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How can I possibly begin to best summarize my experience at the Dolphin? I think that go go dancers dancing fast paced to Slayer's "Angel of Death" should suffice (thank you "Sideshow" Danny Borneo!)!!!
It was a good dark and dreary night for a bar crawl, and that's exactly what the epic SNS Beer Crawl delivered upon. But with the exception of Devil's Den which can be a usual go to occurrence for me, The Dolphin was the place that delivered exactly what my piqued curiosity was expecting. Before I ever set foot in it, I had to respect the back story of Mom and all that it offered, and that's why I instantly had to include it in the piece that I did on the Top Dive Bars of Philadelphia (http://culturemob.com/...). And it didn't take long to realize that it was exactly what I imagined it to be.
I can't really tell you what beer they had beyond Miller Lite and Yuengling (if any), and the drinks came from the dingiest bottom of "the shelf". Beyond the incredible vintage style photos of dancers with names like "Eden" and "Rat", The Dolphin didn't really offer much in decor. But if your looking for some down and (to borrow from Josh F.) DIIIIIIIRRRRTTTYYYYYY fun that comes complete with a wacky jukebox, pool tables, and dancers; then The Dolphin is your complete and total salvation.
Everyone's right on about the dinge factor and "interesting" strippers. But what the Dolphin dishes out is a good dose of chaotic fun that goes slightly beyond moderation. What more could a boy ask for? I'm not going to answer that one either!
i kind of love the dolphin....i actually lived next door for years and never went in because it seemed dicey. then, many years later (after i had moved) some friends took me there for my 30th birthday, and i immediately fell in love.
yes, this place is 10 years older than baseball, but it's cheap (or, it was, anyway), a little sleazy in the right ways, and a total throwback to a time when burlesque was the norm and strippers had personality. there are old pictures of the original performers lining the edge of the room, which are pretty awesome. the bartenders are always nice, and a bit off-beat.
the dancers are not the average stripper in that they come in all shapes + sizes. i loved seeing women with shaved heads, tattoos and less-than-perfect bodies rocking the little platform stages within the bar area. for the most part, the clientele were busy watching TV and chain-smoking, or playing pool.
since the dancers are subject to shaking it to whatever plays on the jukebox, you can see some pretty random stripping to songs like 'the piano man' by billy joel. i love the juxtaposition. i also love the busted disco floor...and the decor in general.
the dolphin is really one of the most amusing bars in the city...but i suppose you just have to appreciate certain things to think so.
What Sondra! nothing that sets it apart!?!?! Need I remind you of the Disco Dance floor that in its heyday lit up Ala "Saturday night fever" stylee! Now only 4 lights remain but its still a pretty bad ass dance floor. Aside from not being allowed to "drink and dance" *i shit you not* and the seedy dudes ready to dry hump any female attempting to dance without a dude already latched onto her, I'd say this is my new favorite place on earth!
The juke box is a wonderful amalgamation of country, 90's, rap, and Def Leppard. (and the Go-Go dancers dance to whatever you put on) The Go-Go girls were sorta hot, but i still think one of those girlies was hiding track marks. The pasties and black tape on the nipples had me sold! While there are some really sketchy dudes at this place but rest assured all they care about is the Ayass and Tittays already dancing on the bar.
The drinks are kinda tiny but cheap enough that it doesn't matter. (a round for 2 cost $7 bucks I think)
Overall its pretty awesome, Not too smokey, neat black light paintings on all the walls, and you will truly feel like you are in your parents disco bar. (seriously bring purell.)
The Dolphin Tavern is where people go to die. I haven't been back in years, but my last experience left a stain on my soul. A little about the place...
The drinks come in glorified Dixie cups, except theirs are glass. If my memory serves me right, the dance floor is made up of large cubes with green neon lights in them. I highly recommend bar crashing with your friends and taking over the dance floor. As people have already mentioned, the Friday Night Revue features amateur ladies dancing with their chest boulders hanging out.
The DT isn't a respectable joint, but it's a good time if you're with friends. I stress coming with friends...and make sure they're friends who won't let you hop in a cab with a team of skeezy men who can't speak a lick of English. Yeeeeah.
DIIIIIIIRRRRTTTYYYYYY.
Cheap watered down drinks, crazy dope jukebox, and "interesting" strippers. What more could a boy ask for? Don't answer that.
You might ask yourself "is this place for real???"
The answer is no. You just made it all up in your head. Now go home and take a shower.
One of the few places you don't have to feel bad about tipping a stripper a quarter.
WOW! This place is great. Come for the two different varieties of bottled beer, stay for the depressing entertainment! One of the gems of the Dolphin that I haven't seen mentioned is the crane machine in the back. Packed to near bursting, the different varieties of fetish porno DVDs (Pregnant, grandpa) scattered throughout the interior are wonderful cherries on top of the smiling plush toys. I will absolutely go again!
Best dive bar ever!
$3.50 for everything!
50 Cents for pool!
Girls with pasty's dancing on the bar!
You can smoke cigarettes inside!
Bathrooms!
Nothing much else, I think I have been there one time without puking the same night.
Embrace the agony and the ectasy.. This place needs to be visited at least once in your life. I live in south philly and NO, it's not in a bad neighborhood. So what if the selection of beer is nothing to write home about, I advise you to get drunk before you go. That way you won't be disappointed with the selection and the girls will look "prettier." Oh word to the wise - do not lock the bathroom door, you will literally get locked in and if there's no one on the other side waiting to use the facilities, you could be in there for quite some time.
Every self-respecting Philadelphian needs a Dolphin story. That said, this is a night-ender, not a night-starter. My own had something to do with a long night of dive-bars. This was the last stop before a house party, and was to be where we met some friends.
I don't think there's any misconceptions about the place once you get a good look at the facade. One of those bars that, thanks to regulars and by dint of reputation alone, seems to have avoided any aesthetic updates since sometime in the 60s or 70s. This is confirmed within.
You walk in to face a long, wide bar and a lot of dark stained wood. Take that however you want. (Pause for effect.) Keep walking back and you encounter a handful of booths, and then... yes - that's right: a multi-colored, under-lit disco floor. And the jukebox.
If you've timed it right, you are greeted at the door by an archetypal specimen of South Philadelphia beauty; my first experience was, by appearances, a heroin-wiry tattooed bulldog of a woman. And lest they betray their working-class clientele, the Dolphin had supplied not pasties but instead those adhesive dots you might see in a child's grade-school project - in a lovely neon orange.
My party edged past her piercing glare (she was doing some kind of stiff take on what I'd call a MTV Grind dance, perched on a plywood platform supported by milk crates) and made our way toward the booths. After buying beers, we huddled in a corner to watch the regulars, most of which seemed oblivious to the dancers. Then we met the cheese steak.
Mixing a tight bun / ponytail and poofy, frizzy bangs the way only Philly can, this woman was about five and a half feet tall minus stilettos, and looked as much the part of dive bar half-nude dancer as I could have imagined. Maybe about 160 lbs, she had minimally decorated herself with some kind of glitter and some extremely heavy eye makeup. I would say that she climbed onto her platform with little fanfare, but that understates it - it was more like a clomp, reminiscent of a horse hesitantly walking up a ramp. When she was situated (having lost a neon sticker during the trip), she yelled to a friend off 'stage': "I ain't even got to eat my f@#kin' dinner yet!"
Hence 'the cheese steak.' I'm sad to say it never materialized, but somehow one of us came up with the plan to go get her a cheese steak, which she could have on one precondition: that someone first stuff it in under the strap of her g-string.
I don't know if any of us ended up back at the Dolphin again, but I think it's worth it even if the story you get is one you immediately regret posting online. I offer myself as a perfect example.
so, before last night i had never even heard of the dolphin... but i ended up here with a big group for my friends birthday. on the walk from ray's to the dolphin, they lead me to think that there were going to be super trashy toothless pregnant amputee strippers all over the place. obviously they exaggerated just a hair...
i'm just gonna say it... i loved the tits and i loved the asses. i'm a sucker for half naked girls, i could have been content to sit and watch all night. one out of three girls dancing behind the bar was actually highly attractive and incredibly toned. the lack of interest coming from the other two 'dancers' was in itself hilarious.
it's a smokey, dirty bar with shady characters, cheap beer and loud music... all in all, there is nothing that really sets this bar apart from any other south philly dive.
The Dolphin Tavern is like a blast to the past, it is the type of bar that doesn't seem too mix well into the bowl of "modern" bars, but still provides you with a very enjoyable aftertaste. My friends and I occasionally go to the Dolphin if we're looking for a nice social environment where we can sit back and relax and drink a few brews on a Friday or Saturday night. The crowd at the Dolphin is a very mixed group of people, but most of them still seem friendly even if you don't fall into their "social group"
The first two things most people will notice when they enter the Dolphin are the naked girls dancing behind the bar every 20 minutes on Fridays and Saturdays, and that they allow smoking (if you aren't a smoker this could be a problem for you as it seems 90% of the people there smoke). Lit up only by old Christmas lights, the bar area has a nice classic, yet sleezy, ambience to it. Farther back in your excursion through the Dolphin you will find that it is equipped with an old dance floor where you could occasionally find my friends and I poorly attempting to dance with random girls.
I personally recommend taking a FEW friends (like 3 or 4) with you to the Dolphin, because as I said, it is a very mixed group of people, so it may be hit or miss with the type of people you would fit in with. The Dolphin is an exceptional bar to go to if you're looking for something different, a good time with a few friends, and if you enjoy naked girls with tape and stickers over their breasts dancing on tables behind a bar. Good luck Philadelphians.
Dear Dolphin owner,
Buy a case of Lager or even something "fancy" like MGD or Michelob and sell it.
This place is great for a seedy pre-Republican strip club experience. Cash only, but I mean, it IS a strip club. Girls are medicore, crowd in the back is shady, but there is always 95 y/o "Mom" sitting there, smoking cigs, drinking and eating Doughnuts. Awesome. I think they only have two kinds of beer. Whatever. Oh, and the dancers don't come on until nine. Learned that the hard way, showing up at 8:15 and having to wait it out, while feeling like a creepo at a shitty bar without strippers. At least you can smoke in there. Ew.
You might want to take a cab here. It is a pretty long walk from center city Philadelphia. It is also in a little rough neighborhood. The bar is pretty cool. I saw the owner. She is like eighty years old and looks like she could shoot a shotgun.
The dancers are covered in a lot of tattoos. They dance a little funky. They remind me of suicide girls....sort of.. They do take a break and come out in intervals. I guess they disappear to some sort of back room. There are some strange characters here....pretty fun place...It has a lot of character. The dancers don't take it that seriously at all...nor the patrons. You could probably hustle a little money on the pool table but the guys are pretty good.
I love titty bars (pronounced: tit-TAY) there I said it. Now before every women on Yelp breaks out their rusty razors let me explain my position.
I'm not talking about the slimy places populated by mid life crisis misogynists escaping their suburban wives dreaming and staring a little too hard at the hot bodied 18 year old Puerto Rican girl with the big ass and the uncanny ability to separate said man from his money while he unabashedly sports a screwdriver in his action slacks pocket.
The kind of place I'm talking about the titties are secondary. Almost background. Where tossing a dollar on the stage to a well past her prime stripper is the same as an act of charity. Where a crazy old codger with an eye patch drops the "n" bomb and no one bats an eyelash cause they all know he's a crazy old codger and he'll be dead soon anyways. Where a crock pot full of soggy weiners temps only the most daring or drunk to ever indulge. The gritty unmistakable realness that decent middle America prefers to pretend doesn't exist.
This is the Dolphin, they have a pool table, cheap beer, you can bring a mixed crowd as there are as many girls as guys hanging there. Oh, and did I mention there are tit-TAYS? I think I did.
Friends came down to say happy birthday and we walked down to the Dolphin. Not a place to get shot at. Not even a place to get a shot of something. The women dancing had brown teeth and pasties and tattoos and a attitude. Girl friend gave one of them a dollar and she blew us off. Bar tender was nice, though. She wished me happy birthday and gave me a beer. "How old are you, babes?" she asked, and then looked at me in disbelief when I told her I was turning XX. Girl friend demanded I should get a lap dance, but bar tender said, "No babes, we don't that here."
"It's his birthday!" girl friend yelled.
"If we do it for him all of the others guy are going to ask for one and we ain't that kind of place," bar tender said as she left to catch two more beers for us.
I use to live a couple of doors down...
The entertainment value is high... this place is like the bar in Star Wars... The previous reviewer wasn't lying about the use of elec tape.
Yeah....DIVE bar...and as far as I remember...the ladies wear Pasties.
The last time I was in here to play a little pool and have a few cheap drinks, a girl tried recruiting me for Roller Derby, quite an interesting conversation.
The place is dark, smelly and cheap.
If your mom was going to join a "Dancing Revue" she would probably end up at the Dolphin.
This is a serious dive bar that happens to feature women, mostly a little past their prime, dancing on tables that are set inside the rectangular shaped bar at the top of every hour.
They only carry Bud and Miller Lite, there's .50 cent pool tables in the back, and a mixed crowd that makes you wonder if you're going to get stabbed, or meet a couple new friends. The focus is definitely not on the dancers, they just provide an interesting kitch factor.
The bar is dirty, the type of place where my boyfriend found puke in the urinal as early as 6pm. The dancers don't even have pasties, but opt for bandaids or medical tape instead, and know everybody's names. The bartenders sit around and shoot the shit, apply makeup, and smoke cigarettes like they're in their own living rooms, and the owner is a little old white-haired woman who chain smokes and yells at the baseball game on TV.
The only was to believe it, is to go a check it out yourself. It's definitely not like any place I have ever stepped foot into before.
http://www.myspace.com...
FACT: the dolphin is the only bar on south broad street and its safe because of the 24hour bus route and the subways and PGW its a well patrolled area. No they dont have anything "fancy" to drink but thats just the way mom wants it .. but you can smoke there because mom doesnt give a fuck and I promise you will be safe and comfortable after a week going there it will be like cheers! Despite it taking upon the dive look you could eat off the freaking floor its so clean and its such a mixed crowed cambodians, chinese, whites, blacks, mexicans, pagens, outlaws whatever crowd you hang with or whatever background your from your welcome here .. even though there is nothing "fancy" to drink. Yes the dancers are a little rough around the edges and the bartenders dont take shit from anyone but there is a certain nostalgia, a certain feel of the bar that just makes you feel... at home. sometimes you just wanna go, where everybody knows your name you know? You will get big props if you buy one of the regulars a drink not to long afterwards they- or someone who saw (there are eyes everywhere at the dolphin) you - will be returning the favor . Oh and its great because everything is the same price ... getting "fancy " drinks would just confuse the situation all shots... and miller lite and budwiser bottles... all the same exact price and they have cheap take out and 50cent pool! who could ask for more! I have spent many birthdays, many thanksgivings, many many holidays OH and mom demands that they open at 10:30am -2am 6 days a week!! I promise that on wednesday morning if your looking to drink at noon you will not find another place to serve ya and the bartender is as sweet as can be... if you respect her that is... if not well you will get a little south philly girl telling ya off in a MINUTE she is a firecracker! its very very family run and if you ask me its perfect.
oh, jiminy christmas. another joint discovered courtesy of the ever-fab KW. really, if i am being honest, i think she oughtta host her own tour of awesome philthy spots, but that's a story for a different day.
and a different review, i suppose.
light up dancefloor? yeah...sure. and there's pool. and cheap bud bottles...and some...ambiance. and occasionally, you see boobs. but, should you end up seeing said boobs--make sure you fucking tip, you cheap bastards. the ladies deserve it...
Years back I lived a few doors down broad street and would kill time here shooting .50 cent games of pool and day drinking while doing my laundry next door. Fridays and Saturdays you can expect erotic dancers, and usually behind the bar a older woman they call "Ma". I've done my time here so to speak and would go back to shoot a game or tip the ladies anytime!
Later in the evening , you can often here me exclaiming "thissss is my fvoritee bar in the city" I take all of my favorite people here and if they like it we remain friends if not then they are cut-they just don't understand. This bar was one of the sailor bars when the naval yard was seeing more action. The women in the B&W photos that circle the bar...they really used to dance here. You have a 50/50 chance of having a great time and feeling good about humanity or wanting to take a hot shower and die when you leave. The cleanest ladies room in the city.
The amazing neon sign outside had been tempting me every time I hopped on the subway at Tasker. I was a little scared to try it out myself or just with my girlfriend. For some reason I felt I needed male backup to go in here. Finally a friend agreed it needed to be tried after a Phillies game worth of beer drinking. It did not disappoint. A seedy, cramped bar. Only Bud or Miller Lite? For $3.50? Hm. We wondered why there were tables behind the tiny bar that the waitresses had to keep squeezing past. Then the girl in the bar who was only wearing a bra hopped up onto one of the tables and proceeded to go bra-less (with sparkly red pasties). Then 2 more girls started dancing as well. I guess we hit the bar at the right time? The one in the middle was almost pretty. Almost... The waitress was nice and hilariously doing word searches while the nude girls were dancing right over top her. What an interesting mix of people. And what an experience. I'll have to try out the broken down disco dance floor next time...
I've only been here once, one of the more unconventional strip clubs one might attend. Girls use electrical tape instead of pasties. Lets just say they aren't exactly professional strippers, if there is such a thing. There is some real good competition here if you like to shoot pool. Quite a few hustlers around when I was there. There's a vibe I just can't explain about this place. If you feel the need for a touch of sleaze, maybe you should try the Dolphin
The Dolphin is ridiculous. It looks like it's out of business from the outside. The girls here don't wear pasties or anything, they use those neon colored stickers that people use to put prices on things at garage sales. They only serve Bud and Miller Light, so I'd recommend going when you're already drunk. There are a few pool tables in the back. This is the kind of place where you're not going to want to use the bathroom (i.e. filthy).
Shit, I almost forgot to review this place! Yeah, the good ole' Dolphin. Used to live right around the corner from this place. Not into overpriced "Gentlemen's Clubs" but the Dolphin is my kinda strip club-- well, not even that, a Go-Go Bar. Last time I was there it's main claim to fame is the local Hell's Angels President got clipped outside of there-- I guess that's the risk you run when you set up in Pagan's territory and start patching over their members. Yeah, Shenans and Jake's reviews got it right in the funniest of ways. Dolphin-- good place.
i can't say enough about a place that only serves bud and miller lite. add on 50 cent pool and a 40 something year old mexican woman dancing with tape on her nipples and you got my vote for best bar in philly that you might get shot at while walking home from.
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Dance Clubs
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Adult Entertainment
Neighborhood: Northern Liberties
Category: Adult Entertainment
Neighborhood: Northern Liberties
Category: Adult Entertainment
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Adult Entertainment
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