Bar Noir

Elite '08

48

37

Michael E.

Glenside, PA

I'm the first to admit that I'm a sucker for a dive bar.This place is a little gem in the otherwise high falutin Rittenhouse neighborhood. It's a nice place to sit and talk with friends while enjoying some old punk music and a decent beer (Magic Hat as opposed to the traditional Philly PBR).

One thing that bothers me are the concert posters on the wall. I think they pulled them off the internet instead of out of a venue.

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Elite '08

888

309

Carrie E.

Philadelphia, PA

4 stars for giving me somewhere decent to go when I find myself in Rittenhouse and it's beer time. Plus, the DJ's are consistently good, they have Magic Hat #9 and the guy who works the door is super nice.

However, every time I go the crowd gets stranger and stranger. Not in a cool, eclectic kind of way, either ('cause that would be interesting). More in a "Girl's Night Out," "I read about this place in a guidebook" kind of way. Not my scene, man, but they all seemed like they were having fun.

And, naturally, as the crowd grows, so does the elbow to the boob factor. I got knocked in the chest more times than I can count. I'm gonna chalk those up to accidents, but patrons of Bar Noir, be warned: it was not appreciated.

If you plan to visit, I recommend full body armor.

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Elite '08

27

288

Kelly S.

Philadelphia, PA

I went in here for City Sips last summer, and, well, this place sucks.  It's dark, dirty, it was totally empty for City Sips (every other City Sips bar is packed - a testament to how good the drinks/free appetizers were).  I'm serious - it was me, my boyfriend, and the bartender.  And god knows what creepy crawly bugs and whatnot in the dark corners.  The booze was low, low, low shelf - heartburn inducing booze.  The drinks were bad, and the appetizers (which were free last year) were horrible.  They were like ketchup on a piece of bread and seemed several days old.  Gross.  Don't think I'll be going back here.  This place isn't even cool for a dive bar.

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Elite '08

165

532

Bill M.

Philadelphia, PA

While I'm a little torn between giving it 3 or 4 stars, I'm giving it a 4 for 2 reasons:

1) on a rare occasion it pulls off having some good music nights (although the sound can be awful). Double V Bookings, who books for Doc Watsons handles the weekend booking here and does a good job of bringing in some diverse bands. it also has a weird open mic night every Monday (and used to house great shows then when it had the Monday Night Club going).

2) I have a soft spot for anywhere that has a healthy portion of random punk rock show fliers on it's walls.

but it does have it's bad to it. it's freakishly small, especially for a 4 Corners Management bar. the selection of alcohol could be better (although what they have is total dive selection). and it would be great if they had a better and not so compact sound system. the overall crowd also matches Nicole R.'s description. but over all its an interestingly strange little place.

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Elite '08

45

101

Jenna C.

Philadelphia, PA

Bar Noir is not my cup of tea. I went on a Thursday night, and it was fairly dead.  

The drinks were slightly over priced, but not so outrageous that you'd leave. However, if I'm going to pay $8 for a long island, it had better be the best I'd ever had (it was far from it).

The decor (street graffiti) seemed incongruous with the atmosphere and crowd (a mix of blue collar and yuppie).  The music fit the crowd, but only because they were both lame (sorry Bar Noir regulars!) The DJ was slightly entertaining (only because my friends are enthralled with his age), but he made some poor music choices the night I stopped by.

The name, itself, is fun to say, but that, unfortunately, does not make the entire place fun. I don't plan to go back.

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70

300

Nicole R.

PA

Every time I go to Bar Noir I want to kick myself a little harder.  Particularly if I find myself in there on a weekend night, which should never happen.  It's full of these Rittenhouse types (not people who live there, but those who go there to drink) who listen to really loud very crappy music and drink shitty beer and mixed drinks.  The ladies wear practically nothing and the dudes wear tacky shirts unbuttoned a few so you can get a good look at their abundant chest hair.  

They used to have pretty cool bartenders but they have made a parting of the ways with the joint.  I've been in there a couple of times when it was dead and still did not get the vibe.  There's no real beer selection to speak of and it always seems like an obnoxious party waiting to happen.

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86

88

Christina C.

New York, NY

Hmm- very strange place. It's downstairs and the bouncer at the door was not the nicest of fellows. He barked at us that we would have to wait for people to leave before he let us in. Luckily a group left as we reached the door. I could see why he wanted us to wait- this place was cramped and so swamped that we were all a little claustrophobic.

Trying to set off the vibe of a lounge, this place did it not so well. The lighting and the little banques were there, but the music was TERRIBLE ( random 80's electronica) and the bathroom situation pissed me off. There were 2 unisex bathrooms ( one was occupied by a way too drunk "couple for the night" making out) which left the other 200 people in the bar to fight over the other one. It was TINY and gross.

I wouldn't go back here again unless I was FORCED to.

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7

7

Joanne L.

Jenkintown, PA

Seems like people have forgotten about their favorite place to go for Happy Hour! Bar Noir is a favorite spot to chill in the privacy of dime lights and awesome tracks being spun by our own Bobby Start Up!

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