Together, Northern Liberties Business Improvement District and Fishtown District are hosting a massive, two-day bar crawl of more than two dozen restaurants, bars, breweries, wineries, distilleries, and hospitality spots offering discounted zero-proof cocktails. The event runs Saturday, Jan. 17 and Sunday, Jan, 18, allowing participants to explore the two neighborhoods at their own pace. No tickets or check-in are required.
“We are excited to kick off 2026 with our close friends in Fishtown for a post-holiday reset,” said Sydney Rexroad, Northern Liberties Business Improvement District executive director. “The Dry January Crawl … is a great opportunity to see a different side of creativity from your favorite spots.”
Bar Palmina will participate in the Northern Liberties/Fishtown Dry January Bar Crawl.
“This is the perfect way to start 2026,” said Marc D. Collazzo, Fishtown District executive director. “Our close connection provides a full, fun wellness experience in the hottest neighborhoods in the city. Come join us to sip, savor and smile.”
Along with a slate of regularly priced nonalcoholic cocktails or specialty beverages, folks can expect each participating establishment to have one or more special happy hour-priced nonalcoholic beverage, from $6 to $10.
Bar1010 will offer strawberry matcha mocktails for $10, beers and Moscow mules will run $6 to $8 at BarPalmina, and smoked mixed berry spritz will go for $10 at Jerry’s Bar, just to name a few.
But remember: “Mocktails are what you’ll see mostly on menus — they’re made up of syrups, shrubs, soda, juices, and the ABV falls at 0.0,” according to Nikki Graziano, owner of Bar Palmina. “Zero-proof cocktails are made with complex nonalcoholic spirits and bitters. They provide the same balance and craft as a regular alcoholic drink and their ABV ranges from 0.0-0.5% ABV.”
“There’s no better or worse, but the distinction is important to note for sensitivities as well as price points,” she said.
Front Street Cafe will participate in the Northern Liberties/Fishtown Dry January Bar Crawl.
In Northern Liberties:
Amina:1102 Germantown Ave., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Bar1010:701 N. Second St., 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Bourbon and Branch:705 N. Second St., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
El Camino Real:1040 N. Second St., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Jerry’s Bar:129 W. Laurel St., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Standard Tap:901 N. Second St., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The 700: 700 N. Second St., 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Urban Village Brewing:1001 N. Second St., noon to 5 p.m.
Yards Brewing Co.:500 Spring Garden St., 11:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Expect nonalcoholic cocktails like this one, from Bar Palmina, at happy hour prices on Northern Liberties-Fishtown’s inaugural Dry January bar crawl.
In Fishtown:
Bar Palmina:1306 N. Front St., 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Brewery ARS:2223 Frankford Ave., 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Evil Genius Beer Company:1727 N. Front St., noon to 5 p.m.
Fette Sau:1208 Frankford Ave., noon to 5 p.m.
Fishtown Social:1525 Frankford Ave., noon to 5 p.m.
Frankford Hall:1210 Frankford Ave., noon to 5 p.m.
Front Street Cafe: 1253 Front St., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Garage Fishtown:100 E. Girard Ave., noon to 5 p.m.
Johnny Brenda’s:1201 Frankford Ave., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mamajuana Cafe Philly:1000 Frankford Ave., noon to 5 p.m.
Meyers Brewing:436 E. Girard Ave., noon to 5 p.m.
Mural City Cellars:1831 Frankford Ave., noon to 5 p.m.
Nut Hut Saloon: Corner of Frankford Ave. and E. Norris St., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Pearl’s Fishtown:1444 Frankford Ave., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Percy Diner & Bar:1700 N. Front St., Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Stateside Vodka Bar:1700 N. Hancock St., noon to 5 p.m.
It’s that time again: You could win the rare whiskey lottery, and the deadline for entry is Friday.
State liquor license holders and Pennsylvania residents 21 and over have till 5 p.m. Jan. 16 to enter the Liquor Control Board’s latest “Limited-Release Lottery.” This time, 1,434 bottles are being offered in three lotteries. As usual, this is a chance to buy — not win — one of these prized whiskeys. If you’re a collector or serious about whiskey, it’s worth a shot.
There will be separate lotteries for each collection. Opt in for one, two, or all three lotteries. Only one entry per household, per drawing is allowed; duplicative entries will be disqualified.
Individual consumers and licensees entering the lottery must have an active account on Fine Wine & Good Spirits‘ website. Entries must include a valid store for delivery.
Lottery 1, the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, retailing for $149.99, includes:
Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey 18 Year — nine bottles for individuals, three for licensees
Eagle Rare Straight Bourbon 17 Year — 18 for individuals, six for licensees
William Larue Weller Straight Bourbon Barrel Proof — 45 for individuals, 15 for licensees
George T. Stagg Straight Bourbon Barrel Proof — 45 for individuals, 15 for licensees
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey Barrel Proof — 126 for individuals, 42 for licensees
Lottery 2, the Van Winkle collection, $129.99 to $449.99, includes:
Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 23 Year — 32 for individuals, 10 for licensees
Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 15 Year — 34 for individuals, 11 for licensees
Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Straight Bourbon 20 Year — 34 for individuals, 11 for licensees
Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Straight Bourbon 10 Year — 118 for individuals, 39 for licensees
Van Winkle Special Reserve Straight Bourbon 12 Year — 580 for individuals, 193 for licensees
Lottery 3 features limited-edition Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. straight bourbon, bottled in bond, $149.99: 36 bottles for individuals and 12 for licensees.
Birch Street will get a new restaurant and cocktail lounge this summer as its makeover in Kennett Square continues.
Opus, a New American upscale restaurant with a second-floor cocktail lounge, will open at 201 Birch St., adjoined to Artelo, a 14-room boutique hotel. Opus is a new initiative for Square Roots Collective, an organization that builds businesses and uses the profits to support nonprofits in southern Chester County.
Opus will boast 125 seats in its 6,000 square-foot building, with outdoor dining and a two-story terrace. During the day, the cocktail bar will serve breakfast to the public and guests of Artelo.
The restaurant, which will be adorned by curated art pieces and a hand-painted ceiling mural, is an extension of Artelo, which Square Roots Collective opened in 2024. The hotel, which replaced the former Birch Inn, offers an immersive art experience, with each room painted by a local or regional artist, creating a living piece of art.
That same principle will follow in Opus, said Luke Zubrod, chief of staff for Square Roots Collective.
“It’s kind of the anchor to Birch Street,” he said. “It’s really kind of setting the tone for the street as a whole — and the tone it’ll set is really an artistic tone. This is a street kind of filled with beauty, and I think that that theme will be more evident over time.”
It’s part of a larger effort to revitalize Birch Street, which has in recent years seen more development, including Square Roots Collective’s beer garden The Creamery, and streetscaping.In the coming years,the street will be resurfaced, and the borough plans to add a trail on one side and sidewalk on the other, along with new streetlights and crosswalks. Square Roots Collective worked with the borough to secure funds for that investment, leaning on grant dollars from the state and county, Zubrod said.
“In addition to the Opus itself, there’s a lot to look forward to,” Zubrod said. “This street is really receiving some public investment that will make it a really vibrant and beautiful place.”
Along with Artelo and The Creamery, 100% of Opus’ funds will go to the organization’s nonprofit, focused on community improvement, he said.
“I think in addition to just being a really exciting restaurant concept, it’s also one people can feel really good about in terms of helping to make the community better,” he said.
Another boutique hotel coming
The Francis, a boutique hotel in central Kennett Square, is slated to open this year. The eight-room hotel will reimagine an 18th century home, and pay homage to the region’s history.
Meanwhile, also coming this year, the collective will open another boutique hotel, at 205 S. Union St. The Francis, an ode to Francis Smith who named Kennett Square for his home back in England, will have eight rooms, each dedicated to the history of the town.
The hotel will reimagine an 18th-century home, and offer single rooms and loft suites with kitchenettes, plus balcony or courtyard access.
One room — “The Watchmaker” — will honor a former resident and watchmaker, Thomas Milhous. Another room, “The Gardener,” will pay homage to the region’s first big harvest: flowers. Others nod to battlegrounds, four generations of a local family, education, plus the region’s history with the Underground Railroad, the Lenni-Lenape tribe and its “rich immigrant history.”
The collective plans on luscious landscaping, with a courtyard serving as “a little bit of an oasis,” said Zubrod.
“There is an appetite to have kind of quaint boutique hotels in the area to meet the needs of people who are coming for Longwood [Gardens] especially,” he said.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
Dry January is here, and Philly bars are serving inventive alcohol-free drinks. But that’s not all: Bartenders are also offering interactive classes and bottle shops are expanding their inventory of nonalcoholic spirits.
We’ve complied all the tips and tricks you need navigate the month — and beyond — alcohol-free in Philadelphia.
Mercantile 1888 is a vintage store and nonalcoholic bar in Collingswood.
Where to drink for Dry January
Start your Dry January journey at Bar Palmina in Fishtown, where Nikki Graziano, a “former heavy drinker,” serves creative zero-proof craft cocktails featuring brands like Monday and Lyre’s.
Over in Collingswood, Mercantile 1888 offers pomegranate margaritas with Ritual tequila, Monday mezcal palomas, and Seedlip botanical cocktails.
Other options include:
Grace and Proper (South Philly): $7 zero-proof cocktails during happy hour (Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4 to 6 p.m.).
Mia Ragazza (Manayunk): Booze-free tiramisu espresso martinis made with Seedlip Spice.
Bar Hygge (Fairmount): Sparkling nonalcoholic wines.
Evil Genius Beer Co.: Nonalcoholic golden ales from Athletic Brewing Co.
Dry Vibes, a touring sober festival, makes a stop in Philly this January.
Best Dry January events
There are plenty of events in honor of Dry January, too.
Jan. 14: Jesse Andreozzi, known as @mr.zeroproof, will share his expertise in zero-proof cocktail-making at Bar Hygge at 6:30 p.m. Tickets include cheese and charcuterie, a live demonstration from Mr. ZeroProof, and three nonalcoholic cocktails.
Jan. 15: Bar Palmina teams up with Heart to Heart Herbology, Three Wild Spirits, and Home Brewed Events for a Dry January class. Learn about the history of herbs and botanicals, along with its uses in beer brewing, distilling, and cocktails. Tickets, which can be purchased online, include a nonalcoholic cocktail featuring botanicals created in collaboration Bar Palmina.
Jan. 31: Dry Vibes Philly Festival at Billy Penn Studios (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.), featuring a vendor marketplace, wellness services, and celebrity meet and greets, including skateboarder Brandon Novak and author Arlan Hamilton. Tickets can be purchased online.
Gem Life + Bar in Pitman offers over 250 nonalcoholic products.
Where to find zero-proof spirits
The options for alcohol-free spirits in Philadelphia are vast, with plenty of stores and shops selling an expansive selection of alcohol-free spirits for you to try at home.
At Cork in Rittenhouse, brands like Spiritless tequila, Lyre’s Aperitif Rosso vermouth, canned Ghia aperitifs, and others are priced up to $48. Herman’s Coffee, the South Philly cafe known for espresso tonics and food pop-ups, offers a selection of over 200 nonalcoholic wines, spirits, and beers. And Riverwards Produce in Old City and Fishtown are stocked with nonalcoholic spirits, along with a variety of ingredients for cocktail making.
Whether you’re seeking a zero-proof wine, beer, or spirit, there’s something for every palate — explore more options in the Inquirer guide.
Best zero-proof spirits
But with such a wide selection of nonalcoholic spirits, where do you begin?
Buyer Michelle Flisek asks visitors walking into Cork one key question to help guide them in the right direction: What flavor profiles are you looking to enjoy? With over 100 varieties of nonalcoholic items in the store, starting with flavor is a good way to determine what brands and cocktail accessories will work for you.
Each brand has distinct flavor profiles and ingredients. Brands like Ritual Zero Proof and Monday use botanical ingredients like Mexican blue agave and coriander seed extract to mimic the flavor profiles of mezcal, gin, and other traditional spirits. Wines like Prima Pavé create grape beverages through dealcoholization, a process that begins with the traditional fermentation process, but includes the additional step of removing alcohol from the final product.
Remember the key to working with these nonalcoholic products is experimentation, according to Kasey Ehrgott of Manayunk’s now-closed alcohol-free bar the Volstead by Unity. Ehrgott recommends Ritual products, All The Bitter zero-proof bitters (created by botanical extraction with vegetable glycerin), and Pathfinder, a hemp-based drink with dark botanical notes of angelica root, saffron, and wormwood.
“It’s important to remember it’s not going to be identical — you might like something you didn’t expect to,” she said.
Kristian Fidrych, beverage manager at Ember & Ash, creating a Tomato Collins, made with zero-proof gin, zero-proof bitter aperitif, smoke tomato shrub, lemon, and club soda, in 2021.
Are there health benefits to Dry January?
Reducing alcohol consumption, even temporarily, can offer meaningful health benefits, according to experts. Henry Kranzler, director of the Center for Studies of Addiction at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, previously emphasized to The Inquirer that “alcohol is not good for you, by and large,” highlighting the potential risks associated with drinking.
In a recent report, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy outlined a direct link between alcohol consumption and an increased likelihood of developing cancer. The Surgeon General’s Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk stated “alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity, increasing risk for at least seven types of cancer” with about 100,000 alcohol-related cancer cases and about 20,000 alcohol-related cancer deaths annually.
Nikki Graziano runs Bar Palmina.
How to keep your Dry January resolution
With the city’s ever-growing sober-curious scene, Philadelphians are able to prioritize an alcohol-free lifestyle, even during the holidays. But sustaining mindful drinking beyond Dry January can be a challenge for some.
Understanding what leads you to drink is the first step, according to Amanda E. White, the founder of Therapy for Women Center and author of Not Drinking Tonight.
White and other experts say changing your mindset and having more options can help you stay booze-free year-round.
“Sometimes people go back to drinking without even realizing why they started again,” White told The Inquirer. “This is likely because they are not familiar with their triggers or reasons that they drink — maybe it’s feeling awkward at a party or a warm day that makes you crave a margarita.
“Learn your triggers and come up with a plan for how you will combat them.”
Suraya, the Michelin-recognized Lebanese restaurant in Fishtown, will temporarily close Friday after a nearby rooftop fire left the restaurant without gas.
The Philadelphia Fire Department arrived to fire on the roof of a two-story building on the 1500 block of Frankford Avenue late Thursday night. The department controlled the fire within 20 minutes and there were no reported injuries. The cause was under investigation.
However, Suraya reported that its building was still without gas service and wouldn’t open until the service was restored.
“We are incredibly grateful that our team was unharmed in the fire. We are temporarily without gas, so we cannot open the restaurant. The Suraya team will be working with local authorities to support their ongoing investigation and appreciates the community’s support,” said a spokesperson for Defined Hospitality, the restaurant group that includes Suraya.
Halabi kebabs and the samke harra are pictured at Suraya in Philadelphia’s Fishtown section on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020.
Updates on the restaurant opening will be posted on social media at @surayaphilly.
Suraya, named after the sibling-cowners Nathalie Richan and Roland Kassis’ grandmother in Beirut, was just recognized by the Michelin Guide for its welcoming presence, rich Middle East and Levant-inspired menu, and expansive offerings from the bakery and shop up front to its open kitchen and outdoor dining area.
Fairmount’s pup-friendly pub the Boozy Mutt is closing its doors Jan. 3 after just over two years in business, co-owners Sam and Allison Mattiola announced via Instagram on Monday.
“After much thought, we made the difficult decision to close the Boozy Mutt … What began as a dream became something truly special because of our community — our guests, our team, and all the good mutts who walked through our doors,” read the post, which has been shared over 1,400 times. Nearly every comment is from a dejected dog parent wishing for another round of beer and belly rubs.
The Mattiolas, who are married, opened the Boozy Mutt at 2639 Poplar St. in December 2023, transforming former rock-and-roll dive the North Star into roughly 7,000 square feet for pooches and their people to roam across two floors and an outdoor patio. The venture was inspired by pandemic-era trips to a dog park with Bernadoodle Buba, where the couple would camp out with lawn chairs and a pack of beers to make friends.
At the Mutt, as regulars called it, dogs are allowed to mingle off-leash under the supervision of aptly-named “Rufferees” who monitor and facilitate healthy play. All owners had to register their pet’s vaccinations before gaining access to the space, which includes a self-service dog wash room, outdoor TVs, a summertime-only puppy pool, and a menu of bite-sized “human grade” dog treats.
Tess Bodden (left) and Jenn Maher pose with their pet shih tzus Hazel, Hendrix, and Kelce at the Boozy Mutt, a popular third space for dog parents in Fairmount.
The bar felt like a version of Cheers for pet parents almost immediately, regulars told The Inquirer, thanks in part to a rotation of events that ranged from weekly quizzos to breed meetups and Pitch-A-Friend nights for singles. A monthly membership was $40, while an annual Mutt subscription cost $360.
The bar had upward of 100 regular members, Sam Mattiola said, all of whom will receive prorated refunds in the coming days. “People would tell us that this was their third space, that they go home, they go to work, and they go to the Boozy Mutt,” he said. “We walk away with our heads held high knowing that we achieved our goal of creating a place that made people feel at home.”
And yet, the Mattiolas said, running a bar that catered to dogs and their owners in equal measure proved increasingly challenging as the cost of rent, insurance, food, and alcohol continued to increase. While dog-friendly bars and beer gardens have taken off in the South, the concept has had mixed success in Philly: Manayunk dog bar Bark Social closed abruptly last year after its parent company declared bankruptcy. Its replacement, an outpost of the Atlanta-based company Fetch Park, opened in November.
“It’s a pretty overhead-intensive business model that we have, and it’s just gotten pretty hard to make the math work after the last couple of years,” Sam Mattiola explained. “There was just always something new hitting [us] in the face.”
Darby, a 5-year-old shih tzu, sits on a picnic table at the Boozy Mutt in Fairmount during an August 2025 breed meetup.
The Boozy Mutt’s 26 employees were informed of the impending closure before the announcement went public Monday, Allison Mattiola said, and the couple has spent the last three days putting together job recommendations. Neither she or her husband had worked in hospitality prior, and the couple has no immediate plans to revive the business elsewhere.
Where is Fido to go?
Already, the Boozy Mutt’s impending closure has been ruff — pun intended — for Fairmount pet parents.
“It’s a loss for us and a loss for the dogs,” said Sarah Kuwik, whose 2½-year-old pooch Willie “grew up at the Mutt.”
Kuwik started taking what she described as her “50-pound mutt” to the bar almost immediately after it opened. It has given Willie a social life most adults would envy.
Willie goes on dates at the Mutt with his girlfriend Bea, a 3-year-old golden retriever who clings to him like a magnet. And in June, Willie had a joint WrestleMania-themed birthday party with his best friend Levon, also a mutt with boundless energy.
Willie (left) poses with his golden retriever girlfriend Bea (right) and his best pup friend Levon at the Boozy Mutt, where the trio first met.
Kuwik doesn’t know how Willie will handle the news: “He’ll pull us toward [the Boozy Mutt] every time we’re on Poplar [Street] … it’s going to be very confusing.”
The Boozy Mutt is also what drew Valerie Speare to Fairmount in the first place. Speare put an offer on her current rowhouse a mere four blocks from the bar after grabbing brunch there in between open houses last spring. Now she goes to the Mutt four times a week with her pugs Lily and Winston, who are both deeply playful (and deeply codependent).
The Mutt “is exactly the kind of thing I want in a neighborhood,” said Speare, who has lived in the area for a year-and-a-half. “Where else can I go have a mimosa on a Saturday morning and have my dog sitting in my lap?”
Valerie Speare, of Fairmount, and her pugs Winston and Lily lounge with Chihuahua pals at the Boozy Mutt. Speare takes her pugs to the bar four times a week, she estimates.
For others, the bar has fostered connections that extend beyond puppy playdates. Katherine Ross has lived in Fairmount since 2004, but has seen the neighborhood — and the people in it — with new eyes, thanks to her 4-year-old pug Hoagie.
At the Mutt, Hoagie likes to beg for bites of Old Bay and truffle-coated fries or splash in the puppy pool. Ross, meanwhile, has enjoyed getting to meet her neighbors.
“I’ve lived in this neighborhood for over 20 years, and to be honest with you, I didn’t know all that many people until I got a dog,” Ross said. “Having a place like the Boozy Mutt brought a lot of friendships together.”
‘Tis the season of spiked hot cocoa in novelty glassware and donning Christmas sweaters before waiting in line to take Instagram photos.
The holiday bars are back, baby. And this year, they’re making me feel like the Grinch.
Holiday bars typically run from the weekend after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve, and Philly has no shortage of them. This season brings pop-ups that serve cocktails inside snowmen-shaped mug, a mini-golf course with a greased North Pole, and a slew of Santa impersonators looking to make some extra cash.
And cash they will make: Holiday pop-ups can give bars and restaurants an extra leg up during what already is the busiest time of year, with the most successful — such as New York City’s Miracle on 9th Street — spawning lucrative franchise opportunities. Sometimes, however, they yield more coal than Christmas magic, like when drunk St. Nick impersonators spill into the street at the end of the annual SantaCon bar crawl.
Holiday bars have always struck me as late-stage capitalism holly jolly-ified, because they commodify something as simple (and cheap!) as the joy of drinking with your friends in December.
Despite this, I have a soft spot for them. I love taking in the slightly tacky displays and sipping on a sugary cocktail from a novelty glass that I’ll pay extra to take home. There’s also something magical about the tipsy train ride home that comes after, where my friends and I crack enough jokes to turn an overrated experience into one we end up doing annually.
Christmas lights hang from the bar inside the Emo Christmas pop-up inside foundation at 699 N. Broad Street.
This season feels different to me . One bar has ruined it for the rest by stripping away the whimsy and up-charging for something more nefarious: A holiday bar distilled down to its barest elements — gimmicky cocktails and Hobby Lobby discount-bin decor held together by a barely-there theme. There’s no sentiment behind the displays of miniature nutcrackers and colorfully wrapped (empty) gift boxes, just profit motive.
The batch’s most egregious offender is the Emo Christmas bar pop-up that runs through Dec. 28 at Foundation., an event space beneath the Divine Lorraine on North Broad Street. It’s hosted by Bucket Listers, an New York City-based company that puts on limited-run events in cities across the U.S., from a Christmas Bar co-signed by Mariah Carey in Los Angeles to a murder-mystery dinner series in Miami.
In Philly, Bucket Listers’ track record is mixed: When I attended their cereal-themed pop-up bar in March, plastic bowls of resin Fruit Loops fell from the photo wall. But I had also won putt-putt at this year’s Christmas collaboration with Libertee Grounds (the second of Bucket Listers’ three holiday pop-ups), where the mini-golf course was decked out in Philly-centric holiday decor, like a sleigh covered in Philadelphia Parking Authority tickets.
The Taking Back Christmas welcome cocktail (left) and the I’m Not Okay cocktail (right) sit in front of an Emo Santa Claus at the Bucket Listers’ Christmas pop-up at Foundation.
So when I learned before Thanksgiving that Bucket Listers was hosting an Emo Christmas pop-up, I was undeterred by any red flags. I love Christmas, and I spent high school on the outskirts of a clique of emo teens, cool enough topartake in My Chemical Romance listening sessions but not cool enoughto vape with. If I was going to love a holiday bar, it should’ve been this one.
A poser bar that preys on nostalgia
I paid $57.20, after fees, for two Friday night tickets to Emo Christmas. The cost included one welcome cocktail per ticket, but, as I would later learn, any drinks or food beyond that would be pay-as-you-go.
The only thing that’s punk rock about Bucket Listers’ Emo Christmas bar is that it doesn’t care about first impressions.
The decorations feel half-baked, amountingto fake Christmas trees and a trio of full-sized nutcrackers that had black Sharpie smeared under their eyes to mimic eyeliner. Across from them stood a mannequin dressed as Santa, with swide-swept fringe bangs so you know he’s emo. Like everything else in the bar, he smelled lightly of kitchen grease.
Each Bucket Listers pop-up is clearly designed as Instagram bait, as evidenced by the influencers that post about each one. Yet the space is too dim to take any photos. The only lights in the room emanated from the Christmas trees or red-tinted neon signs with phrases that no one has ever uttered seriously, such as “happy holidays, you bastard.”
Christmas stockings hanging on the wall at the Bucket Lister’s Emo Christmas bar Philly pop-up. One honoring Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker has his name misspelled.
It’s clear the space was decorated by posers. The back wall is covered in Christmas stockings labeled in chicken-scratch with the names of so-called pop-punk greats: Brendon Urie, Pete Wentz, and my personal favorite, Tavis B., a misspelled bastardization of Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker.
I cringed, and cringed again while skimming the food and drink menus, which read as a list of poorly constructed puns. There’s the Panic! at the Pizza Bites (deep-fried pockets of sausage and cheese) and the Blink Wing82, which come in sets of six with either Buffalo sauce or dry rub. The most unfunny is the Still Into-fu, a tofu hoagie on a long roll named after “Still into You,” a pop love song from Paramore.
My friend had already sent of photo of the menu to be flamed by her groupchat. “The obvious choice is Panic! At the Disco Fries,” she read from her phone. “BlinkWing182? All the Small Wings is right there.”
An unexpected silver lining was our bartender. A true elder emo, he led with apathy, dodging questions about what’s good on the menu and the decorations with a shrug and a simple answer: “I don’t know. I just work here.”
Buffalo cauliflower, pizza bites, and a slider from the Bucket Lister’s Emo Christmas Bar pop-up in Philly. Tickets start at $16.00 and do not include food or drink beyond a welcome cocktail.
The bartender’s eyes roll while squeezing black food coloring into the aptly named I’m Not Okay, a vodka-club soda cocktail zhuzhed up with a whisper of blackberry. By the time he got to my Mezcal Confessional, he was was over it, leaving out the orange bitters to serve me a clear glass of mezcal spiked with brown sugar.
Not that it mattered. Both drinks tasted like rubbing alcohol despite being made with completely different spirits. That’s a first — a Christmas bar where the drinks aren’t sweet enough. We toasted to the bartender’s commitment to the bit while an overdramatic ennui overtook me.
I felt like I was taken for a ride, and not one on Santa’s sleigh.
Christmas trees decorate the dimly lit seating area inside the Bucket Listers’ Emo Christmas Bar pop-up at Foundation.
Emo Christmas preys on nostalgia. All holiday bars are designed todo this. Maybe the decor reminds you of a favorite window display from childhood or a scene from your guilty-pleasure Christmas movie. Or perhaps the peppermint espresso martini recalls the Schnapps you downed on your first pre-Thanksgiving Blackout Wednesday. The anticipation of it could even feel like waiting for a turn with mall Santa.
I usuallydon’t mind paying extra for an experience like this. When done right, these bars conjure feelings that are more difficult to come by in adulthood: whimsy, silliness, glee.
I came to Emo Christmas in search of all of those things. I left with none, only a check for $82.00 and a shriveled-up Grinch-sized heart.
Waylon Jennings drawls as customers cradle bottles of Lone Star beer while browsing the racks at Secondhand Ranch — the latest attraction deep in the heart of Fishtown.
The rough-hewn, outlaw-country theme bar paired with a retail store specializing in secondhand clothing and vintage merchandise opened Dec. 6. It’s set behind saloon-style swinging doors inside the Frank Furness-designed former bank building at Frankford and Girard Avenues, across from Garage, Joe’s Steaks, and Johnny Brenda’s.
This retail-bar pairing dates to 2020, when founder Josh Sampson opened Garage Sale Vintage in Denver. Sampson describes the idea as “a love letter to the circular economy — with salt on the rim.”
The three pillars, he said, are sustainability, a focused margarita program, and partnerships with local vendors. He later expanded it to two locations, with a tacos-and-tequilas menu, in Nashville and then to New York.
Decor items and clothing are shown at the thrift store inside the new Secondhand Ranch in Fishtown.
Seeking a space in Philadelphia last year, he struck a deal with Alterra Property Group for the Fishtown building. Soon after, he became embroiled in a copyright lawsuit with the operators of Garage, the bar across the street.
Sampson changed the name and concept for the Philadelphia location. Rather than strictly vintage items, he decided that Secondhand Ranch would be a country bar paired with secondhand retail, with a smattering of vintage items.
Barn doors separate the bar and retail at Secondhand Ranch in Fishtown.
The distinction between secondhand and vintage is crucial: “Secondhand is a much broader category,” Sampson said. “With vintage, it’s simple — everything has to be 20 years old or more. Secondhand lets us focus more on sustainability and diverting usable goods from landfills. It also allows for lower price points and a different kind of fun.” Think racks upon racks of T-shirts, sweaters, hats, jeans, button-down shirts, as well as a rodeo’s worth of cowboy boots — all secondhand.
The retail operation, behind barn doors, is split evenly between in-house curation and a vendor collective, said manager Nikki Gallipoli. Each vendor (such as Zac Cowell, known as VintageZac) manages its own rack in the store — “they come in, sort it, and keep it updated,” she said. Inventory includes vinyl records, books, and knickknacks.
Decor items and clothing are shown at the thrift store inside the new Secondhand Ranch in Fishtown.
“Part of the experience is grabbing a drink and going on a treasure hunt,” Gallipoli said.
A retro-style gift shop within the space focuses on new, non-clothing merchandise such as accessories, novelty items, stickers, matchbooks, and handmade goods. Much of that inventory is sourced from small independent businesses online rather than strictly from Philadelphia suppliers. “The clothing itself isn’t always handmade, but it is always secondhand,” she said.
Decor and clothing items are shown at the thrift store inside the new Secondhand Ranch in Fishtown.
Secondhand Ranch leans fully into honky-tonk aesthetics and sound for what Sampson calls “very much the kind of vibe you’d see in Austin or Nashville.”
The massive bar, set beneath wagon-wheel chandeliers, seats about 30, with an additional 30 to 40 seats spread throughout the room. The former bank vault has been preserved and now functions as cold storage for beer. There are old-fashioned coin-operated games in one corner, and a stage that’s now set up with den-style furniture.
Jordan Sims tries on a cowboy hat at the thrift shop inside Secondhand Ranch in Fishtown.
The stage will host live music, scheduled to begin in early February, when the food menu — primarily wild-game sausage, nothing fancy — launches. Right now, hot peanuts are served.
Lone Star is the beer of choice; it’s part of the citywide special ($10), paired with an infusion shot.
Customers gather in the lounge at Secondhand Ranch in Fishtown on Dec. 6, 2025.
“One fun goal we set for ourselves is trying to become the No. 1 Lone Star beer account,” Sampson said. There are 12 beers on tap. Besides Lone Star, the bottle list includes Star and Shiner Bock from Texas, plus elevated local craft options like Tonewood Brewing’s Freshies. “It’s exactly what you’d expect at a honky-tonk,” Sampson said.
Classic and seasonal margaritas anchor the cocktail program, along with zero-proof options. Programming will include DJ sets, pop-ups, and “Trade-In & Sip” nights, designed to connect the drinking and shopping experiences while emphasizing community engagement. Vendor applications will open online, and a pop-up showcase with margarita specials is planned as part of opening festivities in February.
Secondhand Ranch, 1148 Frankford Ave., 267-807-13450, is open from noon to midnight Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Closed Tuesdays through December. The retail store closes at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and at 9 p.m. the other days.
There’s magic at work in Philly’s dive bars. Some are great for the memories made in their low-lit, low-key backdrops. Some have a hard, regulars-only shell that melts away the moment you plant your butt on the barstool. Others feel frozen in time — portals to an era where beers were cheap, smoking inside was allowed, and strangers could become friends over a drink or three.
But for several years now, Philly’s dives have felt in jeopardy, with the cost of a drink rising along with real estate prices. At least one strand of dive — the smoking bar — is decidedly on the way out, evidenced most recently McGlinchey’s closure, but also stalwarts like Grumpy’s Tavern and Buckets going non-smoking earlier this year.
It’s made us think, Why wait to celebrate something until it’s gone?
So The Inquirer is asking readers: What are Philly’s best dive bars, and what makes them special?
Fill out the form below to tip us off to your favorite Philly dive. If your bar makes the list, an Inquirer reporter may follow up.
With the winter holiday season seeming to start before Thanksgiving turkey has even been served, it’s easy to feel like the Grinch. But if there’s one thing that can cure those early holiday blues, it’s over-the-top decorations and a novelty cocktail.
Luckily, these Philadelphia-area bars have already begun to their deck their halls (or booths) with garlands, nutcrackers, and more string lights than we can count.
One tip: Regardless of which holiday bars you chose, plan ahead and snag a reservation. The only thing worse than a stocking full of coal is waiting in the cold for a seat at the bar.
Wine Garden co-founders Nazaret Teclesambet and Favian Sutton are taking over three rooms inside Suburban Station through Dec. 31 for a luxe limited-edition holiday bar, not unlike last year’s at the Divine Lorraine. This go-round, the theme is diamond and pearls: Think gold-mirrored walls, grand Christmas trees, and enough bows and pearls for a tea party. Guests can sip on spiked hot chocolates rimmed with crushed candy canes, bourbon and apple cider holiday punches, and marshmallow-topped espresso martinis, among other cocktails. General admission is $14.64 per person for a 90-minute reservation. A $42.39 VIP ticket includes a welcome glass of sparkling rosé and a mini vintage cake. All other food and drinks are pay-as-you-go.
Unfortunately, Santa cannot call in favors to get you a table at High Street, one of Philly’s first-ever Michelin-recommended restaurants. The big guy, however, does recommend you spend $5 per person to snag a reservation at High Street’s holiday pop-up inside the Franklin Residence’s grand lobby. Ever Eve in the Back Bar runs Saturdays only through Dec. 27, and features a cocktail partnership with specialty spirits purveyor BOTLD alongside a menu of upscale bar snacks like crispy oysters, brown butter shoestring fries, and deviled eggs topped with trout roe.
Cocktails from a partnership with BOTLD will be served at Ever Eve in the Back Bar, a holiday pop-up from High Street taking over the lobby bar inside the Franklin Residences on Saturdays through Dec. 27.
Dining at this indoor-outdoor restaurant near Rittenhouse Square is far more low-key than most of the city’s holiday bars — mostly because it’s not marketed as a holiday bar at all. Instead, diners can spend two hours inside one of Harper Garden’s private heated outdoor cabins, which can seat four to six people. Something about eating warm bowls of pasta under woodsy garlands screams cozy.
There’s something about snow on the beach, at least according to that one Taylor Swift song. For a dose of holiday spirit down the shore, shoobies can check out the Jingle Bar inside Harry’s Ocean Bar & Grille. The beloved holiday pop-up bar inside the Montreal Beach Resort will run through Dec. 31 this year, with some new additions, like outdoor fire pits overlooking the ocean and a $90 Christmas tree cocktail tower that comes with six libations of your choosing.
Juno’s Holly Jolly Bar is a collaboration with events company Bucket Listers that converts an outdoor summertime hot spot into a winter wonderland — with a roof. From Nov. 26 to Dec. 28, Juno’s patio will be draped in rows upon rows of string lights and ornaments designed as Instagram bait. Don’t expect any Mexican inspiration on the menu beyond a winter marg and some sangria. Tacos and ceviches have been swapped for giant french fries, chicken tenders, and a charcuterie-inspired snack board. Tickets cost $22.50 for a 90-minute seating and a welcome drink. All other food and beverage is pay-as-you-go.
Is nostalgia on your Christmas list this year? The Library Bar inside The Prime Rib at South Philly’s Live! Casino and Hotel has transformed into a swanky-yet-quirky holiday pop-up with drinks inspired by classic holiday movies ranging from Elf to Die Hard. Guests can sip on an Ovaltine espresso martini and spiked sea salt caramel eggnog, among other cocktails, while cozying up by the fireplace through Jan. 10.
Prime Rib inside the Live! Casino & Hotel at 900 Packer Ave. has been transformed into a cozy living room for Holiday Rewind, a pop-up inspired by nostalgic Christmas movies.
Philly’s first minigolf bar has also partnered with Bucket Listers to overload their course with a hefty dose of Philly-ified holiday spirit. From now through Jan. 31, guests can play nine or 18 holes of holiday-themed putt-putt with decor like a greased North Pole, snow globes, and a golf cart covered in Philadelphia Parking Authority tickets (of course). Libertee Ground’s seasonal menu features a standout tomato soup and grilled cheese duo alongside several holiday cocktails, including a cranberry and cinnamon mule and an orange-plum punch made with Stateside Vodka. Those looking to tee off can expect to pay $20 for nine holes of minigolf, plus a cocktail in a souvenir cup.
It’s a gift from Santa himself: A walk-ins only holiday bar. Every holiday season, McGillin’s covers itself in floor-to-ceiling Christmas decorations. (That’s roughly 1,200 feet of lights and 1,000 feet of garlands for number-crunchers.) Holiday barflies can expect a lineup of festive drinks that include an eggnog martini and a spiced rum hot apple cider. Just around the corner from the bar at Sansom and Juniper Streets is holiday pop-up shop that sells McGillin’s merch (stocking stuffers, anyone?). The shop is open noon to 6 p.m. daily.
All 18 holes of mini golf at Libertee Grounds have been updated with string lights, ornaments and other holiday decor for a collaboration with Bucket Listers that runs through Jan. 31, 2026.
It takes roughly 60,000 ornaments and 20,000 lights to transform Craftsman Row Saloon into the Miracle on 8th Street, its annual holiday pop-up bar best known for over-the-top milkshakes. This year’s shake lineup includes the seasonally confused Pumpkin to Talk About — blended pumpkin ice cream topped with a whole slice of pumpkin pie — and Santa’s cookies, a chocolate chip cookie dough variety rimmed with chipwiches. Reservations are recommended for Miracle on 8th Street, which runs through mid-January.
For the first time since its 1978 opening, Bridget Foy’s will transform into the aptly titled North Pole on South Street, a Christmas bar that will run from Nov. 28 through Jan. 4. The devil (or Santa) is in the details: The bar’s new Instagram account shows footage of craftsmen freezing tiny nutcrackers into custom ice cubes for a lineup of cocktails that includes a peppermint tea-infused negroni and honey-chili margarita floated with aperol. Reservations also include access to several holiday-themed photo backdrops.
Take in views of the ice skating rink and the Delaware River from the lodge inside the Independence Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest, a festival of all things festive that runs from Nov. 28 to March 1. Guests can choose to warm up inside the pop-up ski lodge or sip spiked hot chocolates and ciders around private fire pits or cabins available for rent.
Annual pop-up bar Tinsel runs from Nov. 28 through January with the same over-the-top shtick in new dressing. Sip on cocktails in novelty cups (that you can take home!) under a blinking neon Santa tracker, oversized ornaments, and illustrations of pop culture’s wackiest holiday characters. This year’s naughty beverages include punch served in an adult juice pouch and a duo of festive red and green shots.
Evil Genius regulars secured their spot on Santa’s nice list by painting larger-than-life gingerbread houses and cutting hundreds of paper snowflakes for the bar’s Twas an Evil Christmas holiday pop-up. Ornaments and wrapped presents hang from the ceiling while guests can sip on the brewery’s signature holiday saison Santa! I Know Him!, a 7.5% ABV Belgian-style brewed with rose hips, dark candy syrup, and chamomile.
The brewery is hosting a 0.5K (a run around the block) on Dec. 3, where $30 scores runners free beer and a Santa Hat. All proceeds will go toward buying Christmas gifts for families in need.
This Manayunk Tex-Mex restaurant will dress up for any occasion, and the winter holidays are no exception. Taqueria Amor has transformed into its signature Señor Grinch pop-up for the sixth year in a row, playing classic holiday movies via projector every evening through New Year’s Eve, no reservations required. Taqueria Amor’s very-merry cocktail lineup includes a shot that purportedly tastes just like a gingerbread cookie and several margaritas the color of Rudolph’s nose or the Grinch.
Santa’s workshop is taking over Center City’s Uptown Beer Garden through the end of 2025, and with it comes inflatable elves, oversized nutcrackers, snow globes, and fire pits for s’mores. All of the pop-up’s holiday cocktails are served in souvenir cups, including the Polar Espress-o — a peppermint bark-flavored cold brew martini — and the Apple Spice and Everything Nice, a caramel apple mule.
1500 John F. Kennedy Blvd., 267-639-4493, uptownbeer.com
This popular Rittenhouse Square beer garden is winterized through Dec. 31 and features a 22-foot tall Christmas tree alongside plush life-sized penguins, a playhouse pulled by reindeer, and lots of neon lights. Also included inside Walnut Wonderland: make-your-own gingerbread house and s’mores kits for $9 each, plus $12 holiday drink specials that include a maple whiskey sour and a banana-flavored vodka and hazelnut liqueur number that’s meant to taste like banana bread.
Santa greets guests at Walnut Garden at 1708 Walnut St., which is offering table side s’mores and gingerbread house decorating kits this holiday season.
Spend the winter inside Butcher Bar‘s heated covered patio, which looks kind of like a man cave inside a contemporary ski cabin. Butcher Bar’s seasonal cocktails make up for the macho decor. This reporter’s favorites include the Die Hard is a Christmas Movie (rye whiskey, sweet potato, marshmallow, toasted almond bitters) and the Christmas in Paradise (citrus almond spiced rum, mango, lime, herbal liqueur topped with a teeny drink umbrella).
