Fishtown

Dive Bars · Fishtown

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Highlights

Cool Fishtown is where Philly's culinary, art and music trends take off. A magnet for hipsters and creative types, the former working-class neighborhood marks the first Friday of the month by opening the galleries and studios along Frankford Avenue to the public. The vibrant nightlife includes hip bistros, beer gardens and a retro arcade. Indie bands perform at the landmark Johnny Brenda's, a lauded gastropub.

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Philadelphia, PA Get directions

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"Legend has it that Fishtown was named by Charles Dickens, but you should take that with a grain of salt. Traditionally a working-class Irish enclave, today, trendy Fishtown is a mix of blue-collar and young professionals. Philadelphia’s latest everything is happening in Fishtown: bars, restaurants, art, and music scenes." - MATADOR_NETWORK

View Postcard for Fishtown

"Legend has it that Fishtown was named by Charles Dickens, but you should take that with a grain of salt. Traditionally a working-class Irish enclave, today, trendy Fishtown is a mix of blue-collar and young professionals. Philadelphia’s latest everything is happening in Fishtown: bars, restaurants, art, and music scenes." - MATADOR_NETWORK

View Postcard for Fishtown

Stephen C.

Yelp
Really chill bar with cheap drinks and delicious food. Got the meatball sandwich and loved the heartiness of the meatball! Would come back. Decent service and very low key, not pretentious ambiance.

Julian B.

Yelp
Local spot w great service, food and drink. Shared the spicy Mac and cheese which was amazing. Had a couple beers. Perfect Philly spot. Saw the manager/owner working hard keeping an eye on things. Love the industry in Philly!

Steven B.

Yelp
Met up with a group of college buddies here. The bartender was super nice and playful. Drinks were good and the pub style food was excellent. Everyone loved the food and surprised at the quality. Would definitely come back for food or drinks!

Maya A.

Yelp
My go to spot in fishtown. Great bar and amazing vegan food at a good price. Love this place.

Ellen B.

Yelp
Serious fan of this place. Great for birthday celebration drinking, day drinking, dipping in after a night out for one last beverage on the way home drinking, it's that place. Their food hits the spot when you need something to go with whatever you're imbibing.

Peter B.

Yelp
Small little hole in the wall. Just stopped in for a quick drink during happy hour. The bartender was quick and things the drinks were well priced. Would definitely come back again for another drink or food to check it out.

Emilia L.

Yelp
Great place, cool atmosphere and good food. The lobster grilled cheese is amazing and the also have Vegan and vegetarian options. Stop in for a beer and a bite to eat.

Kurt T.

Yelp
Awesome neighborhood bar!!! Our bartender Maya was amazing. BLT's were huge and delicious. One of our group raves about the burger as well!!

Hannah F.

Yelp
Incredible staff, great beer, and some quality bar food. If you're looking for a dive bar//local watering hole, this is your dream spot. it's not fancy, but it's the best.

Korrine C.

Yelp
Classic local dive bar..came in for the first time on a weekday when the weather was nice for a drink and lunch, we sat outside in the limited seats they have outdoors, the bartender was friendly, the food menu seems to change based off of other reviews in comparison to what was available that day..the burger was average, the noodles were impressively delicious.

Damien M.

Yelp
This spot is great. Music food four stars only for the bros that also love it on the weekends. Weekday nights are the best time to go!

Little Megan M.

Yelp
Are you looking for the greatest dive bar? Do you enjoy Nachos with fixings equally distributed throughout? Do you like meatball subs that fill a void? This is your place. It's a dive bar through and through, but it's got charm. The meatball hoagie and mushroom cheesesteak are legit. The meatball hoagie has a sweet red sauce and the kind of melted gooey cheese that pulls when you bite into it. They satisfy independently and come with a side of kettle classic original. The drinks are good, but the beer is quality. This is a casual joint with loud music and lots of rockers and the occasional date. It's a fun place with a good vibe. Whether you're looking for a good place to start to the night, somewhere to wait for friends, or a satisfying way to end your nigHt, this is the place. The bathrooms are a sanctuary to the loud music if you need a place to amp yourself up or calm yourself down. The service is reasonable with nice bartenders and fine servers.

Christine C.

Yelp
fantastic bad, great service and beer selection! The music was fabulous, can't wait to come back and visit!

Vikram N.

Yelp
If you live in Fishtown, you must become a regular of Fishtown tavern. There is no tavern like the Fishtown tavern. Their drinks are . This is a must stop for any bar hopping Fishtown night with the crew.

Michelle P.

Yelp
Fishtown Tavern is ranked 29th on the Top 50 Bars in Philly 2015 list? That's a fact based on Philly Mag's list, however I'm a little surprised by the ranking. Perhaps my experience was too brief to truly judge the Fishtown Tavern, but I really wasn't impressed. It wasn't a dive bar, but it was dive-like. There was no distinct "catch" for the bar. The draft list was small, the bottle/can list was even smaller. They had a few cocktails, but it didn't strike me as a cocktail atmosphere. Unimpressed by the beer list, I decided to just go with the mimosa special. For $4, a got nice sized mimosa that was actually pretty champagne heavy. I'll admit, that was a great deal. Maybe I'm totally missing something, but this was just a standard bar in a sea of bars that have some sort of glimmer, pizzazz and distinctive character. Maybe I have to be a local to Fishtown to really get it, but it's not worth it as a destination bar.

Tasha M.

Yelp
Fishtown Tavern was recommend to us by a bartender down the street at another local bar. We were expecting good vibes and fun times. Not so much what we got. There were only about 3 other patrons at the bar when we arrived. The bartender was not inviting or welcoming at all. It most definately took away from our experience. With that said the drink prices were decent and the damn bar nuts were phenomenal, I could seriously eat my weight in those things. I will attempt to recreate at home but doubt I can come close. Overall the experience was just ok. Would I return? Maybe..

Katya P.

Yelp
Not a fan of this place. The whole place just felt unwelcoming as soon as we walked in. Once we sat at the bar we were told we need to keep ordering drinks if we wanted to sit there. And a few things to keep in mind 1) we had just walked in 2) the place was not packed 3) we did order a drink each but apparently we had to be quickly finishing them and re-ordering. It was just weird. I think they're trying to keep it as a locals only dive bar (which if you are, name it something less SEO friendly than "Fishtown Tavern" and make your sign huge). I mean

Kathleen D.

Yelp
It smelled like man-sweat in here. But also, an Eagles game was on and there was a herd of devoted, likely sweaty fans screaming at the TV as if yelling at the top of their lungs would help their team suck less. So maybe it doesn't always smell so putrid? This is a typical dive -- bar up front, seats around/in back. A stream of light came in through the open door, so that was a nice plus. Decent taps. I tried their North Coast on cask and that was okay. Not life-changing, but not a water beer, either. They had a limited food menu on their board behind the bar. It included chicken salad. FYI.

Ashley M.

Yelp
Walked in on a Saturday night when there was no ID checker (not normal) we got our ID's checked by a bartender. Both me and my boyfriends wanted to wash our hands immediately bc of the coronavirus trend so we went to the bathroom first. when we both got back to order a drink the woman bartender refused to take our drink order because the male originally checked our ID's. relax. she was nasty to us all night. she is not that special. i give kudos to the man working with her.

Jeb J.

Yelp
Four stars because when it's packed it's pretty uncomfortable. Id recommend going early. Has a cute small dive bar feel. Not too overwhelming on week nights, good spot to hang.

Elizabeth G.

Yelp
came here tonight with some out of town guests, whoever the bartender was, was extremely racist. he asked for their IDs, they handed him their Mexico issued ID's and he said they couldn't accept Mexican drivers license as a form of ID and they explained they weren't drivers licenses and what the difference was and he carried on about why he shouldn't serve them making it abundantly clear that he didn't want to serve them. they got a beer to share and he then harassed them for not tipping him and continued to make comments to them about them not being able to "understand" him, the ethics behind tipping, and that he didn't "have to serve them" and that he learned this in bartending school. clearly they didn't teach this a**hole manners. he was extremely rude and didn't deserve a tip, how the hell could he expect it after he made them feel unwelcome. this guy should 100% be fired, this kind of treatment towards anyone is unacceptable and shouldn't be rewarded even with a penny. would not return under these circumstances coming from someone who doesn't drink and this place has a pretty great N/A list but the service is terrible. i hope karma bites this guy hard.

Emanuelle M.

Yelp
Cute little bar with a nice vibe. Drinks were amazing, i had the blackberry cider, my girlfriend ice pick. We really enjoyed both drinks. It was crowded but not in an unpleasant way. The crowd was friendly and the vibes were great!

Brian L.

Yelp
Really enjoy the atmosphere here. It's never overcrowded and the patrons are chilled out and not obnoxious. The alcohol content in mixed drinks was steadily increased throughout the night so everyone was happy! ;) The food is actually pretty damn good for being the small weird place that it is. The lobster grilled cheese does not disappoint. Maybe slightly pricey. I thought the staff was friendly. They are pretty chilled out and there isn't really a table service, but with the type of establishment this is I actually prefer it. I'll be back.

D A.

Yelp
Okay, moving on down the road, came across this old town Tavern. Walking in after visiting the Fishtown Social, what an improvement. The decor wants makes you want to stay and kickback. Bar stools are comfortable. Ordered the spicy Mac N Cheese, very very good, highly recommend. Service was warm and delightful. Great Job.

MandA R.

Yelp
Cute divey bar with good music and an addictive black and white movie playing. We had planned to just stop in on our way to the next destination but ended up staying a bit longer. Draft beer selection is great and prices reasonable. Mixed drinks were strong without being overwhelming and also priced right. The spicy mac and cheese was amazing!!

Jonny R.

Yelp
I love Fishtown Tavern because it does what it sets out to do. It doesn't promise the world, and fall short. It is a good dive bar with $2 domestic macros. The bartender is sweet and attentive, and the vibe is good for happy hour. I enjoyed the hour I spent there nursing a High Life and I imagine I'll be back. I think I prefer it to the fancier bars that surround it. There's something about its aesthetic that doesn't yell "Brooklyn-wannabe" that I like.

Vanessa S.

Yelp
You know what they always say; the places that have the best food are the ones you'd least expect. The Fishtown Tavern can be added to that list! On the exterior, it may look like a little dive with cheap beer, but what it has to offer is beyond that. The menu is way underrated and the chalkboard behind the bar doesn't do it any justice. The must-order menu item is the Lobster Grilled Cheese! Lots of ooey gooey, smokey cheese with large, juicy chunks of lobster (and for $12, they do not skimp on the lobster). The Roast Beef sandwich is also quite delicious as well; the meat tastes very fresh and juicy. Also, $4 mimosas for brunch on the weekends! That's a STEAL.

Barry G.

Yelp
Bloody Mary is nice and spicy. My lady enjoyed her grapefruit mimosa. Just passing through. Cool little spot for a quick drink.

Shannon W.

Yelp
my goodness do i love this place. id marry it if i could. maybe i can? gotta look into that..

J B.

Yelp
Very rude bartender, it's a locals only bar though so don't expect anyone to take your order unless you're a regular here. Better off going to another bar across the street or along Frankford Ave, there are much, much better options nearby.

Megan S.

Yelp
Fun local dive. No frills, good prices. Usually open all the time, even on holidays... they were open on Christmas. My cousin and I had some Christmas fun there after the obligatory family party. I haven't tried the food but it always smells good. Sometimes there's a DJ in the very back. This review isn't very original but if you're in the neighborhood check out Fishtown Tavern on your bar crawl.

Andrew B.

Yelp
Cheap beers and great food. I came here to kill some time and get a buzz going before I saw a show at the Fillmore. The bartender suggested the meatball hero and who boy was it good. The bread was toasted to perfectly and the inside was soft to hold the meatballs that kind of disintegrated into a meat spread because they were so tender. I know that doesn't really sound appetizing but it was great. I went back after the show because I was both hungry and sober - two thing I know they could help me with. This time I opted for the beef tacos. I did not expect to get soccer mom Ortega-style hardshell tacos but man they were just *perfect* 1am bar food. 4.5 stars, rounding down because the bar stools were like... 3 inches too low. It made sitting at the bar awkward.

Kelyn S.

Yelp
My partner and I were in Philly for about a week... we were supposed to check into an Airbnb in Fishtown, but were delayed because our hosts were cleaning the place. Totally annoying, but what can you do? We needed to find a place to hang out in because it was f*cking cold as balls, so I quickly googled and found this place and we walked the 8 minutes to get there. The bartender was such a nice guy. He was playing The Beatles broad discography and because of this and the snow outside it was like we were in a f*cking movie. Totally cheesy, I know. The place is an old building, very divey, the restrooms stink, but the service is top notch. The guy was always on top of our refills, our food was good. In fact, we loved it so much, we visited it again before leaving. The second experience was just as good (even though I had some annoying drunk guy hitting on me). I honestly can't wait to move to Philly... this may become my go to spot for a cheap drink and good food.

April J.

Yelp
Young crowd, cheap beer! The boy toy and I stopped here on Halloween...nothing fancy about this bar at all, but they have a great beer selection and the Kensington was only $3...winning!!! This is a cool spot to drop into for cheap drinks. It's too loud for conversation, not really date friendly UNLESS you do not want to talk to your date and if that is the case, sit by the speakers, that's what I did *wink*. I am giving this spot 3 stars because at my age, it's just not my type of bar. If I was in my 20/30s this would be my hangout spot! By the way, parking in this area sucks!!!

Tori D.

Yelp
Well, gee. Where to even begin? I stepped in here about a year ago with boyfriend for a quick meal with a drink. What turned out to be a fine experience for me turned into a two week relationship with the toilet for my boyfriend. Let me just say, wow. Honestly, it's probably his fault for ordering the lobster grilled cheese at a bar in fishtown. A mistake he will not soon be repeating. Lobster? In fishtown??? He deserved it. I swear I told him not to do it but he did it anyway and let me just say he barely made it through the two hour drive back to New York. Now he tenses up whenever I mention lobster. So thanks fishtown tavern. Maybe take that off your menu. My blt was bangin though

John R.

Yelp
Fishtown Tavern: Typical dive bar here, nothing too crazy. Moderately priced drinks. A vodka sprite and draft beer ran $11. It started to get pretty packed in there as the evening wore on and the bar went from chill lounge atmosphere to typical standing room only bar. The bar was very hipster and played an eclectic mix of alternative and rock from the most stereotypical "rocker" DJ I could imagine- long hair, beard, pony tail. This certainly isn't my scene, I'm more into EDM but it has the recipe of a nice chill hipster. On the downside is the bathrooms. The sink is so small I can fit only one hand in it at a time. They were also kind of disgusting. Pee everywhere, paper towels on floor, ewww.

George C.

Yelp
Their outdoor seats are aligned with one of but many magick ley lines that splay throughout our historick city. Only question is whether the female bartender is an ice queen in general, or just hates my mug?

Lauren H.

Yelp
Quite the dive bar if you ask me. Somehow, after spending literal years of my life bar hopping around Fishtown I just experienced this place for the first time last weekend. Nice, diverse selection of beers, cocktails and food. The meatball sub is an absolute must.

Sean R.

Yelp
This is totally the "local bar", even though it has 3 other bars within a stones throw of it on Frankford Ave. Dimly lit, with the ever so mild glow of some neon in the front window that simply says "BAR", coupled with the divey look and feel, mixed with craft beer drinkers and those just looking for some standard swill makes this a pretty cool spot. If I lived in the area I could see this being a good spot to end the night at for one more after Frankford Hall or Johnny Brenda's. Friendly bar staff and a good place to catch a game. Been here a few times but never tried the food.

Justin B.

Yelp
Excellent place to sit and hang out with friends. I enjoy going there because you can actually hear one another talk. It's rarely packed and the service is always excellent. The good is pretty good too!

Marcin R.

Yelp
As a frequent visitor to Bottle Bar East I passed by this place many times but never went inside until last Saturday. I was surprised how spacious this place was. Bar is extended all the way to the back with plenty of seating. Also, side walls have a counter top where you can put your drink. Besides that, outside seating is also available. Inside when I was there I noticed that crowed was mostly in mid to late twenties. They had few beers on tap. Not as many as other places but all were from decent breweries. In all pretty good place to hang out.

John M.

Yelp
Good vibe.. Lame food. .fryer.. Bad pours.. But up and coming vibe... Hot girls. ..people. they can't lose.... Even an afternoon drink..... They own it.. Food is fried... Micro..... But..they cannot lose... This. Is it. .... Stick with it. . If you live close by

Scott L.

Yelp
Fishtown Tavern has the best roast beef sandwich hands down! Also their lobster grilled cheese amazing, you can not go wrong! It is dark and chill inside. Usually when I go in I see vinyl spinning behind the bar which is cool.

Jim S.

Yelp
Great local bar nice to see the old fish town vibe going strong. I usually get the lamb gyro and it is always good. I recommend this bar, enjoy.

Arthur C.

Yelp
I am a local. I have been here several times. I will only eat here again if its the only place open. The worst lobster mac n cheese anywhere. Lamb gyro is a lamb burger chopped in a pita bread, not very good. The best $4 bloody Mary anywhere. Good place to go for loud music and drinks are probably cheapest in Fishtown.

Caitlin R.

Yelp
Pretty divey dive of a dive bar. They recently just used this location to film a Jason Sigel movie. Go for late night drinks.

Venus M.

Yelp
The bartender was very friendly, he took our orders quickly. We had some drinks and ordered some food. The lobster grilled cheese is amazing! The BLT was also good.

Ryan F.

Yelp
I LOVE THIS PLACE. This is probably my favorite bar in Philadelphia. Great job to Audrey, Allison, Richie, Jimmy and the entire staff for making this place such an awesome place to enjoy some drinks!

Matthew P.

Yelp
Great lambburger. I'm not sure if it's spelt lamburger. That would be more efficient. But lamburger said fast sounds like hamburger. Which is a real trip cause a lamburger is made out of lamb but a hamburger isn't made outa ham. Think about that.

Ken D.

Yelp
My go to Fishtown dive bar. Good food awesome people yummy drinks. Parking can be a bitch. Good prices!

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