In Philly, there is always an endless amount of options for whatever you’re looking for whether that be museums, restaurants, and of course, bars. I always base my nights off of my vibes, usually during weekdays I prefer low-key bars where I can sit, eat, maybe play pool and drink here and there. But on the weekend I’m more open to clubbing and dancing as the main activity. I also have to be mentally prepared before I go to the club. Below I’ve put together a mixed bags of places, I’ll make sure to identify which ones have that more pub low-key vibe vs the energetic dancing vibe. These are also not on a ranking scale due to the vast difference between each of the bars.

Finn’s

This one is a classic and is a total typical Irish pub with food and drinks highlighting the experience overall. This place my friends and I have the weirdest obsession with, although I don’t think it’s super weird, but Finn’s just has some sort of magic to it. It’s like that place that just always has the craziest stories or experiences, like not in a super bad way, but just always something to look back and laugh about. My friend and I are actually super obsessed with their mozzarella sticks and determine our time there on whether or not the kitchen is open. The will usually have Eagles or Phillies games on so if you’re looking for that, Finn’s does provide. They have an array of ciders and beers for the choosing and makes a great pair for a lot of the food options.

Fado’s

While Finn’s does have you Irish pub vibe, Fado is THE Irish pub in Philly. It’s always jammed pack on their busiest nights and again food and drink are such a fantastic part of the experience. They have such a great selection of food, but you can’t go wrong with their unique and salivating chicken tenders and fries. I mean I will always specifically crave Fado chicken fingers and fries, like no other place can itch the crave. They do a cover after 9pm I believe, it might be 10pm, but be wary that if you want to go on a Friday or Saturday night, make this place your first stop. Fado is no hole in the wall in Philly. If you do end up there all night, they clear out their main table area to act as a dance floor so you can have the beauty of both bar and club. But if you’re looking for something more low key (which doesn’t happen at Philly bars) they always have games on, whether soccer, baseball, rugby, or football. But they will always have an Eagles game on, so if you want to have that Irish pub experience while watching a game, I highly recommend going here for that.

Jose Pistola’s

Alright, this one is supposed to remain a secret but this is my friend and I’s go to place to watch the Eagles games. The food is so damn good and the bartenders are so damn friendly. We also go here a lot for a casual dinner but this bar does so much to interact with the community like open comedy nights on Tuesdays and having a local band play during brunch on Sundays. The same order I get every time is chicken nachos, Freedom Tacos, and a side of elotes (which are singlehandedly some of the best). This is not necessarily an Irish pub, but it gives the pub vibe with filling food and friendly service. So if you’re looking for a low-key eat and drink vibe with an array of Mexican food this is the place!

254

Okay so this is a great place to go if you just need somewhere to vibe. This was originally Tabu but I believed they rebranded because of all the deserved heat they got. They have drag performances that don’t require a cover, burlesque shows on Wednesday that also don’t require a cover, and pool tables are free! This is also in the Gayborhood, so if you’re a straight person looking for singles, I don’t advise you come here. The energy and music is great, even on their slower nights my friends and I will bring a pack of cards to play on their rooftop area. Which leads me into my next point which if there is one thing Philly clubs like to do is have options. First floor is a classic pub area with a rectangular bar to sit at and order food with a pool table off to the side. Upstairs has their more club area where burlesque and drag performers light up the stage. And the very top floor has a stage for free karaoke and an outside area to get some air if it’s needed, both having their designated bars. So for whatever mood you’re feeling 254 has three floors for you!

Cellar Dog

This place is super cute! I honestly need to go back more, the problem is that it’s a bit pricey. They have live music, tons of game options, and an efficient way to get some good bar food. There is a cover when live music is occurring, but last time I went it was only $5 so it’s pretty worth it. Especially compared to other jazz places in Philly where you have to buy a whole $45 ticket. Their game options are pretty cool, they have shuffle board, pool, table tennis, and table top hockey. To get the chance to play you have to go up to their game booth where someone will take your name and phone number and add you to the corresponding waitlist. I recommend this is the first thing you do when you get there depending on how busy it it. My friend and I had to wait an hour and a half for pool, but we got food, drinks, we chit chatted, and got to watch the live band they had that night.

Midnight and The Wicked

So I want to start off by saying I don’t condone the use of AI, I don’t think people do a lot of research and will just listen to billionaires say “this thing is great!” When in reality, it is stealing jobs from human. With that being said, they do use AI on their website which I’m not going to link for that specific reason, but the club itself is super unique. I love when bars/club decide to take a different approach, making clubbing an experience rather than just and ordinary night at the bar. They have a very speakeasy type of vibe, bartenders are dressed up with suspenders and nicely pressed white shirts. They have a multitude of areas within the bar which is common in Philly. They have a classic bar area, a large sitting area, and their club room. I’ve been in each one, the club one I spent the longest in to dance. But I’m a sucker for mood lighting which is available in all the rooms, we went on a late Saturday night so it was still super busy but my friend was able to go in and out of the bathroom while I ordered drinks so it wasn’t that bad. There was plenty of standing room in the bar areas, although the type of people that were the most common in these rooms were either balding business men that are trying to pick up young women or young adults who got Daddy’s credit card for the weekend. Everyone was dressed to the nines, with hair and makeup done which was super cool! But not my style. The dance area was even cooler, and I feel like thats where I saw more of my type of people who were in more casual wear, really more suitable to dance more freely and not care about a drink accidentally spilling on them. People in the dance area were also super nice and we actually made a couple of friends there! So if you’re looking for a mixed bag type of night, I would recommend this place to satisfy all your night out activities.

Thank you so much for reading! Have a wonderful day!