The Best Restaurant Bars in Philadelphia

The Mink family’s Center City seafood house has quietly positioned itself as one of the steadiest cocktail bars in the city. The bartenders are fast and friendly, the gin collection is formidable and the drinks touch on both classics (Philly’s own Clover Club) and nouveau favorites (the Kentucky Maid, via Milk & Honey).

Renowned for its burger but adept at so much more, P&K is the urbane establishment we all wish we had on—and in—our corner. As the neophytes fawn over the basics (for the record, that burger is damn good), pros explore the more elegant corners of chef Steve Eckerd’s menu, matching meals with selections from the short and sharp beer, wine and cocktail lists.

This Queen Village stalwart was doing the proper drinking thing before that Corpse Reviver was even a glimmer in your Jerry Thomas-loving eye. Under new ownership as of 2016, the look and feel of Southwark’s interior has changed, but they’ve retained the industry-friendly feel in the front room, home to one of Philly’s oldest, and most beautiful bars. Southwark is an industry favorite, and it’s also a top-flight restaurant in its own right—and the same goes for Ambra, chef/owner Chris D’Ambro’s ambitious tasting menu concept located in an adjacent space.

The Francophilic fine-dining leanings of Townsend Wentz meet their playful match in the front barroom of the chef’s popular restaurant, where classic drinks are augmented with friendly bits of trickery. High-top seating here is a standout along option-packed East Passyunk Avenue.

Greg Vernick earned 2017 “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic” honors from the James Beard Foundation for his innovative cooking, splitting the difference between homey familiarity and flawless execution. But his restaurant’s equally excellent wine and cocktail programs have also contributed greatly to its reputation as a bona fide destination. Smart, dialed-in and constantly evolving, wine director Ray Gazdzinski’s list reflects a preference for terroir-driven wines from small producers and service that’s elegant yet casual. The same is true of the bar, which boasts some of the best bartenders in the city. (Their domain also ...

The cooking of the American South is the thing at Rex, and as such, the convivial rear bar executes the requisite Sazeracs and Mint Juleps remarkably well. But there is more to this beverage approach than just the classics. Yes, they've got the whiskey drinkers covered, but a slew of housemade elements and bottles well outside the canon means plenty of specials and off-menu meanderings.

In 2016, owners Chad and Hanna Williams took over this Rittenhouse landmark, one of the older names in Philly dining, and brought it up to contemporary standards. A big part of this push toward modernity was bar manager Paul MacDonald, one of the city's most experimental drink-makers. He mines cocktail inspiration everywhere from Williams' intricate cooking to the mathematical parameters of the Fibonacci sequence.

A restaurant that playfully reflects the multicultural cuisines of the Jewish diaspora does not exactly scream “best amari selection in the city,” but that’s exactly what’s going on behind the bar at this handsome Center City space, owned by prolific restaurateurs Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook (Zahav, Federal Donuts, Dizengoff, Goldie). A well-sourced approach to spirits of all persuasions, many obscure and cocktail-geeky, is just part of the program; they also offer flat-rate sections for wines by the glass ($12 for white, $14 for red) and by the bottle ($50 for white, $60 for red), encouraging guests to branch ...