Hop Sing Laundromat

hop sing laundromat philly
Image: Yelp/Allison B.
TUESDAY - SATURDAY: 5 P.M. - 2 A.M. | CLOSED SUNDAY - MONDAY

What awaits behind an unnerving steel gate in Chinatown, the one that looks like it was purloined from the set of The Game? That’d be Hop Sing, Philly’s most irreverent cocktail bar. Lorded over by mononymous proprietor Lê, the space is bizarre and beautiful, decorated with old paintings, expired liquor licenses, musty books and dramatic candelabras that look like they’re about to come to life and sing show tunes. Bartenders here distinguish themselves with simplicity, leaning on top-shelf spirits and squeezed-to-order fruit.

Known For
  • craft cocktails
  • lots of whiskey
  • lots of rum
  • lots of tequila/mezcal
What to drink
The Henry Box Brown, nothing more than aged rum and fresh-pressed red grape juice, is a standard. It’s named after the man who famously mailed himself from Virginia to Pennsylvania to escape slavery in 1849.
Neighborhood
Chinatown
ProTip
Lê’s odd sense of hospitality and humor are on truest display via his “short-range missiles” happy hour, which offers beautiful liquor at ludicrous discount prices. The catch: You have to start at the bottom (Maestro Dobel reposado for $3.50) to gain access to each subsequent tier (small-batch Booker’s for $6.66; $10 18-year-old Jameson).

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