I am heading to Philly for a weekend overnight, never stayed there only passed through so I am looking for a couple of great beer bars and bottle shops. I've heard great things about Monks but don't know much else. Any bottle shops in the downtown (Rittenhouse Sq.) area where i might be able to find Bells, Cigar City and/or Russian River? And a couple of suggestions on good beer bars (in that area) would be very much appreciated. (Note I will be there with my kids for a Phillies game, so need a place that I can get into with my boys too). Thanks in advance for the help.
Ummmm..... this is like asking if there are any decent restaurants in Manhattan or SF. For starters, maybe do a topic search in this forum? Your question comes up ALL the time, and there are countless threads covering the topic if you look back over the past couple of months. Also, I don't know how folks from Philly feel about this, I absolutely cringe whenever I see "I've heard great things about Monks." If you've never been, I think you should probably go (at some point), but Monk's wouldn't be at the top of my list of places to visit, especially with children. Also, maybe check out beerfly (places) as well? There are any number of outstanding beer bars in Philly, and most have numerous reviews, providing solid, accurate, useful information. Philly has so many great beer bars, it's really hard to recommend one over another (I have my favorites, like anyone else). So a better way to go about figuring where to go is to take a look at what's nearby on a map. This should help: http://beermapping.com/maps/citymaps.php?m=philly http://media.philly.com/storage/dailynews/beer08/index.html Also, if you're trying to locate a particular, favorite beer, this site is useful as well: http://www.beermenus.com/beers/russian-river-blind-pig?city_id=philadelphia As for Monk's, it's fine (their bottle list is truly amazing and world class), but most of the beers on draft there can be found pretty readily around town, for less money, and without the frequent "attitude" there. Good luck.
Thanks but I wasn't asking if there are any good beer places, i know there are, i just don't know where they are and was hoping to get just a couple of your favorites or places you would reccommend. I did a search and didnt see anything specific so if there is a link to a previous thread I would appreciate it.
Do you have a car or are you relying on public transportation? If you do not have a car, Food and Friends is a good bottle shop near Rittenhouse Sq. For dining, Monk's is good though it gets crowded. Jose Pistola's is one block over from Monk's. Good Miexican food; great beer. Tria is one of our favorites but the small plates menu is probably not a great choice for kids. If you have a car, hit Hawthorne's for bottles on the way to or from the game. Devil's Den nearby is a good spot for food and a fine place for kids. Or really, go to any of the top places on the Beerfly guide for Philly. Most places have websites with actual or representative menus. Pick the cuisine you like. Enjoy!
That's why I supplied the links. Just put "philly" into your search. I didn't make a recommendation, because typically, there are dozens of recommendations from folks around Philly, all of the supporting their particular local. The worse thing is, all of the recommendations are completely legit.
I have my car but just parking at hotel and plan on getting around by foot/subway or cab. Thanks for all the great suggestions though, they all sound good and easily doable from where I am staying.
To check whats on tap and cater to your interests, check out phillytapfinder.com. You can sort by bar, brewery, style, and location. Have a great time in this great beer city!
