Mace's Crossing

I have wanted to go here for years. I finally had the chance yesterday. It was not a far walk from my office, so we went for lunch. Good selection, great lunch specials, and everything was a great value! Our meals were delicious. It was nice to see locals in the bar instead of suburban hipsters or tourists. Now, I know the hipsters/tourists need to eat too (hahaha) but they always don’t know the good places to eat, but the locals do! 😊👍. We will surely be coming back again soon!

Fantastic place with good food and a classy bartender. Come for the drinks, stay for the food or the other way around, you wont be sorry you visited.

Loud and small, NO smoking. Small but tasty cheesesteak (???). It certainly was NOT 'thinly sliced rib eye' like it said in the menu. I am pretty sure it was ground beef. 'nough said about Mac's Crossing.

The one and only bar you need to visit whilst in Philadelphia. Relaxed talkative locals and a very friendly inclusive atmosphere

EXCELLENT food, great service, very friendly and knowledgeable staff. A MUST visit during the #Holiday Season, whenever you're in Center City and so on. 😊

We were seated immediately for lunch. Prompt service. Decent prices. The food was good. It is a quaint little pub that hints of a long storied past. The only con was it smelled of old beer but that added to the charm.

My mom and I ate here after hanging out around center city. We were looking for a simple and quick meal. The food was really good and for a great price as well. We chose to sit upstairs so we could look out the window, nobody else was up there so it was great, but the table set up made me think it would be a little crowded up there during busy hours. Regardless we enjoyed our time. Will definitely return!

Recommended by a local, this place is definitely a go to spot. It’s literally that pub feeling you were looking for. Small, cozy, welcoming. The gentleman who I believe was the owner was hilarious and so very kind. We had 6 shots between two people and our bill was so reasonable. I can’t wait to come back. You were awesome. Thanks for a warm Philly welcome! Best of luck in your business, always.

Excellent cheesesteak and perfectly brown and crispy fries. These are the fries I always hope for. They've nailed it. The cheesesteak is not huge (not as long as some others) but it is stuffed FULL of perfectly cooked meat and plenty filling. Cannot go wrong with this one. Definitely a dive bar with a full selection of liquor. Maybe a limited selection of beers, but certainly all you need. Service is prompt and friendly. A small place, but there is outdoor patio seating, too. And because it's a dive, it hasn't been infiltrated by the trendy, hip crowd. Just a bunch of hungry, and mostly thirsty people (friendly people).

Loud and small, NO smoking. Small but tasty cheesesteak (???). It certainly was NOT 'thinly sliced rib eye' like it said in the menu. I am pretty sure it was ground beef. 'nough said about Mac's Crossing.

After several days in Center City I yearned for a bar with some character. I finally found it right under my nose. I wandered in to find a well worn bar with a wide selection of liquor and a small but highly serviceable selection of draft beer. I enjoyed a Yards and a beautifully poured Guinness followed by a Jameson's Black Barrel on the rocks. The patrons were real and I enjoyed some lively conversation with them and the bartender. I walked the three blocks back to hotel a happy man.

We were searching for a small and quiet pub near our hotel. There were a few with reviews ranging from 2-3 stars. After an hour of free happy hour drinks included with our Embassy Suite perks we headed out to find these nearby pubs. This tiny building was just a few steps from the hotel. A quaint corner table was waiting for us. They served up my hubby's fave bourbon so all was good. The pours were generous and the price was exceptionally decent. We also ordered a few snacks(wings and fries). The food was hot and tasty. Service was unobtrusive but eager. Our server was always there to keep my hubby's glass full. We are glad we gave this pub a chance since it was just the thing we needed!

We stumbled on this place late night and had a great time! Luckily we hit in before the kitchen closed so we had a turkey sandwich and cheese fries. The sandwich was delicious! Good quality turkey and bacon. I'm trying to get used to the cheese wiz on things here in Philly, so the fries were good enough. The bartender (Gary) was a great time. Mixed that with some good music and other out of towners and we had a super fun night!

Okay, so I actually love it here. I don't know if it's the location or what, but I have to be honest and say you can find me here quite often. Their specialty that I love which honestly isn't even friggin special is their $3 HH beers that are normally $4. Lol. It's Bud, so don't get too hype, but if your looking for a deal to get you drunk, then this is your spot. This dive is just a great place to come after work or late night after you go out, but before you head home. Way less crowded then the neighboring Con Murph's. It's literally right on the Parkway and there is outside seating and an upstairs with a great view. I come here for special occasions like the Fourth of July, St. Patty's, and at least once a week for a casual beer with coworkers, lmao. The food is pretty decent as well - chicken cheesesteak and cheese fries are my go-to.

LOVE this place! This was the first bar I ever went to in Philly! Part of the reason I fell in love with the city! This is an adorable little dive. The bartenders are absolutely awesome, especially Gary! They are super nice and funny and always hook up the drinks! The location is awesome, I suggest if you're here to also stop by Con Murphy's next door. It's my second fav! They have a cute patio area, an the inside is small and cozy. They bathroom is really funny, it's literally like a box and it's right by everyone but who cares. The food is actually really good too! Their happy hour is fantastic but honestly they're so good with the drinks there you already feel like you're getting happy hour prices! I go here every time I'm in town. I'll be moving to Philly in 6 months so I'll be a regular here! Be sure to look for me!

Awesome young vibe on a drinking holiday. The bar tender gets drinks super quickly and turnover is high. 4$ beers and a patio outside, in a popular area of the city on Ben Franklin Blvd.

Your local bar with the best wings!!! The cocktails are really good too (I had a Philly mule) The terrace is at a great spot for people watching :) Servers are friendly and warm.

Loveee this place. Nora is THE BEST waitress ever. She makes sure we are taken care of and the drinks are soo cheap during happy hour. The fish and chips are really good and the drinks are as strong as they need to be.

Nothing remarkable but my chicken cheesesteak was delicious. A bit pricey but perhaps that had to do with the area.

It's a dive bar. That's what you need to know. Everyone knows each other so get ready to get personal. The bar tables are a little sticky, but this place will have you coming back for more. Oddly enough, the food is pretty legit. We've stuck with the fried delicacies in life... chicken tenders... chili cheese fries... it may be hard to mess these up, but at least you know you can get some food substance while you're hanging around. Know that the kitchen closes at 10pm. They do offer hamburgers and pasta dishes, but I don't think this is the place you want a full entree.

Grew up with the Maces. Very friendly bar, great conversations and helps if you know baseball!

Excellent spot on the Parkway for drinks & decent food. Very small but perfect for smaller groups 2 - 6 peeps. Great bar staff too! You can make any Suburban Station train in 5 minutes or less (if running for the last train of the night). Bathroom is pretty much a closet under the stairs but adequate. There is a nicer one upstairs. Most perfect place to sit outside & people watch.

Great place if you are looking for cheap food and drinks. We came to Philly to explore- a HUGE Plate of fries was only 3.50! Cute small tavern feel, right on the street. Feels like a pub right out of Europe.

Stopped by on our way home from Mass and the weather was perfect. \ The hostess/waitress who seated us was super nice. I thought the South Philly Sunday Dinner with home made tomato sauce would be perfect but alas when it arrived it was with a vinegary sauce that would never be on pasta in South Philly or anywhere else. It was as if someone had grabbed a jar of barbeque sauce and used it for "home made" pasta sauce. My friend's roast beef sandwich was fine and most of the reviews seem to like the food so maybe my dish was just an an anomaly but it seemed so weird I couldn't help posting.

This little dive bar was recommended by a Philly native in the industry that actually sat next to us at another bar and we were not disappointed that we gave it a try. And when I say "little", even the bathroom was doll house sized (ladies, back into it because you won't be able to turn around one the door is closed - ha)! Bartender was serving draft beer from a red cooler - just the trashy, dive-ness I would expect from this place. We sat at the bar between two characters that were amazing storytellers and even got invited to join a group celebrating a birthday. This is just a tiny, casual bar that that you might miss if you weren't looking for it, but is definitely worth a go.

The building intrigued us because it was cute and a piece of history. The food was THE WORST w ever had and that's saying a lot. Staff was nice. We literally left our food on the plate and one of us spit out the bite of mozzarella stick into a napkin. Rlly awful. Oh well.

This was a small little stop on a 3-way corner in downtown Philly right next door to our hotel at Embassy Suites City Center. The owner behind the bar had a very strong Irish accent but was extremely friendly and took care of myself and a couple friends. It's a small bar and they serve food with a small TV at the bar. If I came to the city regularly, it would be an easy place to pop in and grab a drink.

Cooking yesterday NORA what's up standing then our cook was MADON, his food was outstanding especially the fish and chips....we came back today to hang out and this woman in the second photo was extra courteous and amazing!

Food was mediocre, service was terrible. The waiter kept suggesting orders that we were not interested in and she still insisted on placing the food order for something that we didn't want. The wrong drinks were served and she kept trying to blame the customers. We asked for separate checks and she was upset that we asked after our meals and did not split the check. We won't be going back there

I was generally intrigued when I saw this bar. In a tiny two story house surrounded by towering skyscrapers in center city Philadelphia. Clearly the whole area was once filled with similar buildings, but progress had seemingly only spared it. This bar reminded me of an older person who was stuck in their ways unwilling to change, and on top of everything is mad at everyone around them for not living the "old way" instead giving in to the siren of progress Where do I start. I walked in and everything seemed sad and in disrepair. Behind the bar was just cluttered with junk, paper, and random things that were clearly not decor but rather clutter. Nothing seemed terribly clean or well maintained. We sat at the end of the bar. since it was a Saturday I asked if there were any specials. The bartender was clearly annoyed by my question and rattled off a few beers disinterestedly. When my beers came they tasted a bit off there was no foam, but they were only $3 or $4 so I did not complain. The bar had a few "regulars". Salty old men slowly sipping on cheap bottles of beer, and non-regulars/tourists ordering drinks and eating. This did not stop the bartender from largely ignoring everyone but the aforementioned regulars, and taking turns flirting with them, complaining about the other customers. A few times after some non-regulars left, the bartender would audibly say something negative about what they wore, where they are from, or something else. At this point I realized that I didnt want to hang around for a second beer. And then I looked down at the glass I was drinking and my friends glass, now only half full. They were so dirty that my first thought was they didnt wash them by mistake. Didn't complain didnt say anything as I realized customer service really didnt matter here unless they knew you. We left the bar and as soon as we left,we agreed that we clearly made a terrible mistake, and we agreed they found some reason to complain about us. After reading these reviews it all makes sense. they are seemingly more worried about hanging on to the few regulars they have who buy a few cheap beers a night rather than trying to accept the fact that they are in a central place where they will potentially get a diverse clientele. You dont have to change who you are, but turning off customers is probably not in your best interest.

A typical pub. The drinks were good and the atmosphere fun. A nice stop for a cocktail or two.

Decent Irish bar in the city. Be warned, this place is tiny inside. The bartenders are tough to warm up to, but once you do they are pleasant enough. Beer is cold and fairly priced for the city. Bathroom is the smallest I have ever seen. Check it out. Should be classified as a dive bar.

I was brought here by a colleague who really likes to drink...hard core style. If that's what you're looking for then this place is for you. It's not what I was looking for and I felt a bit uncomfortable at this place. They have a few outdoor tables, not really a relaxing location tho, you feel like you're right in the traffic of the parkway. The bar inside is dirty with a few regulars who aren't interested in conversation. I can definitely say I'd never eat anything here. The bar bathroom is abysmal, it's the width of the toilet, it was flooding and there was a fruit fly convention going on the day I had the pleasure of using it. Won't be my regular place.

We just stopped here for a beer and to try and take in the history of this place and the small plot of land this bar now occupies. It's not worth the effort. It's now just a filthy corner joint with what looks to be pretty greasy food and grumpy service. The beer was cold but I felt like I needed a shower after spending about 40 minutes here.

Cheap prices, warm atmosphere, upstairs dining room that feels a bit like being in a lighthouse (operating windows that offer a great view of the Parkway), outdoor seating in nice weather, decent Irish-y pub food, friendly service and a killer location. It's been here since 1978. Still going strong.

Been to this bar a few times now and it is quickly becoming a favorite. The food is great, service is great, and the bartenders a very friendly. The feel of the bar gives a neighborhood dive impression, and most people in here seem to know each other, but conversation is easy with everyone. Can't wait to come back!

Excellent location, food, service. Nice little hideaway. Real homemade food and ice cold beer. Always a stop when I go to Philadelphia.

Great service at the bar. Friendly patrons. Good food. I enjoyed lunch there on a Friday afternoon. There was lively conversation and a whole "neighborly" camaraderie.

Great bar with great food! Download TouchTunes, and you'll probably have the run of the jukebox. I laid up a Classic Rock set while enjoying my burger, fries and beer. Food is reasonably priced and real good.

On our recent trip to Philadelphia for our conference, we came across this quaint little bar that immediately became our favorite daily hangout. The food, the atmosphere but especially the people, Amanda and Mike made our stay memorable and fun. Our "Iowan" drink special will be forever remembered. Until we see each other again again

Just thinking back on my limited experiences at this establishment gives me the creeps. At the time, I worked at a nearby law firm and this was a favorite for support staff members and alcoholic attorneys alike (sorry for blowing up anyone's spot). It is one of those places that you sneak off to for lunch to have a beer or four, and if you see anyone from work, you silently acknowledge them and immediately forget that you saw them there. So I guess it's cool that this unspoken code exists. However, the place is downright nasty. Cobwebs hang in the corners and every surface has that sticky feel to it. You know what I'm talking about. Mace's Crossing is as close to a dungeon as you can possibly get in the middle of Center City.

I've been here once because the wait was too long for TGIFriday's. There are two floors, my boyfriend and I were seated upstairs. The good thing is that we were near a window, the bad thing was the condition of everything. The place needs renovating! Well, we were there for lunch, I think at night it must be some local dive on Parkway. I guess I was expecting a restaurant. There was a table of 8 or so a couple of tables away. I think they were the reason why we waited for what seemed like an hour for our hot sandwiches. When it arrived, it was pretty sorry. I think I've had better at lunch trucks. I don't recommend this place if you're looking for a decent lunch. Works better as a dive.

I've been here twice in 3 days. Fantastic ambience. Full on Irish pub, great food and great service. Highly recommend.

Mace's Crossing is a Philadelphia Landmark. We've frequented there occasionally for lunch, happy hour, dinner or just cocktails over the past 25 years and it is consistently good, with great service, great food and a friendly atmosphere in a fabulous location. If the weather is nice, it's the perfect spot to sit outside on the patio, people watching while sipping a cold one. It is walking distance to the museums, cathedral, city hall, etc. Mace's sits right on the corner of the Parkway so it is a fabulous spot to view parades and other events on the Parkway. They have a room on the second floor that you can rent out (maybe around 20 people) for private parties and it is a perfect view of all of the parkway excitement without the crowds (and cold or heat depending on the time of year).

The food was undercooked. The only decent plate I ordered was the chips and salsa. The service was terrible!!

Mace's was pretty empty on a Saturday night. It was perfect for my friend and I to chat and catch up without it being too loud, crowded, or obnoxious. The bartender was very friendly. The prices were reasonable as well. Yes, it's a dive bar, but I really enjoyed the couple of hours I spent there. It was just the place my friend and I were looking for. We had an order of wings along with our drinks and they were pretty decent. By the way, one review said that the Coke tastes weird...probably because they have RC Cola rather than Coke.

Well, I went here for sips and I got what I paid for... a sip of Yuengling ($3), a sip of Margarita ($4), a sip of Sam Adams ($3). I will NOT be returning.

Ate here with friends, as we were at the Franklin on a Sunday, and desperately looking for some place to eat. Many places were closed and the only other place we could find was TGIF's - ugh. This place looks like a cozy neighborhood bar and it is. Typical greasy spoon type fare. It was very inexpensive and the onion rings were awesome. Potato skins were way to greasy for my taste. Guys said the burgers were good. So long story short - it was fine in a pinch but I wouldn't recommend it per se.

I walked by Mace's on the way to the Franklin Institute and immediately loved the look of it. I said "wow, doesn't that place look cool? If we have time I want to stop in there." Obviously not consulting Yelp was a mistake. From the looks of it, I was expecting more of a gastro-pub, and was startled to see such low prices. The highest priced item on the menu is $10.50! We walk in and it feels like a cozy irish bar with a small downstairs area with a few booths and a couple TVs, and then an upstairs area. I was excited, until I saw the very small and average beer list. I opted for a Yuengling, one of the two most exotic brews they had. Also ordered some fish 'n chips, hoping the food would outdo the beer selection. The food came out and it looked not unlike something you'd find at McDonald's.. My "chips" were crinkle cut fries that probably came out of a big Ore Ida freezer bag, and the fish had that bizarre, tell-tale processed trapezoidal shape that you'd expect from Long John Silvers. Michelle's "grilled chicken sandwich" was almost indistinguishable as a grilled chicken sandwich. It was all white and gooey and had a couple tiny chunks on it. It kinda looked like a patty of tartar sauce. I appreciated the friendliness of our waitress, but the limited beer selection, and poor food was a turn-off. A previous reviewer said that the reason for Mace's continued existence is how inexpensive it is compared to the rest of the area. It certainly is cheap, but it doesn't feel like a good value to me.

Warning: do not visit Mace's Crossing if you have any form of clinical depression. This is not the bar that will make you forget all your troubles. This bar will, however, make you temporarily forget that you're in the pricey part of town as you pound down one of the 5 inexpensively priced draft beers in this musty, low-ceiinged local watering hole. My recollection is needfully blurry but I think you can expect Yuengling, Sam Adams seasonal, Smithwicks, Guiness, and Bud Light on tap... and that is all. Somehow that qualifies this place to be an Irish Pub in a city already packed to the gills with Irish Pubs. The most surprising aspect of Mace's Crossing is the crowd. I mean, it usually isn't packed, but they get a decent amount of people after work in this dive. The least surprising aspect is the food. I'd be hard pressed to locate more generic bar food. "Adequate" is the best description I can come up with here. I will say that the service is pretty good, the waitresses seem to really hop to it... but there's only one reason people keep coming back here: it's cheaper than everywhere else. In a part of town where the happy hour is almost non-existent, their prices at least fall into the realm of reason. If you're going with some friends and you know you'll have fun no matter how grim your surroundings, then this might be the bar for you.

From the outside, this place looked like it was going to be awesome. Reality? EPIC FAIL. The best beer they had on tap was yeungling? Come on! They could have done so much better with this place. My dinner? A grilled chicken sandwich with onions and american cheese. Sounds awesome but the execution was not so awesome. It was nice that it was so cheap, but my sandwich came out and was pretty much a gigantic mess of cheese onions and bread. I could barely find the chicken. When i went upstairs to the bathroom, i passed the kitchen. It looked like what i would expect to see at a college dormroom. it was seriously one guy with a deep fryer and a griddle. I guess my cheesey chciken was all they could master with what they were given. Definitely not worth a visit

I don't get what all the fuss is about. The same people who would stand by a dumpster in July and snarf down a cheese steak with flies and pigeons all around are complaining that MacE's is a bit scruffy? WTF? OK, it's a bit on the dive side, but me like 'em dives. The jukebox (customer operated) is always playing something interesting, depending on the crowd makeup. Speaking of which, on the couple of evenings I was there, the demographics were across the board, but lots of 30-somethings, men and women. There are a couple of TVs and sports is the mainstay for viewing. I had the cheese steak. It was just as good as anywhere else. I didn't find the place "dirty" or "scummy". More of a "scruffy", rough around the edges kind of place. Yeah, it's a bit dark, like a good neighborhood pub should be. If you want bright lights and noise, go to TGIFridays, it's next door and much more expensive. I tried another "Neighborhood Pub" a few blocks down and came running back to MacE's Crossing.

Pros: cheap happy hour prices, BEER!, close enough to work that I can cartwheel there Con: The ceiling dripped on me. I changed my location, and it dripped on me there too. Call me old fashioned, but no matter how much cheap beer an establishment throws in front of you, they should still strive to minimize their ceiling dripability factor.

Im from Houston and hit bars all over downtown Philly. What a great dive bar. If you are a middle class, feet on the ground kind of person, this was a great place that we hit over and over while in town for 4 days. Their cheese steak is among the top 3 (And I had a lot) that I tried. Ive seen a few other reviews calling the place a rathole, I disagree, the staff was always cleaning in the little spare time they had and the whole place seems well kept up, clean glasses and fresh food. Philly is kind of old, so of they thing Mace's is a rathole, they should steop outside and look around, ya know?

Went to Mace's with a group of friends last Saturday afternoon. Snagged a nice table outside, which was great for people watching. $3 Yuenglings, which was nice. I think the best surprise was the free sausage from their outdoor grill. Four different kinds. Free. Service was good - our waitress was very friendly & quick. Is the bathroom sketchy? Yes. Is the ambiance weird? Of course. But for sitting outside, enjoying a few cheap beers, and free food, it's a nice spot.

Great little local bar. Reasonable price drafts, great conversations with locals. Fun place. Highly recommend.

Quintessential neighborhood pub verging on being a dive - and verging on being in a neighborhood, because it seems to be wedged around a lot of non-residential property. But thye have a good group of regulars, as I could see even on a Sunday night. I didn't try the food, and I doubt I ever would - but to hang out on the deck for a few pints - or inside to watch some baseball - it's not half bad. And Lager for $3 a pint - sweet. not rushing back - but happy I tried it out.