World City Guide

Nightlife

Philadelphia has a lively nightlife scene. Much of it is centred on dining out, for the city boasts a wealth of top restaurants – from the best of world cuisine to local specialities, such as cheesesteaks, hoagies and ethnic foods. A range of music is on offer every night of the week, although the city is especially known for great jazz and blues. South Street, between Front Street and Seventh Street, is a trendy nightlife area, with comedy clubs, jazz and rock clubs. Other popular nightlife spots can be found on Columbus Boulevard, along the Delaware River, around Penn’s Landing.

The legal drinking age in Pennsylvania is 21 years and bar closing time is 0200 daily. Drink prices vary widely according to venues, although prices are generally between US$3.50 and US$5. There are no particular dress codes or admission requirements in Philadelphia – these too tend to vary depending on the establishment.

The main daily newspapers containing nightlife listings are the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News (joint website: www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment). Entertainment listings can also be found in the free publications – City Paper (website: http://citypaper.net), Philadelphia Weekly (website: www.philadelphiaweekly.com) and Philadelphia Magazine’s Going Out Guide (website: www.phillymag.com). Another useful online entertainment site is City Search: http://philadelphia.citysearch.com.

Bars: Bar Noir, 112 South 18th Street, is an underground bar with great cocktails and vintage movies. Good food and great Margaritas make Copabanana, 344 South Street, a popular hangout. Dave & Busters, 325 North Columbus Boulevard, Pier 19 at Penn’s Landing, is a popular sports bar, with billiards and electronic games. Owned by Georges Perrier of Le Bec-Fin fame, and within the chic Brasserie Perrier, 1619 Walnut Street, is a popular bar that attracts sophisticates. Mahogany on Walnut, 1524 Walnut Street, in the Rittenhouse district, is a dark and plush cigar bar.

Casinos: Gambling is illegal in Pennsylvania.

Clubs: Brasil’s, 112 Chestnut Street (website: www.brasils.com), is a hot salsa and reggae spot, while Polly Esthers, 1201 Race Street (website: www.pollyesthers.com/code/cities/city.cfm?loc=5), favours 1970s disco, as well as 80s favourites upstairs in the Culture Club. Shampoo, 417 Eight Street, has four levels of various music styles to choose from. Egypt, 520 North Delaware, a huge nightclub decorated with hieroglyphs and ankhs, hosts hip-hop and techno nights, while Rock Lobster, 221 North Columbus Avenue, Pier 13-14 (website: www.rocklobsterclub.com), is open seasonally. Rock Lobster is aimed at an older crowd and plays mostly rock ‘n’ roll.

Live Music: Two of the hottest clubs in Philadelphia are Warmdaddy’s, an upmarket club at 4 Front Street (website: www.warmdaddys.com), with the best of live blues, and Zanzibar Blue, 200 South Broad Street, where top jazz musicians perform. Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, and Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus, 847 North Third Street at Poplar Street (website: www.ortliebsjazzhaus.com), are also good venues for live jazz. Pontiac Grille, 304 South Street (website: www.pontiacgrille.com), is a venerable rock club featuring live local bands.