Hi Planning a day trip to Philadelphia next month. It's going to a day of tourist attractions, Art Museum/Rocky statue, the Market, the Liberty Bell, etc. Though as good hop heads should do, then I'm on the look out for beer! I see there is a WholeFoods near the art museum, what's the selection like? any thing I should be looking out for in particular ? Are there any other stores or bars in around these area's that I should check out. Cheers
For almost any standards. Look at the riots in Vancouver a few years ago with cars on fire. I don’t like to see any property damage, what people do stupid stuff fueled by alcohol and big groups.
That Whole Foods has a pretty decent bottle selection, and the bar there usually has some good drafts as well. Old Philly Ale house bottle shop is close by and has a good selection of rare stuff. And it's only a couple blocks from Belgian Cafe and Bar Hygge brewpub.
I don't know where in Philly you're headed to but one of my favorite bars/restaurants is Frankford Hall in Fishtown (you can't go wrong with most of the places in Fishtown, to be honest...check out Barcade if you dig old school arcade games)
I visited in January and had good times at Monk's (of course), as well as Cinder and 2nd Story Brewing, which is in close proximity to Independence Hall/Liberty Bell.
Get a roast pork sandwich from DiNic's. http://tommydinics.com/ If you want a brewery - there is Bar Hygge is a small brew-pub, sorta close to the Art Museum. Yards is the biggest brewery located in the city proper, and has a new taproom in Northern Liberties, the neighborhood to the north of Center City / Old City were the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall is. Their beer leans toward British styles. If you want a variety of good beer, there are plenty of good beer bars (this list is a good place to start): http://www.phillytapfinder.com/bars/ Standard Tap features only local beer on tap: http://www.standardtap.com/drink.html
What a difference gentrification has made for the reputation of Fishtown and now even parts of Kensington. That sentence 15-20 years ago would have been crazy.
That's what people tell me (I only moved to the region about 2 years ago). Sounds a lot like Brooklyn, South Boston, etc (re: gentrification)
Thanks all for the replies so far. Along with beer, then holiday planning is a favourite past the me, so I will take a look at the recommendations Cheers
As has been said, check out Monk's for sure. They're a big part of the history of good beer in Philadelphia. If it's packed in there, though, the Belgian Cafe in Fairmount is, like, a sister location or something. The setup/menu is very similar, at least. They both rotate interesting beers on the taps, and have a huge backlog of good bottles as well. Plus - tasty Belgian frites.
Varga Bar and Strangelove's are not far walks from the Liberty Bell/Independence Hall, and are two of my favorite places in that area. I'll also +1 the suggestion you make a stop at Monk's Cafe.
For a little bit of funkiness, depending on when you'll be about because they've got limited hours, I'd recommend Fermentery Form for some oak aged and sour beers. The area is still a little sketchy though, but at least it's also near two other breweries, Evil Genius and Saint Benjamin - and not far from the rest of the Frankford/Fishtown/Girard places.
Agreed 100% Fermentery Form has quickly become my my favorite brewery in town! A small little tap room, usually have 3-4 beers on draught and bottles for in-house or to go. Depending on the day they sometimes have cheese and charcuterie from a local vendor too. Bizarre location, but doesn't take away from the experience.
Just to note, not actually a brewery though, but a "blendery". They ferment and age contract brewed beer.
