The Most Delectable Pubs in Philadelphia

Monk's Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (2380)

"The only thing I dislike about this place is the fact that they don't take reservations, but that just ensures that only the people that WANT to be there, will end up being there. Food is amazing, it's never a miss, and Monk's has the best, and most diverse, rotating tap/bottle list in the area. Want something special? Monks probably has it or has the connection. I'm a diehard burger girl, but also love their fries. I don't know what they put in those little things, but I could eat two whole baskets by myself, and that sauce they give you is addicting. Muscles are also a great god to and are never overly salty."

Good Dog Bar

★★★★☆ 3.9 (1446) • $$

"Went here my partner. I'm not a bar person, but we were told their food was really good. So we ordered a Burger and fries. One of the best decisions I've made in my life! Their burgers are one of the best I've ever had! And their fries are delicious too! Whenever I'm around, I stop here... Just writing this out is making my mouth water."

Pub & Kitchen

★★★★☆ 3.6 (666) • $$$

"Friday night 8pm and ITS PACKED. It's seat yourself for the bar area, which is huge. Took forever for service to come, so we went up to the bartenders to order directly. The crab dip was so salty that it was pretty much not edible. The bread that comes with it was very good! Would recommend the burger - thin fries and perfectly cooked burger. It's a great location to come as a small group and would recommend if you want a good ambiance."

Mac's Tavern

★★★★☆ 3.5 (517) • $$

"Was here in Philly for PaxUnplugged. I love the show Always Sunny in Philidelphia and just got done watching Wrexham so I wanted to go to Mac's Tavern- Food was just okay but enjoyed the beer selection and had a great bartender."

Craftsman Row Saloon

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (359) • $$

"Craftsman Row is a small spot..but packs a niche punch! Over the past few years Craftsman's Row has offered 'Pop Up' experience for every season over the years!Currently it appears that this is a popular place to take part of the experience and I was glad to participate in the festivities!The service was attentive and prompt! The feed was average but served quickly because there is a 90-minute table limit (not a fan of this type of service)!Overall...I would come back to experience the Christmas and other holiday pop ups because it is fun ..but beware...the drinks are average and the drink prices are inflated to accommodate the pop up experience..."

SouthHouse

★★★★☆ 4.3 (199) • $$

"This was one of the few places that were open late at night. Me and my friends only came here for the food. I decided to get the burger of the month which was a Korean burger and it was delicious and flavorful. The kimchi and spicy sauce added flavor to the burger. The salad that came with it was delicious but it was drenched in oil. Service was okay, upon coming in no one greeted us and we were a bit lost. But upon being settled and eating, there was a karaoke night with people singing which I liked. Overall, I would come back for the food and the vibes."

Ten Stone Bar & Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (313)

"Good for a quick and casual lunch/dinner at a laid-back bar, but the food is pretty average.Atmosphere: A sports bar that has been relatively empty whenever I've been (around lunch at ~1pm, around dinner at ~5pm). Pretty dim lighting, your typical relaxed, sports bar feel. The servers are friendly, and the food comes out relatively quickly - I've max waited maybe 20 minutes. Food: Nothing outstanding, but the portion sizes are decent. I've had their steak and grilled shrimp salads before, and they give a good amount of steak and shrimp, which is great (along with a whole lot of romaine). I usually can take leftovers back with me. They also offer Taco Tuesdays for an affordable, half-price taco deal - the shrimp on these tacos were (unfortunately) not grilled, and didn't taste as good as the shrimp that accompanies their salad.Overall: 3 / 5; food seems like what I could prepare by myself, but good for an easy, laid-back meal; generally not too crowded, from my experience."

The Happy Rooster

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (276)

"Currently closed for renovations (May 2024). Not sure when reopening is. Hope it's soon."

Noir Restaurant & Bar

★★★★☆ 4.2 (177) • $$

"3 of us for lunch. Had the artichoke, meatballs, chicken Caesar salad & Rafael linguine...all of it was amazing!"

For Pete's Sake

★★★★☆ 3.8 (216) • $$

"Came here to watch March Madness at the upstairs bar (Gina is amazing!) and had enjoyable drinks and converstation with friends.The food is good but I found both items I tried excessively salty - the vegetable soup and the brussels sprouts appetizer. Salt-city!Washed it down with more drinks.That was fun!"

O'Neals Pub

★★★★☆ 3.9 (163) • $

"I met someone here for drinks. Parking: Metered streetAtmosphere: pubbishService: Great! Kayleen was very accommodating and engaging. A very pleasant person. Her Boss wasn't so engaging, but that's ok, Kayleen made our experience good. Our drinks were good. We just ordered fries and a salad. Overall, we enjoyed our bar conversation and would go back if in the area that time of day again."

Finn Mccools Ale House

★★★★☆ 3.6 (185) • $$

"A great sports bar for the locals, many TV screens from every angle. Shout out to Matt, our amazing and hilarious bartender. He was really on top of things. He remembered our preferences and gave us out of towners some recommendations for our visit. Much appreciated! There is also a yelp check in deal for a Washington apple shot. It was tasty! I enjoyed a few Jameson + Orange slices here. It was a great night."

Green Rock Tavern

★★★★★ 4.5 (115)

"This is such a cool spot in Port Richmond! I ordered takeout during COVID, but went to pick it up at the restaurant. The inside of the restaurant immediately just gives you a homey-neighborhood vibe (and not the vibe where you feel like you have to be a local to eat there.) Nice bar seating, TVs, and random assortments of like antique figurines - just a cool/laid-back/old school feel. The service was friendly and helpful. Their menu is somewhat limiting (I always have this perspective since my wife is a vegetarian,) but they are good at what they are known for...burgers and pierogies. I wanted to try something different, so I had their "Lee Highway to Hell" Burger (homage to lehigh ave.) because I was really intrigued that the bun was swapped for Stocks pound cake (shout out to Stocks.) The flavor for this burger was phenomenal - a big mix of sweet and savory. It comes topped with strips of bacon and coated with cheddar cheese, and a syrup to drip it all in. The only downside to this burger is that it is really hard to eat - it was a mess, but that didn't take away from my overall experience.My wife got their grilled cheese, which may not seem like much, but they killed this! Thick bread, cooked all the way through, and we got it with a side of their spicy fry sauce - slammin (this sauce competes with any spicy/tangy/aioli dipping sauce I've ever had.Their pierogies were really good too - we got the cheddar jalapeno. The peppers were not too hot, so very manageable for anyone who is scared of spice, but these were just hard to eat as well. With the peppers on top...I almost wish the pierogies were made with the peppers inside the mix to get an even jalapeno flavor throughout. If you are looking to a solid, affordable meal for the weekend or just picking something up last minute during the week - you can't go wrong here.**Cash Only**"

Pub of Penn Valley

★★★★☆ 4 (137) • $$

"I was very impressed by this "pub" food from start-to-finish. My Dad's lamb chops were a perfectly done medium-rare and delicious. My mushroom soup starter balanced a number of key soup parameters and was a worthy SE PA mushroom soup...and was plenty large and served suitably hot. I really liked the Mac 'n cheese but I will add that the sprinkled topping was too salty to eat directly (mixed in it was a fine addition)...and large enough for a small army. Was topped off with the chocolate mousse (not too heavy). Adding to the experience was terrific, attentive service by an unnamed lovely and all the environmentals were great (not too loud despite all the TVs, the perfect temperature, comfortable booth seating). My only complaint is that I ate too much. A decent sized parking lot is across the street."

Tony G's South Philly Style Pub and Eatery

★★★★★ 4.5 (104) • $

"This review is for take out. I was looking for a highly rated place for Philly cheese steak nearby and found Tony G's. I picked up their 12" Philly cheese steaks with melted provolone and grilled onions for $11.50 each and also pub style fries and onion rings. Two people can easily share a 12". The cheesesteaks were good and overstuffed; I'd rate them a 4.25 and the fries and onion rings were greasy (as you'd except) and I'd give them 4 stars. Prices were reasonable for the oversized portions. The place itself is an awesome looking dive bar. The type of place locals swear by. I'm sure I'd rate it higher if I had a drink and food onsite. Will have to try it another time. Parking lot and outdoor dining area."

Lucky 13 Pub

★★★★☆ 3.9 (138) • $$

"One of the best dive bars on this side of town excellent food excellent drink specials excellent bartenders excellent service very cozy almost cheers like like the TV show from the '80s really no complaints at all five stars across the board I had the chicken sandwich it was pretty good I had to roasted brussels sprouts that was pretty good drink specials was on point if anytime I'm on that side of town and hanging out this is the number one place that is going to cross my mindGrade: A"

Henry James Saloon

★★★★☆ 4.4 (89) • $$

"The Henry James Saloon might not be on any of your regular routes while exploring Manayunk-Roxborough. On the corner of Henry and Jamestown, this little spot has grown quite a bit from my first visit. From a fully renovated bar area to the brand new back yard / outdoor seating, I would recommend finding a way to fit in a visit. Food wise, they have a decent selection of better than average bar food. You can get burgers and sandwiches and several veggie friendly options as well. I love the Hank Jim and the Cordon Blue Burger is pretty amazing too. As for drinks, it is a bar that has you covered. They have a good selection on draft and a few bottles to pick from as well. I haven't tried any mixed drinks or cocktails, but I'm confident the bartenders can handle it.No complains on service. They are a friendly crew and willing to joke around with customers. And the overall appearance of the place is great - especially with all the renovations!"

Paddy Whacks Irish Sports Pub - South Street

★★★☆☆ 2.6 (195) • $$

"Excellent spot to watch fútbol. The service is classic Philly so if you're looking for that Rittenhouse vibe, keep walking. Bar food was decent but I thought just a buck above what it should have been. All in all, I'm all in on this joint!!"

Jack McShea's

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (111)

"And now, another entry in my "Dining in the Age of Corona" series: Jack McShea's for dinner. As you can see from my previous reviews, this is a longtime favorite restaurant. They previously did not do anything with takeout or delivery so I knew patience was needed as they worked out their process.The ordering experience was fairly easy and straightforward using an app on their site. We were hungry and so it was a big order, and we were thrilled to be able to get beer delivered with our food too!Delivery was not fast, again, big order, new process, but it was still quite warm and everything was well packaged. It's been about two weeks since we got our order and so I expect things will be smoother. The food? YUMMMMMMMM.OK first, the meatballs. I think they have kidnapped one of my Italian aunts because those meatballs in the meatball grinder were as good as any of them make, and that is saying something. They were perfect, nice seasoning, dense without being chewy. The Triple Decker Grilled Cheese with prime rib was likewise amazing, the NMA devoured it. They always do a great cheesesteak and this was not disappointing. The only light spots were the appetizers, crab quesadilla and Panzerotti were good, but not the rockstars of the meal. Salad was fresh, crisp with just the right amount of dressing on the side.We loved the beer - the one thing that slightly threw us was that they 'recycled' six pack holders so they didn't match the beer itself, totally fine, a moment of confusion but all is well and I like that they re-use stuff. Who cares what the holder says? Victory Brewing Golden Monkey FTW. We are definitely ordering from them again, maybe we'll pickup as we need the exercise anyhow to work off all the calories. They're good people running this place who we are happy to support."

Callahan's Grille

★★★★☆ 4.3 (39)

"Full disclosure, I've only eaten here once for lunch, but if you can base a 5 star review on the best New England clam chowder - and friendly service - that you've had in 12 years, Callahan's certainly earns it. Tom, who took care of me and (I think) runs the kitchen, told me that everything is freshly homemade, and it certainly tasted it. A clean & comfortable pub with a friendly neighborhood feel, very reasonable prices ($11 for a nice pour of wine and a bowl of soup), and an absolutely gorgeous tin ceiling - I can't wait to stop back soon for more!"

Hilltown Tavern - Fairmount

★★★★☆ 3.7 (49)

"Came to happy hour drinks with a friend SUPER hungry and knew a burger and fries would be necessary! Hilltown is a great neighborhood bar with no nonsense bartenders and a good pub-style menu. From fried favorites to flights and a great beer list of local favorites, it is easy to see how easy it would be to become a regular here. The Hilltown burger was the salty, savory end of day pick me up that I needed. Covered in caramelized onions and cooked to perfection, I love that it was served in a cute Irish "newspaper" and service was speedy.I look forward to the next time I get to stop by and would recommend for a casual happy hour or evening out!"