Old Philadelphia Bar

My favorite bar in 19 125 to get shit-​faced for under 25 $ There’s users, losers, even abusers, so don’t do drugs, don’t drugs!

I haven’t been here in years, but I just remembered that the very first time I went here, I was offered PCP within minutes. So, you know, if wet is your thing.
Aside from that, this place is insane. Nobody in there has been sober in decades. At least a few patrons seem like they have no idea where they are, and it seems like the kind of place one might accidentally stumble into pantsless. (Or maybe that’s just me.) Regulars will punch one another in the face, at the bar, with barely a blink from the bartender. In other words, HOT.

Rolled in with a 12 guy bachelor party on a Saturday around 3:00, likely disturbing what was otherwise a quiet drink at a friendly, neighborhood bar for all of the patrons. Luckily the bartenders and locals were all very friendly with us too. $ 1.50 High Lifes and cheap shots were doled out promptly. Gibes towards the bachelor (me) were in good fun. We played pool at two tables. What sets a bar like this apart is that people WANT to socialize with you. Got my photos with one bartender and a few patrons. And aside from the guy who accosted me then assaulted me by grabbing my ear in order to give me marriage «advice,» all was perfectly happy with our visit here.

This place has the friendliest homeless people and the cheapest Bud Ice. Only $ 2 for 25 amazing, liver-​punching ounces of ice beer. Make sure you throw your clothes in the trash after you leave, though. They’ll be pretty much ruined from cigarette smoke. You’ll also have lung cancer. I lovingly call this place Old Filthy. Thank you, Old Filthy. Your beer is so cheap, and your crowd so nonjudgemental.

This place is awful. I live in the apartment complex right next door.
There are fights frequently outside bar several nights a week and the customers frequently walk into our parking lot to throw up, urinate or defecate. We have found heroin needles near our dumpster which I can’t verify are from Old Phil customers but its a safe to assume.
Recently one of the employees made a little camping site in a dark corner of our parking lot until he was asked kindly to find a new home.

Here’s the deal. Old Philadelphia is legitimate. Imagine the most genuine aspects of your favorite legit dive and you’ve got the rough outline of Old Philadelphia, and really that’s all you need to know.
–scarey
–dirty
–drug infested (like low-​rent drugs)
–bad lighting
–grizzled mean-​looking locals
–fridges full of $ 1.65 24oz. Bud Ice (the Bud Ice flows like water)
But at the same time, Old Philly is complex. It cannot be parred down with analogies and simple lists. The City Paper featured this bar as a cover story on it’s expose of the burgeoning underground bar-​pool scene in Kenzofish, but when I go in to get my Bud Ice (thus keeping it real) I note that this serious, and seriously hip, exposure to the trust fund cohort did absolutely nothing to rack the impenetrable grit and discreet charm of this east Kensington gem. A last vestige of blue collar authenticity in a city once known for its brotherly love.
–smoking
–serious, professional drunks
–bartenders not meant to be fucked with
–real pool sharks
Word to the wise, don’t go here to gawk, go here to drink and laugh and say cusses loudly as there is a better than average chance that you will see a fight at 2 a.m.
fuck it, 5 stars, why not.