Philadelphia's Best Post-Work Bars
The after-work destination on Rittenhouse that has been operating at full capacity since 2008. 40 taps, a back patio that fills by 5:30pm every Thursday, and a happy hour that runs 4pm to 7pm on weekdays with $5 drafts and $7 cocktails. The crowd is financial district professionals mixed with the Rittenhouse neighbourhood regulars. High noise, high energy, long night.
A converted bank building with 30-foot ceilings, 22 taps, and the best after-work atmosphere in Old City. The building dates to 1837, which gives the happy hour crowd something to contemplate while the bartenders work through the queue. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday until 7pm with $4 drafts and $6 well drinks. A landmark for the Centre City office migration.
South Philly's most reliable craft beer bar for the post-5pm crowd. 14 rotating drafts, an extensive bottle list, and a kitchen that takes bar food seriously. The back deck is one of the better outdoor spaces in the neighbourhood. Happy hour runs 4pm to 7pm and the rotating draft selection gives you something new to try every visit.
Wine-forward and food-forward in equal measure. Zavino's happy hour turns wine professionals and lawyers from nearby offices into a single, relaxed crowd. The by-the-glass list runs Italian and French, and the bar team pours generous. The outdoor tables on South 15th attract a walk-by crowd from Rittenhouse that often turns into a two-hour stay.
A genuine pub in a city full of bars pretending to be pubs. Fergie's has been at 1214 Sansom Street for over 25 years, and it shows in the way the regulars sit at the bar and the way the bartenders know your order. Trivia on Tuesdays, live music some Thursdays, and honest pints at $6 any time. A place to actually unwind.
One of the best cocktail bars in the city for a post-work drink that does not feel like a compromise. Rex 1516 takes Southern American drinking culture seriously, with an amaro-heavy cocktail menu and a late-night kitchen turning out elevated bar food. The happy hour runs 5pm to 7pm on weekdays and is among the better values in that price tier.
Philadelphia's defining Belgian beer bar has been on South 16th since 1997. The tap selection runs 12 Belgian and Belgian-style drafts, the bottle list exceeds 200, and the mussels are as good as anything you will find north of Brussels. A classic after-work anchor for the Rittenhouse professional crowd who know their Saison from their Tripel.
Russian-themed craft brewery in a converted warehouse on Frankford Ave with enough space to gather a work team of 20 without feeling cramped. The sour program is one of the more adventurous in the city. A flight of four runs $12 and the bartenders will tell you exactly why the Berliner Weisse is the right call on a warm evening. Best visited on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
Happy hour oysters at $1 each from 5pm to 7pm, every weekday. The bar program runs classic seafood cocktails alongside the shellfish, and the back dining room fills with lawyers and consultants doing their version of decompression: cold white wine and oysters with a side of conversation. One of Center City's most reliable after-work traditions.
Seasonal beer garden on the Delaware with views across to Camden and enough outdoor space to accommodate the entire happy hour crowd from Penn's Landing. Open May through October, Morgan's Pier runs a straightforward drinks program: draft beer, wine, and a handful of cocktails. The best weeknight destination in the city when the weather cooperates.
A neighbourhood bar operating above its weight class. The cocktail program is genuinely creative, the happy hour prices are neighbourhood-honest, and the kitchen serves until midnight. Popular with the healthcare crowd from nearby CHOP and Penn Medicine. Gets lively after 9pm but civilised enough at 6pm for a work team debrief.
40 rotating taps in a casual NoLibs space that does not take itself too seriously. Prohibition Taproom sources well across East Coast craft breweries and runs daily specials that make the happy hour genuinely worth planning around. One of the better options for a group of 6 to 10 that wants variety without a reservation.
Daytime cafe that becomes a wine bar and small-plates venue after 5pm. The back room is quiet enough for conversation, the wine list is focused and affordable, and the cheese plate is one of the better values in South Philly. A sleeper pick that the neighbourhood crowd protects jealously. Bring someone who reads.
The most democratic bar in Philadelphia. The Penn Jawn special, $3 for a PBR and a shot of Jim Beam, has been the city's most honest after-work drink since 1969. Live music runs Thursday through Saturday. The crowd spans every demographic Philadelphia has to offer. If you have never been, your after-work education is incomplete.
