The 25 bars behind Philly’s beverage boom in 2023

By now, it’s old news that 2023 was a banner year for Philly’s restaurants, which nabbed shout-out after shout-out from national food media. Less trumpeted but just as creative — and arguably more fun — are Philly’s bars, where you can enjoy service, atmosphere, food, and drinks of an equally excellent caliber, often at a lower price point and almost always without a reservation.

Last year was a rollicking one for the bar scene, with dozens of new entrants of all stripes, from coffee shop/bar combos (who better to make an espresso martini?) to polished cocktail lounges to self-service bars.

But first, the scene doesn’t exist in a vacuum, so let’s start with a quick look at four late-breaking, don’t-miss 2022 bars that forecasted the defining traits of 2023′s crop.

In November 2022 came Grace & Proper (941 S. 8th St.), a bustling, Old World-inspired corner bar whose snacky, Portuguese-inspired menu and playful drinks had customers clamoring at the bar and spreading out at outdoor cafe tables even in the chilly months. Then came Solar Myth (1131 S. Broad St.), the dim, hip, vinyl-driven all-day cafe/wine bar/performance space that set up shop in the Boot & Saddle (whose trademark neon sign remains beautifully intact).

The next month brought Carbon Copy (701 S. 50th St.), the city’s first combo brewery/winery, slinging modern pies, fresh beer, and crisp natural wines made from regional grapes in Dock Street West’s newly spruced-up space. And finally, there was Andra Hem (218 S. 16th St.), a two-story Swedish-styled cocktail bar that opened with just a small plaque and a martini-branded globe light on the outside, but nevertheless made a big splash when its interior design was heralded by the New York Times Style Magazine last January.

Those 2022 entries set the tone for what dominated Philly’s bar scene last year: gorgeous interiors (whether minimalist or maximalist), vinyl sound tracks, natural wines and interesting cocktails, fun food, and low lighting — so low that, if you’re over 30, you’ll be either be using your phone or squinting to see your tea light-lit menu.

Despite being in very different neighborhoods and having very different sound tracks, two of 2023’s buzziest bars — Rittenhouse’s Superfolie and Callowhill’s Poison Heart — share the same dark, sparse, moody vibe. Both even had freezer martinis on their closely curated menus. The similarities aren’t pure coincidence: Poison Heart owner Andrea Jenkins is an alum of Good King Tavern and Le Caveau, which are owned and operated by Superfolie co-owner Chloe Grigri.

Superfolie opened last February, billed as a “sophisticated hole-in-the-wall wine bar” with 30 seats for walk-ins only. It’s an ideal spot for before- or after-dinner drinks — wines by the glass and cocktails are equally intriguing — but you can easily string together a meal on tartines and French/Mediterranean small plates.

Poison Heart came months later, advertising cocktails, beer, wine, and oysters in its red-lit Spring Garden Street windows. While there are upscale offerings on its one-page menu — a cheeseboard, tinned sardines, the aforementioned oysters — you’re more likely to see bar-goers taking swigs of $5 Miller High Lifes and $10 glasses of house wine over patty melts and waffle fries. Cocktails are a flat $13 and run the gamut from tiki-ish to dirt simple (Amaro and Dr Pepper with a twist). The music here can get loud and skews punk.

A handful of new bars in 2023 stood out for singular concepts. Take Tapster (1601 Sansom St.), equipped with swing seating and almost anything you might want to drink, but no bartenders; or Post Haste (2519 Frankford Ave.), a sustainability-minded cocktail bar sourcing everything — even citrus and sugar — east of the Mississippi; and 101, a members-only lounge in an undisclosed downtown location cultivating an “offline influencer” audience. There was even a bacon bar (Bake’n Bacon, 1148 S. 11th St.).

But there was even more overlap this year: music-driven lounges like Vinyl (215 S. 15th St.) and 48 Record Bar (48 S. Second St.), all-day cafe/bar combos like Forin (2525 Frankford Ave.) and Char & Stave (8441 Germantown Ave.), and downtown destinations like Darling Jack’s (104 S. 13th St.), Enswell (1528 Spruce St.), and Bar Lesieur (1523 Sansom St.), whose picture-perfect designs drew crowds as much as their food and drink. Oh, don’t forget the dog bars! There were two at least: Boozy Mutt (2639 Poplar St.) in Brewerytown and Bark Social (3720 Main St.) in Manayunk.

Still, the category that grew the most — as is fitting — is good old neighborhood bars. They came in all forms, reflecting glints of personality from their respective ‘hoods.

Chestnut Hill got Cider Belly (8005 Germantown Ave.), a classy, couple-run watering hole where bone-dry ciders complement locally sourced cheeseboards. Just down the hill, Mount Airy welcomed the ever-so-slightly-cooler Bar Lizette (7152 Germantown Ave.), where olive oil-washed martinis with a salt-and-pepper tincture anchor the drinks list. Elsewhere in Northwest Philly, the red-and-white checkered tablecloths and playful menu (mozzarella triangles, meatball smash burgers, frozen cocktail du jours) at Bar Jawn (4247 Main St.) have Manayunk written all of over them. Even Jenkintown got in on the game with the Keep Easy (747 Yorkway Place), a teeny-tiny former tea room that now specializes in mead and mead cocktail riffs made with Pennsylvania booze.

And where else but the perpetually up-and-coming Kensington could land both Next of Kin (1414 Frankford Ave.), a swanky “five-star dive” with a photo album full of excellent cocktail options, and Meetinghouse (2331 E. Cumberland St.), a cozy gastropub with easy-drinking beers and an old-school food menu that punches way above its weight?

Point Breeze scored two new entries as well, with vastly different flavors. On one hand, there’s Madira Bar (1252 S. 21st St.), whose 24 craft drafts are paired up with solid, sensibly priced Indian food. A block away is Insatiable (1200 S. 21st St.), an overhaul of the former Community bar serving French onion soup dumplings, steak frites, and a signature martini with an optional $15 caviar bump. (If that sounds out of place, consider the fun, super-low-key Fairmount Tavern, where canned beers and $4 hot dogs rule the day. It makes more sense if you know that at 1700 Fairmount Ave., this technically falls on the Spring Garden side of the avenue.)

It tracks, then, that in this year of celebrating how special neighborhood bars can be that the beloved Bella Vista landmark Royal Tavern (937 E. Passyunk Ave.) made its longtime comeback in 2023. The dim, deep-blue, dark wood-laden interior is as welcoming as ever, with food and drink menus that have good, thoughtful options (vegan gyro, smoked beef round sandwich, N/A beer and cocktails) for literally anyone.

In celebrating the gains, let’s not overlook the losses: Memphis Taproom made way for Meetinghouse, as Community did for Insatiable. Hidden cocktail bar Art in the Age in Old City closed up shop, maybe for good. In Port Richmond, Lunar Inn shuttered after one last New Year’s Eve bash. And there was Bankroll (we hardly knew ye).

This year holds more out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new. There are more than 75 bars and restaurants slated to open in 2024, with some sprouting in former dives, bookstores, boutiques, office spaces, and even a parking garage. Despite the rises and falls, for businesspeople and bar-goers alike, it always boils down to the same thing: Philly’s thirsty. Keep ‘em coming.