily