Grace Tavern

Bar #49: Grace Tavern, 22nd and Grays Ferry

When we first started planning for this project, we didn’t know much about bars in the city, so one of the first sources we checked out was Philadelphia Weekly’s list of the Top 50 Bars in the city. A quick look at that link will tell you that Grace Tavern was chosen as the best bar in Philly, so Brynn and I were excited to check it out, especially with their high ranking of Good Dog, a personal favorite of ours. Upon first impression, Grace Tavern was pretty much a normal bar. That sentence is deceiving because it makes it sound like our first impression was wrong, but no, it basically stayed that way. Brynn and I grabbed a table with some friends and checked out their pretty extensive beer list. I’m still not a huge beer fan, so I went with something I knew I liked, the Monk’s Sour Ale ($6) while Brynn tried a Biere de Mars ($5).

Beers at Grace Tavern

Biere de Mars and Monk's Sour Ale

We (naturally) looked over the food menu and ordered some fries, which didn’t come with cheese, but instead a delicious spicy mayonnaise dip, which I believe is also from Monk’s Cafe. Our server, however, wasn’t particularly attentive and – I’m just going to say it – terrified me. He was this big, bald guy of few words, who didn’t seem to enjoy it too much when we asked questions about the beer. Also he made fun of me for trying to flag him down when we were ordering the fries. As for the decor/vibe, it had a very traditional bar feel, which was nice, but nothing special. All in all, we enjoyed ourselves, but I definitely wouldn’t tell someone that it’s the best bar in Philly. Still unsure about that ranking.

Grace Tavern Ratings

The Bar Graph: Grace Tavern

Our next one is pretty momentous! Be sure to keep reading. =)

<3
Emily

Rum Bar

Bar #48: Rum Bar, 20th and Walnut

Emily and I were pretty reluctant to leave Jolly’s, especially since a few of our song requests had yet to be played, but it was getting late and we wanted to hit at least one more bar before last call. We walked a couple of blocks over to Rum Bar on 20th and Walnut, a pirate-themed establishment that specializes in (wait for it) rum drinks. Emily and I generally aren’t big fans of rum, but were pleasantly surprised by the tastiness (and potency!) of the drinks we ordered: a Dark ‘n Stormy ($7) for Emily and a Caipirinha ($8) for me. By the way, in case you’re wondering (because I certainly was, and ordered my drink by pointing at the menu and saying “that one”), it’s pronounced ki-per-eenia. Now you know.

Rum drinks at the bar

Dark 'n Stormy and Caipirinha

The bartenders at Rum Bar are laidback and friendly, and their rum drinks are both tasty and strong, but overall the vibe of the place is a little weird. It’s usually pretty empty, even on Fridays and Saturdays, and the sparse crowd is a strange mix of 20-somethings who enjoy anything pirate-themed and locals who just want to stop by for a drink. The cocktail menu is also on the pricier side of things; while our choices were reasonable, the average price of a specialty drink at Rum Bar is probably closer to $9 or $10. I’d say it’s a place worth checking out if you really like rum and/or pirates, but otherwise, not really a favorite of ours.

Rum Bar Ratings

The Bar Graph: Rum Bar

That was about it for our Friday night, but more adventures from Saturday to come!

—Brynn

Jolly’s Dueling Piano Bar

Bar #47: Jolly’s Dueling Piano Bar, 20th and Chestnut

Brynn and I first saw this bar in a cab ride on one of our previous adventures, and then shortly after heard about it from a good friend of ours. Given that Penn kids were the only people to mention it to us and the generally bad taste of said Penn kids, we didn’t really expect it to be half as awesome as people were saying. But it was. The place has a great 1950′s concert hall theme and a well-executed decor to go with it. I particularly enjoyed the bunches of old microphones that hung above the tables like chandeliers. Brynn and I grabbed a booth with some friends and were pleased to find a delicious-looking (though expensive) list of original cocktails. After much deliberation, I chose a “Hound Dog” ($10), a yummy mix of Hound Dog Sweet Tea vodka and lemonade, and Brynn went with a “Smartie Pants” ($10), a tart drink with smarties in the bottom!

Chillin on the piano

Delicious drinks... and Brynn with her stemmed glass, as always

Ten dollars is more than I generally like to pay for cocktails, but these were SO worth it. It was easily one of the best drinks I’ve had since we’ve started this journey of ours. In addition to delicious drinks, the bar follows through on its promise of dueling pianos. I never would’ve thought two old guys would be the hit of the party, but they were fantastic, especially given our state of mind at the time. As seen in the above picture, one of them let us sit on his piano for the picture, which was super cool, and they take requests (for free… I only mention this because I’ve heard its not the case at other places) on your cocktail napkins. We had an awesome time and definitely think you should check this out at some point, especially if you’re into live music. But don’t plan on having more than one or two drinks with those prices.

Jolly's Dueling Piano Bar Ratings

The Bar Graph: Jolly's Dueling Piano Bar

Soclosetobarnumberfifty!

<3
Emily

New Deck Tavern

Bar #46: New Deck Tavern, 34th and Sansom

A few days after our adventure to South Philly, Emily and I took it easy for a night and hung out at New Deck for beers and Quizzo. Another Penn campus favorite, New Deck is a great place to meet up with friends for food or a drink (or both). There are free peanuts at the bar (always a plus), lots of TVs for watching sports, and a solid beer selection. Emily took advantage of the Wednesday night drink special and ordered a Yuengling for only $2, while I went with a personal favorite and got a Blue Moon for $5. Totally worth it for the orange slice.

Beers at New Deck

Blue Moon and Yuengling

Our one complaint about New Deck is that the space is pretty cramped, especially near the bar, and it can be hard to move around. We definitely recommend going with a group of friends and getting a table rather than standing at the bar. Also worthy of note is the daily food special: from 11pm to 1am every night, the entire menu is half price! Naturally, we ordered cheese fries and devoured them. Mmm cheese fries. Also, some ratings:

New Deck Tavern Ratings

The Bar Graph: New Deck Tavern

If you’re a Penn student and/or live in West Philly, you have no excuse not to check out New Deck. Also, we hope you enjoy the pretty rainbow of colors that is now the sketchy/awesome quadrant as much as we do! And as always, stay tuned for more bars. Further adventures ahead!

—Brynn

The Republican

Bar #45: The Republican, 17th and Snyder

While chatting about bars at Cantina, we heard several mentions of The Republican, an after-hours bar in the area that had been recommended to us before, but is pretty unsearchable because Googling “Republican Philadelphia” gets you results about politics. We headed over with a newly made friend who knew how to get us in, which was extremely necessary because the entrance was actually just a black door with NO sign at all. We headed in to a pretty dark, crowded area and made our way to the bar to get some Jack and Cokes ($4). We really need a new drink. Republican was another place where pictures weren’t allowed, but our friend quickly snapped this on his phone while the bartender yelled at us. Don’t tell.

You can see the angry bartender in the background

I had a really great time at the Republican. About 60% of this is due to the fact that while I was standing by the bar, I turned around and found a fluffy white puppy! He was awesome. And there was a stripper. Which was not so much part of why I had a really great time, but notable. Puppies and strippers – something for everyone! We grabbed a table in the back, and enjoyed our (pretty strong) drinks and conversation with our new friend from Cantina. Regardless of the puppy, Republican was a pretty sweet time. Definitely check it out if you can find it/get in. Also if you’re motivated and/or drunk enough to go all the way to 17th and Snyder.

The Republican Ratings

The (Interactive!) Bar Graph: The Republican

Keep up the reading/commenting!

<3
Emily

Cantina Los Caballitos

Bar #44: Cantina Los Caballitos, 12th and East Passyunk Avenue

Our next destination was the decidedly less sketchy Cantina Los Caballitos, a Mexican bar and restaurant that was a couple blocks away on 12th street. We walked in and were immediately impressed by the festive décor (check out those lights!) and upbeat vibe. Also, the servers were  all wearing lifeguard outfits, which was pretty cute. We both ordered the house specialty, plain margaritas ($5), which were delicious beyond words. They were the perfect combination of sweet and sour, and probably the best margaritas either of us had ever had. SO yummy!

Delicious margaritas at Cantina Los Caballitos

They were sooo tasty!

As we were taking the pictures shown above, a guy sitting at the bar (you can actually see him in the blue and white striped shirt) turned around and said “oh hey, bar for the course!” We chatted with him for a while about our blog, Philadelphia in general, and the respective merits of materials science engineering vs. chemical engineering. So yes, the theme of us having REALLY cool conversations in bars continues.

Overall we had a great time at Cantina, and we kind of want to go back to try a margarita in every flavor. Seriously, those drinks were amazing! South Philly may be out of the way for Penn students, but we highly recommend making the trip. You won’t be disappointed!

Cantina Los Caballitos Ratings

The Bar Graph: Cantina Los Caballitos

More to come…we’re approaching 50 bars, woo! Keep sending us your comments because we love reading them.

—Brynn

Dolphin Tavern

Bar #43: Dolphin Tavern, Broad and Tasker

So back in the day when BFTC was young and the bar graph had only 9 little dots on it (actually the 10Arts dot is effing huge), we got some publicity from local food blogs and were exposed to the thoughts of average Philadelphia blog commenters, who don’t particularly love Penn. Anyways, a certain group gave us a hard time for an admittedly harsh sketch rating of Johnny Brenda’s in Northern Liberties/Fishtown and decided that we needed to visit Dolphin in South Philly on a Friday night. Not wanting to let the internets down and eager to prove that we would not, in fact, “evaporate into a puff of smoke once south of Washington Ave,” as one commenter so kindly speculated, we made a point to pay Dolphin a visit.

Brynn and I, in the process of getting a group of friends together last Friday, stopped by Top’s to pick up some guys who were interested in checking out Dolphin with us. While we were there, we ran into the friends we met last time, who not only remembered us, but were really excited to see us again. They were particularly concerned, however, when we told them of our destination for the night, telling us that “dead people go into that bar.” Hearing this from regulars at Top’s, which is by no means a classy place, made us completely unsure of what was ahead of us.

Enough buildup for you? Dolphin was undeniably sketchy, but really not as bad as we thought it would be. At the very least, I can confidently tell you that no one in there was dead. The bar was long, with three strippers dancing on platforms in the middle of the bar, and there was more seating and pool tables further in the back. We sat down by one of the dancers and noticed that everyone had either a Bud or a Miller lite, so we each went with a Miller lite ($4).

Dolphin (can't think of good caption)

(Fun fact: you’re not supposed to take pictures with the girls in the background, a fact they informed us of after we snapped the above photo. You can vaguely see one of them behind Brynn if you look closely. Shhhh.)

One of two options

Given that both of us have received lap dances at a strip club in Vegas, the girls weren’t all that shocking to us. Everyone we talked to was really friendly too, and told us about other cool bars in the area. All in all, I think we were a bit underwhelmed by Dolphin, mostly because we’d heard so much about it before going. It’s a good place to check out for the novelty, but not really a place I’d consistently hang out. But if you like strippers and cheap beer, go for it.

Dolphin Tavern Ratings

The Bar Graph: Dolphin Tavern (Click for the fun interactive version!)

Exciting things ahead!

<3
Emily

McGlinchey’s

Bar #42: The REAL McGlinchey’s, 15th and Locust

So by now, I’m sure we’ve referenced it enough that you’re all very familiar with our original, failed attempt to visit McGlinchey’s back in February. Note: cold + drunk = entering the first bar possible without actually checking what it is. We decided, after our somewhat disappointing experience at Finn McCool’s, to give this another go because we had heard some awesome things about McGlinchey’s.

WE FOUND IT! Also: Sandwiches?

We were immediately very pleased with the feel of the place – it was big, had cool lighting thanks to some stained glass windows at the front, wasn’t crowded but didn’t feel empty, and played music at just the right volume, which is surprisingly rare. After taking a seat at the bar, we tried and failed to order Irish car bombs (we felt we should do at least ONE on St. Patty’s), so we reverted to our standard whiskey cokes ($5 each).

Jack and cokes at the REAL McGlinchey's

Festive St. Patrick's day nails!

Our favorite thing about this place were the people: everyone we talked to was really laid back and friendly. We got in a long discussion with a guy named Charlie (specifically pronounced Chah-lie) that started over song selection on a jukebox with a rather interesting variety. We also met a guy who engineers slot machines in AC and someone from the Ukraine who wanted to learn about American girls. We figure any place that attracts such a varied crowd is pretty awesome. McGlinchey’s is on the sketchier side (though you don’t know what we did with our weekend yet) with bathroom graffiti that rivals Mad4‘s in both creativity and vulgarity. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who just wants a simple drink, a laid-back atmosphere, and some awesome people.

McGlinchey's Ratings

The Bar Graph: McGlinchey's

We say this every week, but our weekend really was ridiculous. Stay tuned =)

<3
Emily

Finn McCool’s

Bar #41: Finn McCool’s, 12th and Sansom

While it might have been in the middle of the week, Emily and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check out a couple of Irish bars on St. Patrick’s Day. We started at Finn McCool’s in Center City, and were immediately surprised to discover that it WASN’T completely packed inside. Given that it was 11:30pm on St. Patrick’s Day at an Irish bar, this was extremely suspicious. We went to the bar hoping for some sweet specials, but the best our bartender could do was offer us $3 Miller Light Drafts and a pretty unfriendly attitude. Maybe he was just sick of dealing with drunk people all day, but still, he could have tried a little harder (seriously though, no drink specials?! on St. Patty’s day? at an Irish bar?). At any rate, we accepted our cheap beers in plastic glasses and sat down at the bar.

We kind of failed at getting the drinks in the photo this time

Miller Lights on St. Patrick's Day

Finn McCool’s didn’t really seem to have much going for it—the space was cramped and the crowd wasn’t particularly interesting or entertaining. The most exciting thing that happened while we there was when a person fell off their chair…and keep in mind that this was St. Patrick’s Day! We expected more excitement. On a slightly less relevant note, we also noticed that there is a typo in the name of the bar inside…it says “FINN MCOOL’S” above the mirror on the wall. We’re probably the only people who care, but felt it was worth pointing out.

Finn McCool's Ratings

The Bar Graph: Finn McCool's

We didn’t stick around Finn McCool’s for very long, because we were bored and also excited to continue on to our much-anticipated next destination. Any guesses for where we went next?

—Brynn

Legion

Bar #40: American Legion Penn Center Post 204, 39th and Chestnut

After leaving Blarney’s on Saturday, we met up with some friends who presented us with an interesting, thoroughly questionable opportunity to check out an after-hours bar only a block away. Our original thought was “Surely there isn’t a bar this close to us that we’re not already aware of!” But alas, our friend walked us to an unassuming building that we’d never thought to pay attention to before, labeled The American Legion, known to anyone attending the bar as simply “Legion” or sometimes “the pit.”

Who knew!

Now, when you hear the phrase “The American Legion” you think of the veterans club and old people who host luncheons. Or at least I do. And turns out that’s basically what this is. Veterans club by day, after hours bar by night. But it’s still a club, so they can refuse to let you in if they want. After ringing the doorbell and being approved by the “bouncer,” we entered a pretty large, bare room with a pool table, a juke box, and obviously a bar. With NO PEOPLE. Bars that open at 2 are weird. Nonetheless, we went to order a drink, and learned that they have a total of like 5 beers. And there are no standard well drinks, so if you want gin, its like… Tanqueray or nothing, which thoroughly amuses me. Following the cue of the friend who brought us there, Brynn and I each ordered an Amstel Light ($5).

Late-night at Legion!

Amstel Lights

So as we were sitting there, we noticed a live video feed to the front door. Some people were trying to get in, and the bartender asked if we knew them. Not really thinking anything of it, we told him that no, we didn’t know those people, and then he just didn’t let them in! This was ridiculous/hilarious to me since I would definitely NOT consider us any kind of authority on who should be admitted.

In spite of this, the bar began to fill up (with both people and cigarette smoke), and we had a pretty sweet time. Legion definitely attracts a much sketchier and varied crowd than the Penn bars only a block away (then again, almost every bar attracts a sketchier, more varied crowd than Penn bars), and we met some cool people. I’d say we’d go back sometime, but judging from our experience, that apparently is not up to us.

Legion Ratings

The Bar Graph: Legion

Stay tuned! St. Patty’s Day and a sure-to-be interesting weekend is ahead of us!

<3
Emily