The Olde Bar

My husband and I stopped here because of the sidewalk sign for $2 oysters on happy hour and we are mixed in the experience! We loved the bartender and wait staff but the overall quality based our portions was disappointing.My Crab Cake Caesar salad was nicely dressed but just small overall. The crab cake was golden and crispy on the outside and very soft and juicy inside. Our Oysters were well cleaned and fresh but at least half were tiny, so while $2 oysters is still a good value it's slightly less of a good deal if they are 1/3 the size of a normal oyster.My happy hour drink, a simple margarita, was also tasty and enjoyable but fittingly small at the $8 price point. Overall good, well prepared and savory food, good flavor, average value.

This is my second time being here but it will not be the last. I'm not normally a seafood (other than shellfish) person but I'm always glad I come here. The bartender was very nice, and the host person found us some space at the bar. The atmosphere is fun. Folks won't mention that the vibe is casual. Wear something cute but casual. Maybe a pair of jeans and your cool new graphic tee. The drink specials all sounded really good, but I'm a sucker for anything Earl Grey/London Fog/Lavender. The bartender made a "tequila drink" for my dinner guest because he doesn't ever know what he wants. The smoked salmon spread was bomb. I'm pretty sure the key to happiness is salting your fried bread. The crab fingers were a fun little snack food. They do give you quite a few though. For an entree I had the shrimp and grits and man was it more food than I was expecting. It was grits and etouffee, which was incredible. Just ask for no heads if you're weirded out by it. The happy hour seems great, I wasn't there for happy hour but I did read about the menu. Show up, show out, enjoy some great cocktails, great food, a chill atmosphere, and excellent company.

The Olde Bar has a beautiful bar area, that still brings back the memories of the Old Original Bookbinders. I always hope that it can live up to those lofty memories of the 5 star Bookbinders when I visit, and this time it finally did. The Olde Bar has revamped the happy hour menu, and I'm happy to say it's a big improvement. Although if you like Oysters, you will be disappointed that the $2 oysters are no longer available. But the Olde Bar Crab fries are the best french fries I've had at any restaurant. Perfectly fried crunchy fries that keep their crunch despite some type of crab sauce drizzled over them. The plate of fries is also topped with actual crab meat. I devoured the entire plate quickly, and I rarely eat an entire plate of fries. The shrimp toast is also very good. Three small pieces of toast with some kind of shrimp concoction on top of them that is very tasty. You can still get the fish house punch, which although a small rum based drink it does pack a punch. The bartender's selection on my visit was a Tom Collins, one of my favorite summer cocktails. The bartenders provided excellent service throughout happy hour. I'm happy to update my Olde Bar rating to 5 stars. I just might become a regular at their bar.

Such a wonderful date night at Olde Bar for Restaurant week. The crab cakes were all crab and barely any filler. My partner thoroughly enjoyed the crab fingers, as did I! I definitely could have done without the mussels. Best part of that dish was the fries and aioli that accompanied it. I'm not a big fan of lobster but my partner enjoyed it, she didn't care for the risotto but I thought it was absolute perfection. Yum. Alriiight the showstopper were the OYSTERS... amazing. Absolutely amazing. I couldn't get enough. Definitely order dessert! My mouth is watering just thinking of it. I can't wait to hit their happy hour next week!I must say though.... The service was nothing short of perfection . Thank you.

I recently had the pleasure of dining at The Olde Bar. $2 oysters- you sure can't beat that. Very fresh and juicy. Paired with lemon and tobacco sauce.... Chefs kiss! Fortunately I will be back. Our server Tiana was nice.

Loved, Loved Loved everything about this historic space. Fabulous cocktails, great bar seating, play list, bartenders & food.Had the Frito Misto full of mixed seafood, reasonable priced. My friend enjoyed her burger. The Butternut Old Fashioned was superb, made with a large round cube in an oversized rocks glass & a twist. One of the best cocktails in recent memory. If I lived here, this would be a staple.At first, we tried to find Bookbinder's to no avail..then we actually walked over, spoke with the lovely gentleman at the door & learned more about the history, decided to stay. Stunning red leathteresqe half circle banquettes. High tops, more historic rooms, someplace to dine for everyone.Very sweet staff, I can't wait to return with Lee.

Right next to the Marriott Old City.Crab fingers were a nice memory of New Orleans.Smoked Salmon needed salt but the toast was nicely buttered and salted to make up for the difference.

We had a few hours in Philly before making our way to Delaware and on my priority list was to have a drink in an old bar and what better place than The Olde Bar. After walking to some of the tourist sites in Philly, we came to the Olde Bar right after opening. We sat at the bar and walking in, you could almost feel the history! One thing at the bar were candles with who knows how many candle drippings making a mass of wax at the base. Our bartender/server was amazing! She suggested the crab fingers as a light snack before meeting with the family for dinner. This is definitely reminiscent from the late 19th century oyster days. The tap beer was ice cold and refreshing after hours of waking. I wish we had more time to experience dinner here, though I'm sure at some point I will. If you're in Philly and want to drink a cold beer where some our forefathers might have imbibed, swing into The Olde Bar.

we stopped by here for dinner on a Friday night. Got here a little close to 6pm with no reservations but we got seated right away. Ordered lobster bisque, lobster salad, and crab cakes to start off. For dinner we ordered shrimp and grits, burger and the steak frites. The staff here works hard and is very polite. Told them we were from out of town and kept on checking up on us to make sure we got what we needed and food was great. A++ to the staff here we felt welcomed and we left bloated

Best happy hour of our Philly trip! The oysters were delicious. But our favorite item from the happy hour menu were the seafood rolls. We tried the calamari, shrimp, and the fried oyster roll and they were so good. The rolls were so buttery! Really good cocktails here too. Really classy place and the servers were amazing!