I am going to be in Philadelphia for work beginning next Saturday, and am curious as to where to go in this beer mecca. I will be staying at the Latham Hotel and then at the Radisson Warwick, which I see are basically across the street from each other. Looking for both bars and beer stores. Thanks in advance for any info. Cheers!
You're an easy walk from Monk's Cafe which is certainly a must visit at least once if you're coming to the city. And while you're at Monk's, Jose Pistola's is just around the block. Nodding Head is again another easy walk from your hotel. A little bit longer of a walk but only 1/2 mile is Farmers Cabinet on Walnut between 11th and 12th which I suggest visiting as well. There are tons more if you want to take public transportation or a cab...
Relative to your location - Bottle shop: Food and Friends at 20th and Spruce Bars: Monks on 16th and locust, Jose Pistolas at 15th and Spruce, actually theres a ton, just go to phillytapfinder.com and you can use the "whats in my neighborhood" link and do rittenhouse square area
Dock Street Brew does look pretty nice I must say. I'm in that area all the time for work, and there is never a dull moment lol. You have: drunk bums in the middle of the street talking to themselves, hoods on the corner's, annoying hipsters (no offense; just not a big fan of them lol), homeless people with their enticing signs, quiet trolly's that stop at every corner, guns lol, booted cars, people walking across the street with no concern of traffic what-so-ever, the Muslims on the corners with their mega phones; just off the top of my head. I hope I didn't offend you, cause this feels like it's heading to an arguement lol.
If you can try and check out a tour at either Philadelphia Brewing Co or Yards or both. Good beers that you can't get in MN at the moment and perhaps maybe never. You'll need transportation to those breweries though. But the above mentioned bars are perfect enough for your day. Cheers and enjoy your stay!
Pardon my mild threadjack; I'll be in Philly next Thursday and Friday pretty much free to roam the city while my wife is at her conference. While I've done my bar research, plan to visit as many as feasible and still be somewhat presentable when she finishes each day, there is the slight matter of the NCAA tournament. Which bars have the right mix of excellent tap/beer list, cool atmosphere, and TVs for the hoop watching? Of course I'll lean more toward the beer side of that equation vs. Coors Light and 70 flatscreens, but is there any BAish place that has that mix?
fox and hound was never really a "BAish" type place before, but theyve stepped up their craft beer menu tenfold recently. there's a ton of tvs in there, probably more than any other place i can think of right now. lots of the other craft bars have some tvs, but itd be hard to say if theyd have that on or not, since a lot of them only have a couple. also, keep in mind that if any philly related sports team is playing it will trump everything short of the delaware overflowing its banks and wiping out the entire city.
Monk's, Farmer's Cabinet, Varga Bar and Sidecar Bar (if you feel like walking around the city a bit) are all within a reasonable distance. I'd skip Nodding Head personally, I have never been very pleased with my experience there, but it is close so maybe it's worth a visit...many people love it. My favorite area of the city for beer is Old City...Eulogy, Philadelphia Bar & Restaurant, The Khyber, Triumph, Race Street Cafe...it's a good area for bar hopping from one quality establishment to the next. You could easily get there by taking the Market-Frankford Line (Blue Line aka "the el") from City Hall...go Eastbound and get off at 2nd and Market...then you're in the heart of Old City. I really think it'd be a shame to miss this area but you'd still be in the thick of good beer in Rittenhouse.
Wow, thanks for all the great advice. Glad to see I'm in a great beer area. Will definitely be checking out as many of these places as I can. Cheers!
Take the BSL to Broad and Erie and stop at Max's... a good cheesesteak. +1 about Yards -1 On any bar located on ANY AVENUE (Lancaster, Woodland, Baltimore.) EXCEPTION: Delaware is mostly cool P.S. My wife likes Indian Food... At 40th and Chestnut (not far off the MFL) there is New Delhi... they actually have Monk Cafe's special ale cheaper than you can get it at Monk's Cafe and a few good other craft beers along side their buffet which is awesome
