Ray's 'Happy Birthday' Bar

"You may think that the idea of hearing the “Happy Birthday” song more than 10 times a night sounds annoying, or even unbearable. And in an Applebee’s, Chili’s, or pretty much any other chain restaurant, you would be correct. But at Ray’s in East Passyunk, it’s somehow the opposite. On your birthday, there’s a free cake, a shot, and a hat involved (which you can’t take home). And if you’re not there to celebrate your birthday, there’s karaoke night on Fridays, a nice draft list, and a makeshift dance floor full of stragglers brazen with liquid courage. It’s BYOF (Bring Your Own Food), but it’s also near Geno’s, so you should bring some instead of relying on anywhere nearby." - Candis R. McLean

"Known for its longstanding tradition of giving customers free shots, complete with a candle, on their birthdays, Ray's is both cheerful and definitely a dive. There’s rowdy karaoke every Friday night." - Ernest Owens, Sarah Maiellano, Eater Staff

"You may think that the idea of hearing the “Happy Birthday” song more than 10 times in a night sounds annoying or even unbearable. And at an Applebee’s, Chili’s, or pretty much any other restaurant where they have the entire staff come to your table with a huge gong and sing to you, you would be correct. At Ray’s, though, where the bar is filled with people double-fisting light beers and taking turns on the karaoke stage, it’s somehow the opposite. Even after the fifth serenade, you’ll still be singing along like it’s “What’s My Age Again?” or any of the other six Blink-182 songs you can’t ever forget." - sydney mcelwee

"Known for its longstanding tradition of giving customers free shots, complete with a candle, on their birthdays, Ray's is both cheerful and definitely a dive. There’s rowdy karaoke every Friday night." - Sarah Maiellano, Dayna Evans

"On a recent Friday night in South Philadelphia, Erica Ruiz commanded the back room at Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar with her karaoke rendition of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know.”" - Allie Volpe