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Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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Wish we had spent more time here. By the time we got to Bob and Barbara's, the band was finishing up (and they were rocking!), and we only had enough time to enjoy a couple of rounds before closing.
That said, I still had an true experience: a "tattoo-off" at the bar between my local friend and a tatted woman across the bar; waiting to pee while two women directly violated of the "one person in the toilet at once or you will be asked to leave the bar" rule; a shared round of jagger shots with two locals who looked like they'd had already had enough booze in them to pickle a potato; and, of course, the heckling.
Oh, not to mention the guy who was wearing a bright yellow sweater around his shoulders and looked like Guy Smiley. That guy took so much heat! Like, "Whadya doing here, Miami Vice!" or "That look was great...20 years ago."
Rough crowd. But I liked it. Felt like the real deal. It was the perfect dive bar to end my night out in Philly.
This is your quintessential dive bar. It's dark, dirty, and the drinks are cheap.
Upon arrival, I noticed all of the patrons were happy (a.k.a. trashed). The "heavy handed" bartenders looked as if they were beat up by life. The bar had free hot dogs in the corner. I loved to people watch and notice the super drunk girls try to grab a hot dog weiner gently with tongs, place it in a bun properly, and then add condiments. Just like drunken (safe) sex, this was much easier said than done.
After drinking a PBR, I walked over to the restroom and some "alpha male" type sitting at the bar near the restroom with some friends tells me not to not go in the restroom because he just "blew the toilet up. This caused all of the girls around him to laugh.
I looked at him, smiled, and thought that this guy was:
1) Conventionally good looking.
2) An idiot.
Regardless, the ladies loved his lame Dane Cook type humor. They all laughed hysterically.
I responded by saying, "All of you might want to get up and leave this section of the bar. It's about to become really toxic once I am done. This is going to be a war zone."
Not a girl laughed even though I made a similar dirty toilet humor joke. They all just stared at me. But keep in mind, that the situation had changed since I am:
1) Not particulary good looking in a conventional sense.
2) An idiot.
Moral of the story: Looks definitely matter. But not always when it comes to bars.
Bob & Barbara's is one ugly dive bar, but I'm a fan!
Bob and Barbara's is what it is. You get what you see. A large dive bar with lots of bar seating and cheap drinks. Ofcourse, the cheapest being the city-wide special (a pbr and a shot of jim beam.) I've had fun here most of my visits, I'll be honest though, I only go when friends ask me to go. I never choose to go there on my own. haha.
I've had fun there on numerous occasions, they have good theme nights- storytelling, spelling bees, drag night, bingo etc. Sometimes they even have jazz bands (not sure if that is weekly) but it is a nice treat when they do.
The walls are adorned in pbr signs, old and new. Definitely cool to look around at everything they have.
Dive bar recommended with mostly friendly bartenders.
Sidenote: they scan IDs since they got raided in the past year, don't try to get in if you are underage.
Foobooz recently did there own rendition of the top 50 bars in the city. While these list are incredibly arbitrary, seemingly random, and incite rage and debate between myself and friends, I think it's a fun idea nonetheless. This little spot made a solid appearance at #15.
I had never been to Bob and Barbara's before last week, but I had heard that it's the epitome of cheap, cool bar. I walked in on a Friday evening around 10pm. The bar was full and there was a decent crowd standing around as well. The atmoshpere here is crazy. Neighborhood locals pull up seats right next to trendy hipsters, and everybody seems to get along. I mean, it's pretty easy to make friends when you're sucking down a $3 City wide special: a can of PBR and a small shot of Jim Beam.
This bar loves PBR. The previous statement should show that nor Bob or Barbara are serious about beer. I don't even think they have any draft beers. But expect to find bottles of Yuengling, Miller, Bud, ect right next to the PBR cans, which are always $2.
The bar itself is covered wall to wall, floor to ceiling with PBR memorabilia. Some of the stuff is pretty cool: posters and advertisements that date back decades upon decades. Maybe you'll like the historical display. Maybe you just love PBR as much as Bob and Barbara's.
There was also free live music, which is featured every Friday and Saturday. Three old dudes jame out with a mix of blues and jazz, and it definitely makes the spot that much more enjoyable.
Bottom Line:
Bob and Barbara's is cheap and fun. That's it. Period. There's nothing else. If you hate fun, PBR, or spending small amounts of money, go somewhere else.
The only reason I see myself going here is for the Thursday night drag show (which unfortunately coincides with bluegrass night at Fiume).
WHAT THE WHAT?
I expected it to be bigger and less personal, but sweetie, it's very personal.
Upon entering, you pay $6 cover and get a drink ticket, which I have been advised to get the special with (PBR pounder, shot of Beam. You know this). You then should proceed to drink the special and order another to warm up your dancin' muscles because that is what you will absolutely be doing. Whether it's on stage after Lisa Lisa has selected you (I got a ballin' tank top out of that deal) or it's while one of the D.Q.s performs her lip sync song and dance or it's before, between, and after the show. YOU WILL DANCE.
SO MUCH DANCING. SO MUCH CHEAP ALCOHOL.
Fun.
It's Bob and Barbara's, dude. You just gotta go.
It's always fucking something there. Drag show, spelling bee, porn bingo, or, as my friends and I found out the embarrassing way...all male revue. Yes ladies, you too can have Scorpio the Delivery Boy rub his man parts on your various appendages. (Last Sunday of the month only...unless you, um, er..schedule a special delivery maybe?) You're welcome.
What are you waiting for? For $9 (three specials) plus tip you could be making so many terrible decisions right now!
A Sunday night that ends at 1am with bike spills, bloody knees, and far too many B&B specials is, well, a great Sunday night. Especially when it's someone else's knees that are bloody and someone else's bike that's crashing.
I was hanging out with two "sprouters." For those who aren't familiar with the term, Urban Dictionary will give you an idea: it's "a group of girls who 'sprout' other girls into what they call 'popularity.' The activities they participate in include: ruining songs for everyone by making provocative videos, uniting for closet parties, passing out every weekend, and calling themselves the 'Line Bitches.'"
I think they were trying to initiate me into their girl gang, but Bob, our able bartender kept giving me looks suggesting, "are you sure about this?" I danced with them on a completely empty dance floor. I don't even think there was music. 3 other girls, sitting across the bar found our behavior applaudable so they bought us Fritos. We bought them tap water.
You know you're rolling with a good team when they're willing to rage on a Sunday night. Maybe I'll join the gang after all. If this sounds like something you'd be into, meet us on the B&B dance floor this Thursday.
Gotta love a past-its-prime jazz band still grooving out on a friday night. This place is an unabashed ode to PBR. Not sure I've ever felt this excited about PBR since sophomore year of college when I put a dollar into the soda machine and retreived a warm PBR from the bottle slot.
The special is unbeatable (and much more palatable than the Dirty Franks special), the crowd is eclectic and fun-loving, and I felt instantly relaxed.
Brad's rating (out of 5):
Price: 5
Drinks: 3 (PBR only gets you so far)
Decor: 4 (cool old school PBR paraphernalia)
Service: 4
Wild card: Only one toilet for a place that sells $2 beer? This is a recipe for a bladder disaster.
My husband and I decided to grab a drink here after reading yelp reviews; yelp reviewers dont lie! This place was great! We first walked in and it was dead, it was early though. The bartender Butch was extremely friendly and the resident OG was a great time! About an hour later, the crowds started coming and before you know it, the bar area was full! $3 will buy you a beer with a shot of Jim Bean, it can't get any more recession friendly than that! Next time Im In Philly, I will stop by here again!! Thanks Yelpers!!!!
Time was when I was sunk low among the merry wastrels and slack-jawed strays who call this place home and lace the air with cigarette smoke and impossible stories. ("I'm going to put on rollerblades, skate by her house, and throw a brick through her window," explained one soused rake whose face appeared to have been cobbled together with parts of other, ruined, faces. At least his plan was of a piece.)
Girl leans in, whispers to the bartender that the restroom is out of toilet paper. He unceremoniously, publicly, plunks onto the bar a single roll. "Here," as if presenting a pint. Yes, the service can be downright surly. The rules work something like this: play the prick and you will be answered rudely. Observe the normal rules of bar etiquette and brace yourself for the same. For my part I've been spared and have even been treated to chats downright confessional by one bartender, but I can't account for this. Perhaps they sense my inner goodness and hold their tongues. Perhaps during a past visit I, feeling warm and expansive after a half-dozen "specials," left an embarrassingly large tip. I'll not say; I'm an unreliable witness to the events of my own life.
As mentioned by most and known by all, "the special" is $3 for a Pabst and a shot of Beam. It's a nice way for those overly fond of drink to get two drinks without explicitly ordering two drinks. I'm still about twenty years away from being able to order whiskey and a beer chaser without feeling a wash of shame, so the euphemism has its utility.
But what's this? The door opens, the doorway darkens, and in spills a clutch of kids in too-tight jeans. The fact that I'm blinking away the sunlight and feeling well-fortified in the middle of the day might say a good deal about me, but if the sight of "hipsters" makes you hostile, do shush, or appear a silly person indeed. The chameleonic crowd makes the place, or breaks it, depending. Wishing for a uniform crowd in this place marks you as someone who ought to go elsewhere, and quickly, before it gets ugly. Okay, "uglier". You knew what I meant, jerkoff.
I pulled up a stool and leaned my weary forearms onto the cushioned bar edge. My feet landed onto the foot rail, and I found myself relieved at the care taken into designing a comfortable seat. I looked down at my drink, as it was reflecting the reds and blues off the vintage PBR signs covering the walls. I turned to my left and met Butch, a regular at B and B's, and as if we were old friends, started into a conversation. Soon enough, we were exchanging life stories, and we were joined by the bartender, who was steadily keeping a beer and whiskey in our hands. We talked about the blues, guitars, and old loves, come and gone. I pulled out my Martin I had on my side, handed it to Butch, and let him play a couple of riffs.
As the sun set outside, the regulars soon became elbow to elbow with a different type of crowd. We exchanged eye rolls as guys in Abercrombie shirts reached between us, but we kept our conversation going anyway. Live jazz music soon filled the air from a tenor sax, a hammond organ, and a drum set, nixing any type of hostility that might have been.
With a twinkle in my eye, I hit the streets destined for a cheesesteak, perfectly content with where I was, even if I didn't know.
Haven't been since the mid 90's and wondered if it was more of a scene than a neighborhood bar. I was pleasantly surprised that the place was still friendly inviting, and comfortable. Some little things that made Bob and Barbara's catch the fourth star. It was well lit. i get the dive bar dark thing, but on a weekend night, it was refreshing to see the pretty girls, weird dude in the corner, and my friends expression when weird guy hooks up with pretty girl.
it wasn't sweltering hot, despite being crowded, as I get older and grumpier, the sweating beer thing has lost it's appeal, bring on the AC!
They do enough things right here that i will be back and will drink the special and will sway a bit on my way home.
My first real adventure into the wilds of Bob & Barbara's happened to be on bingo porn night. I can say that was interesting in and of itself. Some of the prizes given away were lube, inflatable sex-toys that have small holes everywhere that you can stick your love stick into, and your usual porn tapes.
Off in a corner there happened to be the strangest assortment of a buffet line. From collard greens, to barbecue. Buffet line, and bingo porn? Who could ask for anything more? Their beam and pbr special can't be beat either.
Only down side is the fact you can't smoke inside. During my height of smoking in dive bars phase, this was a tragedy of epic proportion. But I got over it.
Best dive bar on this side of the Delaware.
The jazz band on Sundays is great. People-watching is great. Philadelphia special is great. The taste of PBR after a Jim Beam shot is great. The appropriately sticky floor is great. Once I found a cache of tiny neon-orange phalli left over from a bachelorette party in the corner - great! B&B's is just great great great.
It's a place I cite when people in Oregon ask me why I love Philadelphia.
There's so much that's great about this place. First off, you won't be able to find a cheaper place to drink in the city. The $3 PBR/Jim Beam shot special is amazing. The people that go here aren't trying to put on a front or trying to impress anyone. Everyone seems like they're here to just relax and have a good time. We also went on a night where there was a great jazz band playing and lots of people were dancing.
The place itself is very cool. It's like a PBR advertiser went there and just went crazy. Every space on the wall is covered with some type of PBR logo or advertisement. It's like a museum for cheap beer. I will definitely be going back to Bob and Barbara's in the near future.
Went again last night for the Thursday night drag show. It just keeps getting better and better. Granted, I was the DD for the night, but still I got my ticket for my "free" can of PBR and shot of Jim Beam, had that early in the night, enjoyed a wonderful drag show (My favorite, Miss Desiree did a lovely verson of "Popular" from Wicked!) and had a ball meeting new people and sweating my makeup off on the dance-floor.
I may live in Philly, but I'm not frequently out finding new locations during the week. One Thursday… Read more »
It's a five star, dive bar!
OK, so there're a ton of "vintage" PBR promotional ads and memorabilia on the walls and the place is certainly not the most finely finishes with regards to carpentry, but the guy behind the bar is great and very personable. They had five really interesting jazz versions (not Richard Cheese) of pop songs play while I was sitting there between band sets (which the bar tender said was rare to have such good music picked on the juke box). The people hanging out were eclectic and I would have to say they ranged from the sophomoric, to the hipster-esque (well as close as I saw in Philly anyway), but I haven't gotten to the one thing that put this bar on the top of my "Must Do In Philly" list.
You MUST go on a Friday or Saturday night and see the organ trio (Hammond Organ, Drums, and Tenor Sax). They are awesome. Everyone from the ultra-music-snob (i.e. me) to people that just wanted to dance and enjoy some good music (i.e. my girlfriend) REALLY enjoyed this band. The guys in the band are easily in their 60's and very gracious and friendly. I had to tip them $5 because no matter what they are paid for their night's work, I am sure it isn't enough. They are masters of their craft. It felt like walking into the Philly version of the Buena Vista Social Club. Thank you Annie and Tita for taking us here after the workshop! We'll be here every time we're in town! You should be too!
1994: First trip here, to visit Rick D. at work. Notice these things:
1. I'm the only person under 50
2. I'm the only woman
3. I'm the only white patron
2009:
1. The wall has come down, been re-erected and come down once again
2. Butchie truly is the keeper of the history of the bar
3. The memorabilia on the wall changes pretty frequently, as if a Rorschach for staff
The 'Philly Special' actually originated in this bar, courtesy of Rick D. Anything else, ask me in person ...
Am I really giving this place 5 stars?
Went there Thurs night w/ my wonderful gay cousin who lives in the city, to see the wonderfully gay drag show that they do every Thus night.
$6 to get in. Includes one drink (beer, house special or well drink.) Drinks beyond that are fairly cheap.
The place is small. And when it's crowded, it feels really small. The drag show takes place behind the bar, which is the middle of the room. Men dressed as woman (who have all already had the work done) lip sing and dance around, collecting dollar bills from drunk onlookers. Some do kicks. Some are very pretty. The host calls up people from the audience to dance in between performers for a few seconds and rewards them with a t-shirt.
It's the spirit of this place that earns it 5 stars. I love places that have such a good vibe. Apparently this place is popular among the locals. Most people in their 20s have at least heard of that Thursday night drag show in town. The audience was a mix of gay guys, straight women, gay women, and even a few straight men, etc etc. Very fun.
It IS a very divey bar and definitely an unofficial Pabst museum. It may be an acquired taste, because it is very no-frills and sometimes a little strange.
Notes:
The special ($3 for a shot of Jim and a can of Pabst) is a great deal if you're in the mood for it.
The live band on the weekends (I cannot remember the name ...) is terrific.
The service is hit or mess. I think it depends on the bartender's mood and whether or not he/she is engaged in conversation.
Happy hour is pretty quiet ...does seem to get packed late nights on the weekend and during drag night.
Overall it's kind of a novelty place. They are starting to have a better selection of beers, but sometimes they are out of stock.
Bottom line is, if you come expecting a dive bar experience and little more, you will probably enjoy it.
God bless both Bob and Barb. An American classic...one of the best pubs on Earth. I hope they still have the beam and pbr special.
NEVER A DULL MOMENT!
Philadelphia has a surprising number of divey neighborhood gay bars. It's very strange, but for a divey neighborhood bar, Bob and Barbara's sure doesn't disappoint. Several nights a week offer some sort of activity, whether it's Bingo, Quizo, Ping Pong, or Drag Night. Other nights, like last night, you might stumble upon what seemed like rehearsal for drag night. Whatever it was, there was certainly a lot of choreography and crotch grabbing. Only half of the patrons even took notice, the rest of them sat at the bar, drinking their specials, talking to Butch.
Ever since this bar banned smoking, it has been much more pleasant, although the place also hasn't been the same since saxophonist Nate Wiley passed away. Still, the loyalists are loyal, and that's what keeps Bob and Barbara's alive.
So charmingly divey! A Pabst memorabilia museum must have exploded on the walls, and I could practically smell the armpits of the trumpet player in the jazz band as I waited for the bathroom.
I've only been once, but I'd love to go back, especially for the drunken spelling bee. Because if there are two things in this world I'm good at it's spinking and drelling... well you know what I mean.
When I was living off South there was a little bar/nightlife trifecta over there. B&Bs, Tritone and Fiso Lounge. Definitely disparities between the three, but the best time I had was at B&Bs.
I know they're known for the PBR/Jim Bean deal and I never ended up getting that but I concede it's a bargain. The bartenders were always awesome and friendly, fun crowd, cheap shots and best of all, fantastic drag show. You can't get that shit at the Irish Pub, McGlinchey's or Finnegans Wake. A lot of fun.
Dim lighting, cheap booze, jazz on the juxebox, and one of the best bar tenders around...need I say more. Oh, and the fact that they refuse to get cable is even better.
I just hope L&I don't fuck with the place too much; if I wanted the Ritz I would go drink in Olde City.
I couldn't love Bob and Barbara's any harder if I tried.
This place is exactly what I look for in a dive bar, and tastefully decorated with all the PBR paraphernalia you can shake a stick at. More often than not, I leave this place stumbling, laughing, and saying things I'll regret in the morning. Goood tiiiiimes.
Saddest day of my life was when I thought it might be shut down forever.
Anyways.
I LOVE YOU, BOB AND BARBARA'S.
Please, please, please allow this once incredible bar to open again. To serve glorious jazz; with men whom played with all the famous figures during the rise and fall of the jazz movement; delicious home-cooked "soul food" piled heartily up, and the established PBR hotdogs, battered greasily in the beer itself that was once America's best...
in 1893.
Once home to patrons, artists, musicians, bohemians, raffles with the legendary Bob Dixx and the Cartoonist Society weekly draw and drink social on Jazz Mondays. Now it awaits its fate if the doors shall open again to let this generation and the next to experience the same timeless effect it has bestowed upon the South Street lifestyle.
I stopped in for the special on a hot Saturday afternoon after a long day of walking all over the goddamn city and the Jim Beam and PBR combo worked its magic on me, loosening my tired limbs in preparation for the hike home. The women's bathroom was surprisingly clean and the patrons were all pretty chill, talking or watching baseball on the tv and singing along to the lovely top 40 jukebox pics as if Sheryl Crow and Joss Stone hit singles were all they asked from life.
I'll be back- there's nowhere cheaper to go for your well-deserved afternoon buzz and the dark interior is just the thing on a blindingly sunny day. Also, I can't wait to check out drag night.
Although it isn't my favorite dive bar (Dirty Frank's is), I'm all about Bob and Barbara's! I went on a Thursday night for the Drag show and had a blast. It was $6 at the door, but that also got you a drink. Then the PBR's were $2. As previously mentioned, you can get a shot of Jim Beam and a PBR for $3, which is pretty awesome. My friends frequent this bar a lot and say that the crowd can fluctuate pretty drastically. Sometimes it's just a few lonely guys staring into their beers, and other times it's packed. Either way it's a great place to grab a drink when you're in the area.
PBR may be the beer of choice, but they had a pretty extensive beer menu. It's also cash only.
If I did not know about Mars Bar in NYC, I would declare this the best bar in the history of Jim Beam.
I love this bar so much that I didn't even mind that there seemed to be a bunch of 22 year olds there on Friday nights.
Heaven. Totally Fucking Heaven.
This is a bar that I have been searching for in this city: a place where you can find all walks of life getting wasted together happily, and cheaply. What more could you ask for? Oh yeah, beer + a shot for $3 AND they sell Cheetos. Welcome to heaven.
Imagine a Pabst Museum paired with the biggest dive imaginable and what you have is the Bob and Barbara's bar. The place is the anti tourist place and will make you feel like part of the neighborhood as you sit drinking your beer chatting with the bartender (who was really nice by the way). If you go during off peak hours you'll be sure to be met with nothing but old drunk guys from the neighborhood and somewhat homeless looking folks. It's obviously not the cleanest joint but they fill their own little niche pretty well.
I'm sorry but two things you can't beat are the can of PBR and a shot for $3.00 and the drag show.
Greatest dive ever. 1/2 the reason we traveled from Chicago to Philadelphia. Stopped in before a concert @ the Wachovia Center. Butch the Bartender was the greatest. $3 for a PBR and a shot of Beam?! You can't beat that. Well only if it was free then i guess you can beat it. ha! PBR signs everywhere. Live music sometimes, unfortunately we didnt stay long enough for that. If you're ever in Philly, definitely stop in for a few specials.
Oh B&B's - definitely one of my favorite spots in the city. Hipsters unfortunately flock to dive bars, but once you've gotten over that, it's quite a great place to be. The clientele is actually quite diverse, from the old dudes in for the jazz to the general PBR guzzling fixed gear crowd. The plethora of old PBR memorabilia is pretty damn amazing.
Drag night is definitely the main attraction, and not to be missed. Gay, straight, or whatever - you're guaranteed a good time. Ms. Liza Liza is all about the audience participation - so if you can get over your stage fright, strut your stuff, and get up and dance - you're guaranteed a free drink and/or tee shirt on the house.
I was lucky enough to have a friend bring me here for my first visit to this recently discovered bar a few weeks back. I lived in Philly for two years and been to countless bars in town, and this is one of my favorite bars in the city. It's a place that I would feel as comfortable bringing a date here as bringing my Dad.
The beer of choice is obviously Pabst Blue Ribbon. Even if that isn't your brew of choice, order it anywhere. There is something about drinking out of a can, listening to live music and having your feet stick to the floor that is incredibly liberating and made me feel like I was back in College.
The diversity, the music, the decor and the blue collared beer all represent what makes Philadelphia a great city and what makes this a great bar.
The Special is just that.
I would definitely come here to start my night before heading elsewhere.
The bar itself is disgusting and the crowd definitely is more on the hipster side. But the special is all I need.
Love this place. Great music and very low key. Butchie pours a good special and you can't beat a shot of Beam and a PBR for $3 bucks.
Unfortunately I just read in the Metro that the lovely gestapo of L&I shut them down for supposed "code violations". Something tells me it has more to do with the uptight elitists moving into the neighborhood. Life just isn't fun unless some rich snob buys a 900,000 townhouse and complains about a local spot.
Hopefully they will be back soon.
I just wrote a huge post about how much B&B sucks and that a retarded guy tried to fight me there.
But my internet shut down! So instead of two stars, they get one!
Fuck em.
The best weekend deal in town
Neighborhood: Society Hill
1/2 Prices at Happy Hour
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Dance Clubs
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Adult Entertainment
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Dive Bars
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Food
Neighborhood: Washington Square West
Category: Dive Bars
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![An old one with [now deceased] original band leader Nate Wiley and drummer Cliff LaMarr](http://static1.px.yelp.com/bphoto/jLmyZOgFAvF9XcuA9tV_9Q/xss){kind=small}
