Bar

So I read a few bad reviews of Bar and thought… nahh, this place used to be cool… those must be anomalies. Like when the Sixers win.
Nope! Mine might have even worse. As a matter of fact, my review would be zero stars if that was an option.
I had just left a business meeting and planned to meet who was in from out of town for drinks. I take off my coat and head towards the bar. The lady bartender gives me a look that I can only describe as what Donald Trump would give to a mexican muslim, and asks to see my ID.
1) I’m a 36 year old black guy.
2) I’m wearing slacks and a tie
…and 3) I didn’t see you ask anyone else to see their ID.
My license has just expired (don’t worry, I get it renewed tomorrow) and she says that I can’t order a drink.
Okay, so maybe you are following the law. But why the subtle racism? I could see that none of the other white patrons were given a look of suspicion or asked to see their IDs. Not to mention I don’t look under 21… I don’t look 36, but ain’t been 20 in a long time.
So I say «Okay, well I guess I’ll just wait until my friend gets here — then we’ll leave.»
She says «Listen, we don’t want your kind around here — so act like you’re on a treadmill and get to steppin.»
…okay, she actually said «Actually, you can’t stay here with an expired ID, it’s the rules — you have to leave.»
…Really? Kicked out? Like I’m just some bum that wandered in and started harassing the customers for change to take Septa home? Is this real life?
Well Bar, I went and dropped $ 50 bucks +tips elsewhere. And I have to say, I hope this place goes out of business faster than a vegan cheesesteak shop.

Divey. Cool bartenders. (Usually) Good music rotation. Pool table upstairs. Nice cans… selections. ;)

I will never return to this bar. Bar tender was a complete douchebag. Do not go to this bar. Overpriced drinks, bar tender will switch out your music if he doesn’t like what you play on the jukebox. He randomly decided to kick out a party of 10 and proceeded to forcibly remove cellphones and drinks from our hands. I had such a terrible experience. I think his name was Stephano

This was the most terrible experience I’ve ever had at a bar. My friends and I used to come here often years ago in college but after my recent experience I will NEVER return. Long story short, my friends and I (who made up half of the customers in the bar) were playing music on the juke box. The bartender then gave credits to his friends to over ride the songs we paid for. When one of my (female) friends tried to talk to him, he yelled at her and kicked her out. He then tried to rip the phone out of my other (again, female) friend’s hand when she said something about this, and kicked her out. Then, as I stood by the door trying to figure out what was going on (and not doing anything wrong) he told me I needed to leave, and tried to physically take the drink out of my hand.
I have never in my life been asked to leave a bar, and have NEVER had a bartender put his hands on me. This was completely unacceptable and just wrong. You can see from other reviews this is a pattern at this bar. Do yourself a favor and visit any other bar in the area, not this pretentious, run down hole with a bartender who doesn’t hesitate to go after female customers.

If I could give zero stars I would– literally the worst experience someone could have. I had been coming to Bar since about 2010, over that time (potentially to try to fit in to some sort of hipster trend) Bar has become a cesspool of pretentious, condescending intolerance. Beers are extremely overpriced. Bartenders are legitimately the rudest most offensive people I have ever encountered. I’ll take my money to any of the dozens and dozens of similar establishments in a two block radius, who might actually understand that when you treat customers with respect they want to give you their money.

Tucked among all the other bars in the area, I must’ve passed by «Bar» more times than I could count. Maybe I mistook the sign for part of another bar’s sign? Maybe I never even looked that high. Probably the latter.
But Philly Beer Week brings out all sorts of bars from the woodwork, and my first visit to Bar was a great one! Their happy hour is just what the doctor ordered. It’s a small space, but cozy, and not pretentious at all. The best part is, despite the kind of divey look of it all (outside and a little in), their beer list is top notch. TRULY a ton of great options.
If that’s not your style, just get discounted pickle backs and shots of Fireball. Or $ 2 PBR pounders.
Truly, something for anyone. Ideal jumpoff spot for a night out, meet up with your buddies, grab some brewskis, and hit the town!

Worst experience I’ve ever had at a bar!!! I’ve received terrible service, food, etc. at places before but have never written a Unilocal review until now.
Here is my experience: I was in town from LA for work and came in with 3 co-​workers (it should be noted that we were completely sober). I asked the bartender (bearded man… I wish I would have gotten his name) what he suggested and immediately received a very rude reply; it was apparent that my inquiry did not make him happy at all (even though I look to my bartender to be knowledgeable about the product they serve and to be able to offer suggestions). My other 3 co-​workers proceeded to do the same (ask his suggestion), and 2 of the 3 co-​workers received drinks. By the time my last co-​worker was ready, the bartender loudly exclaimed that ‘he’d had enough’, closed my tab, and provided me with the receipt. However, as soon as he gave me the receipt, he took it back, and loudly told my co-​workers and I to ‘get out’. I was seriously surprised, I had no idea what had just happened.
He then began physically ripping the drinks out of our hands (mine being first; I probably had about 2 sips of my beer). I had never in my life had my drink physically removed from my hands. By the time he got to the last drink, my co-​worker (Philly local) decided to hang onto it, and the bartender and my co-​worker proceeded to struggle over the glass, which broke in both their hands. The bartender then jumped over the bar and physically pushed my co-​workers out of the bar. He then came back for me, and physically pushed me out of the bar. I was wearing heels and could have easily been hurt.
I emailed the bar (and called to no avail) to report this incident and never received a response. Additionally, I was charged $ 37 for 3 drinks that my group was never given the opportunity to enjoy. It appears that I was overcharged (a $ 12 beer appears high) but I wouldn’t know since my receipt was taken away from me by the bartender. Also, I never signed the credit card receipt acknowledging the transaction but was still charged in full.
I seriously hope that the owner takes a good look at the individuals he hires. A bar that provides this type of service should not be in business at all!

The bar was just alright. The bartender was extremely rude. I know I will never return. There are many nicer bars in the area.

The bartender was a complete hothead. He was extremely rude and although the bar was decent I will never go back.

Meh. Stopped in here for a quick drink on a Saturday evening when visiting Philadelphia. First of all in general the bars in city center aren’t great. Many of them were very crowded, but Bar wasn’t, so it was nice to at least be able to get a seat. However, the service was slow and not that friendly. I did like the two levels and the general chill environment. I definitely would not call this a sports bar and we headed thinking it would be one. The TVs are small, not of great quality and only a few.

Love this place because of how chill the environment is. Downstairs is the bar area and the front where people dance around a bit. And then upstairs is where the pool table and foosball table are located. Although these games could be cheaper, I have so much fun playing them that it seems worth it at the time, so I’m totally willing to spend the few bucks. Conveniently, there’s a change machine for you if you need quarters.
The drinks are okay, but I’m a big fan of the price. I typically stick to drinking beers here.
The lines for the bathroom are ridiculously long on weeknights, and the line ends up paralleling the bar area, so be prepared to be squished in with a bunch of people and to wait in line for a while (same line for guys and gals – sorry guys!).

Two stars because the beer selection was awesome but the bartender was a major jerk. I asked him about a stout and he said «it’s a stout. I mean idk what you want me to say it’s a stout.» I was asking for opinion/​recommendation he could have read the description off the can and I would have been happy. I know I won’t return.

This is an interesting bar. Most of the beers they have are all in cans. They have a good amount of craft beers in cans as well. It is not a large bar and has a bit of a divey feel to it. If you are in the area and looking to bar hop, this is a cool place to check out. There is an upstairs but it is very small. It holds a few tables and a video game.

Huge fan of small hole in wall bars. Great beer selections and The birds beat the Giants… Great fucking day. I’m only giving this place 3 stars so people don’t ran sack it. Vibe is perfect as is. But if you read this I give this place *****.

Had an awesome time here. Was traveling with a group of friends for the Seahawks vs Eagles game– and the vibe was amazing.
It was right across from the Holiday Inn Hotel, so very easy location to spot and there were plenty of food option around there area for the after hr.
The Bartender (Alexis) is gorgeous and marvelous. Great portions on drinks and knew when to cut off those who can’t handle their liquor anymore. Very professional.

I was basically tricked into going on a date here (friend group magically needed to bail after two minutes), which was totally uncool, but I will not hold it against Bar!
The best way I can describe this place: it’s a dive bar, pretending to NOT be a dive bar, pretending to be a dive bar. Wrap your head around that and I’m sure you’ll agree.
I love the two-​story effect. The bar itself gets pretty chaotic so it’s nice to escape to the upstairs every once in awhile. There are cute arcade games up there too!
The prices are pretty average for Center City. The craft beer selection is great, and they also serve up a huge list of specialty shots (pickle juice, excuse me?) All in all, this bar is a lot of fun.
Note: Total Sausage Fest.

I was initially nervous about being invited on a date here (what was I supposed to tell my friends? «Oh yeah, I’m going to Bar this weekend.» «What bar?» «Bar!»), but after seeing the beer list, I became a fan. Craft beer is the star here and the prices are fairly normal for the city (between $ 5 and $ 7 for a glass). Beware the signs, though, as not all brews are a full pint – some are served in 10 oz glasses. Not only did I have an old Victory favorite (DirtWolf), but I also had Duck Rabbit’s Milk Stout, which was heavenly. Additionally, I wasn’t willing to commit to a full pour of Southern Tier’s Pumking, so the bartender kindly gave me a tumbler with a generous taste. One word: delicious. You should try it. But I’m getting off-​topic.
The bartenders are super friendly and knowledgeable as well. The vibe screams «fashionably divey» and the bathrooms are graffitied in a very Tattooed Mom kind of style. The divey atmosphere and the laid-​back nature of the staff and patrons alike made for a great start to the evening (the foosball table and hockey game upstairs helped too, of course).

Yep, I’m putting the Squid’s Stamp of Approval on this one. I’m totally sold and regret it’s taken me this long to check it out.
All the comforts of a premium dive in the heart of Center City with ample TVs, jukebox and friendly, proficient bartenders.
No matter how crowded it gets, I always seem to be able to score a couple of seats at the bar. Some say the crowd leans a little hipster, but I say it is truly a blend. Just the sort of mix a reasonable person should expect in Center City.
I appreciate the succinct name. I don’t appreciate the corny «Who’s on first?» humor that comes with it. If «13^th & Sansom» isn’t enough to get you there, then I don’t think I want to drink with you anyway. ;)

I love this spot, right in center city. Sure after a couple of drinks you might miss the sign outside and no one understands that we’re going to ‘Bar’ doesn’t mean a bar, it means BAR.
I was introduced to picklebacks here. Bartenders are easy going and quick. No frills needed. And I’ve never made it upstairs. but the downstairs can certainly be fun. Great craft beers available.

When you tell people you’re going to «Bar» the statement is met with a quizzical expression. Why the strange look? I am not sure. Maybe because they just don’t know about a place that calls it’s self what it is without making excuses for it. It’s a bar plain and simple and there ain’t nothin’ wrong wit that. And there is nothing wrong with this place. In fact, it’s kind of great.
This place has all of the makings of an awesome dive bar but for some reason, I don’t consider it a dive. Maybe it’s just not gritty enough. So rather than an awesome dive bar… it’s just an awesome bar. The beer list is great, bartenders are really good, prices are totally reasonable for the area, there’s a pool table upstairs with just enough room around it for someone to get jabbed in the nuts (or lady parts) by the tail end of a pool cue on every turn.
What more could you want?
A bar by any other name just isn’t «Bar».