A Few of the Oldest Bars in Philly

There are numerous bars all across Philly and some are as historic as the city itself.

Dirty Franks is one of Philly’s most famous dive bars and has been serving up the city since 1933, right around the time that Prohibition ended. The bar’s second owner was Frank Vigderman, who reportedly had poor hygiene, which is where the bar got its current name.

Since then, Dirty Frank’s has changed ownership several times, but for the most part, the bar has maintained its divey atmosphere. Since 2011, Dirty Franks has been owned by Jody Sweitzer and Brad Pierce, both longtime employees of the bar. Did You Know, the ashes of one of Dirty Franks’s longtime patrons are resting somewhere in the back wall by the bar’s dartboard?

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Cherry Street Tavern has been continuously operating from the corner of 22nd and Cherry Streets since 1905. Like a few of the other bars on this list, Cherry Street Tavern survived Prohibition by openly switching to other services while still serving alcohol in secret. During this time, the actual bar was removed and the tavern transformed into a barber shop that provided other services to men.

In the early 1970s, Cherry Street Tavern was purchased by John “Tex” Flannery, a local football legend. Flannery sold the tavern/restaurant to brothers Bob and Bill Loughery who had already been running the place for years.

A disused urinal trough runs along the base of the bar at Cherry Street Tavern and at one point, customers could drink, eat, and urinate in the same place!

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The original structure located in the same spot as the current City Tavern pre-dates the formation of the United States – City Tavern was opened in 1773 and is the oldest bar in Philadelphia. City Tavern quickly became a popular meeting space for America’s Founding Fathers and members of the First Continental Congress.

Although City Tavern was such a popular spot, the original building was partially burned in 1834 and finally demolished by 1854. In 1948, the exact spot where City Tavern was located became a site of national importance and was protected. A few decades later in 1975, an accurate replica of City Tavern was built and opened a year later for the United States Bicentennial. On July 4, 1777, America’s first official Fourth of July celebration was held at City Tavern.

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Although City Tavern is technically older, McGillin’s Olde Ale House is the continuously operating bar in Philadelphia and has been slinging beers since 1860. Initially called The Bell in Hand, the bar was opened by Irish immigrants Catherine “Ma” and William “Pa” McGillin. Locals often called the tavern McGillin’s and the nickname eventually stuck.

The McGillin family continued to operate McGillin’s Olde Ale House until 1958. That year, the McGillins’ daughter Mercedes McGillin Hooper sold the bar to Henry Spaniak and Joe Shepaniak (brothers who spelled their surname differently). Since 1993, Henry’s descendants have been running McGillin’s.

To survive Prohibitin, McGillin’s Olde Ale House hired a chef to serve food and ice cream and the bar’s official website hints that the bar may have continued to serve alcohol secretly on the second floor.

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