Philly Trip

One could even take the regional rail from Tired Hands to Forest & Main. You'd just spend a lot of time on the Train. Make sure you get an Independence Pass if that would be the case.

 

Sounds like you've got it right with Monk's/TH/F&M. JMO but there's no real reason to stop at Pizza Boy or Troegs (unless you want the brewery experience or there's some specific Pizza Boy-brewed beer that you want) as you'll be able to get mostly anything available at either brewery when you're out in Philly.

As for the rest of your trip, just take the advice above and use PhillyTapFinder to find some beers of interest on draft around the city IMO.

 

Tired hands is a must, try to hit both locations if possible. Two totally different places food and beer. I prefer the cafe but that is my opinion. I regularly take the 40 minute trip. Pizza boy is alright, but not as good as TH. Also hit up Theresa's if possible - solid draft list and cool place

 

As far as cheesesteaks go that is one is a loaded question! Being a local I will tell you Geno's and Pat's are your two tourist traps. They are good if you want to try a cheesesteak and a get the feel for authenticity but as for the "best" it is very opinionated. I love pats prince of steaks in Northeast Philly which is not far from Neshaminy creek.

I second tired hands, that is a must do. They just recently started bottling their beers so you can grab some bottles to bring back home and brag about. Also a good trade beer as they don't distribute outside of this area. Troegs is usually very packed around this time of the year so if you want to be in and out you might want to skip that one. There is also a lot of breweries right over the bridge in jersey that are only 10-15 minutes from the city (flying fish, broken goblet, forgotten boardwalk).

As for beer store the best selections you will get from a bottle shop is "The beer store." There is 3 locations 2 in the city one in the suburbs. Some of there stuff is a little pricey but the selections they have put most other stores to shame.

 

Votes from someone who's lived in Center City and South Philly:

Cheesesteak: John's Roast Pork.

Pizza: Nomad (w/ the caveat that I haven't had Beddia yet).

Bakery: Just pop into a few in the Italian Market.

Beer Bar: Monk's, Khyber Pass, Memphis Taproom, Garage, P.O.P.E., Fountain Porter (there's too many to give a comprehensive list; we're fortunate to have an embarrassment of riches here; check phillytapfinder dot com).

Cocktail Bar: Hop Sing Laundromat (if you can handle the no-phones, no-sneakers rules, the drinks really are fantastic)

Can't Miss Food: Again, it's hard to go wrong, but I'll recommend Vernick, as well as Zahav since it's more unique than your typical Italian / BBQ / New American / Whatever spot. We also have tons of authentic little taquerias, many of which are BYO.

Beer Store: Any of the Foodery locations, Hawthornes, Beer Heaven. Be prepared for (sometimes outrageous) markups.

 

Bakeries: Isgro's or Termini Brothers (both South Philly)

Grew up near Pat's Pizzas - do they still drive around in the trucks for deliveries?

 

TambaTime pretty much nailed it, but I'll just add as a vegetarian I like the Blackbird Pizzeria cheesesteak ;-).

I also like The Franklin as a cocktail bar (still obnoxious, waiting in line etc.), and High Street on Market is an awesome restaurant as well. Oh Tria Taproom, good bar close-ish to your hotel.

 

Don't waste your time or calories on a cheesesteak. Get a roast pork - at John's Roast Pork if you can, otherwise DiNic's at Reading Terminal is fine. John's is better because they also make a good cheesesteak if you want to get both.

Beer bars - er, all of them? Tria Taproom is likely to have some Hill Farmstead on, but there will usually be a few places in town that do. Strangelove's is an awesome beer bar; they're close to a hospital so tend towards lower alcohol stuff on tap (which I like), but their bottle selection is always outstanding. For stores, Old Philly Ale House keeps stuff like Bourbon County and Russian River in stock far longer than most other places, and the owner is great. Prices there usually a lot lower than Foodery.

My personal favorite spot is Local 44, which is a bar that also has a killer bottle shop attached. The 42 bus which you catch anywhere along Walnut St. stops right outside of it at 44th and Spruce. If you have a hankering to head west, it is a worthwhile destination. The bottle shop tends to put stuff out as they feel like it, so you can sometimes stumble on a gem or 2 they held on to until well after it had come and gone everywhere else. And in my experience is the easiest place to stumble on some Cantillon or Drie Fonteinen, if you're into that sort of thing.

 

Are you coming to Philly this weekend? If so you should try to squeeze in the Big Philly Beerfest to your schedule

 

Hmm makes sense, I guess its different for me since I'm roughly 40 minutes away and can usually enjoy all of those other things any time I want. I would love to get to Tired Hands myself this weekend as I've never been!

 

Be aware there is a bottle release on Sunday at the Fermentaria at noon. On the one hand, you could get bottles though on the other both places tend to get busy right away upon opening. It usually calms down throughout the afternoon and into the evening. Just a little 'heads up' for you.

Not much else for me to add, @TambaTime gave a very well-rounded list of suggestions. Enjoy your trip.

 

If not getting bottles, go directly to either one. You could even look to make reservations for a table at the fermentaria

 

Uber from where?

 

Im sure there are others that can give a better answer..but it depends how much "worth it" is to you I guess. If you really want to go.. and are in walking distance of the El/Market-Frankford Line (Subway) you can get the subway to within a few blocks.. for like 2$ if you want to Uber..you can do an Uber estimate right now..but my guess is it wouldn't be too bad?

 

That's what I would do. Not too bad of a walk even if it is a bit nippy.