The Best Places to Eat and Drink Beer in Philadelphia

Soon the brewing industry will arrive in Philadelphia for the annual Craft Brewers Conference. The city of brotherly love boasts a robust beer scene and has hosted the Brewer’s Association’s signature industry event before. But, if you haven’t been in a while or just need some inspiration, we asked some of the city’s best brewers where they like to eat, drink, and hang out.

Ethan Tripp of Fermentery Form

“Philadelphia at this point has a kind of ideal balance of beer. The days of radical excess in flavor and attitude have mostly settled down. It’s not that you can’t get a huge smoked imperial stout if you want one, but beer is returning to being this simpler thing again. That’s sort of what happens when you can get everything all of the time.

Most places you may find yourself here, especially as a visitor, are going to have great beer nearby. That could be a local favorite, a tried-and-true stalwart, or the new kid on the block. If anything, I’d say beer is taken more seriously here, because the wild days are behind us.

The most exciting places for me right now are Human Robot, Sacred Vice, and Meetinghouse. Places I’m always going to go downtown, Khyber Pass, Glory Beer Bar and Kitchen, Monk’s Cafe, Jose Pistolas, and McGlinchy’s Bar.

CBC attendees should expect a nice mix of tradition and creativity, and a lot of lager. The best breweries are firmly grounded in tradition, what beer is supposed to be, while also being able to be playful with it. Not every beer you make needs to be written on a parchment scroll somewhere.”

Kyle Wolak of Carbon Copy

Philadelphia has always been known as a beer drinking city, but not so much as a beer making city. Since the last CBC in Philly almost a decade ago, we have not only increased in the quantity of breweries within the city limits, but also the quality of beer these breweries are producing. Breweries and fine beer drinking establishments have been popping up all over the city, so you’ll never be too far from a great beer and welcoming atmosphere while visiting Philadelphia.

Monk’s Cafe, one of the best Belgian beer bars in the United States. I’m sure they’ll be busy for the entirety of CBC, so I’d suggest trying to beat the crowd and go during lunch.

Succession Fermentory is a brewery located in Cochranville, PA but they opened a tasting room in the only remaining pre-revolutionary war tavern remaining in the city of Philadelphia this year (it was built in 1759!). And no visit to Philadelphia would be complete without a visit to Fountain Porter in South Philadelphia. With a great tap list of local, regional, and international beers, it’s not hard to find the perfect beer to go along with their $6 cheeseburger and $4 fries.

Aside from the obvious fact that visitors can expect great beers and hospitality, I think that visitors can learn some tips on how to be more resourceful and thrive in a post-pandemic/ THC-RTD threatened/ youth-not-drinking beer industry.

Many of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods have very old infrastructures, some dating back hundreds of years. In a city where space is at a premium, some breweries have to get creative in how they set up their breweries and tasting rooms, whether it be in narrow row-home-sized buildings, or old carriage houses, auto body shops, and fire stations.

So, after the seminars of the actual Craft Brewer’s Conference, visitors can continue learning from scrappy, resourceful, and resilient brewers of Philadelphia.

Justin Steinberg of Sacred Vice Brewing Co.

Those who might not be familiar with the more recent Philadelphia beer scene should understand the rich and lengthy brewing tradition this city has enjoyed for hundreds of years. Lager might finally be enjoying a ‘lil time in the limelight here in the craft scene throughout the country, but Philly has a wonderful lager tradition that dates back further than any other city in the United States. Proof of this comes with the storied tradition of our very own Schmidt’s yeast strain. Folks should seek this out in local lagers and have a little taste of Philadelphia.

Visitors should absolutely make it a point to visit two of my personal favorite bars both owed by Evan Clancy. Fountain Porter in South Philly and also Solar Myth not far away up on Broad Street. Both have dynamite beer lists comprised of local beer as well as some of the best breweries in the country (and beyond).

They both have a focus on music as well which I personally appreciate. And I don’t need to tell you about FP’s famous $6 cheeseburger. No better way to soak up a belly full of beer. Folks should also swing through Meetinghouse for a Guinness as you won’t find a better Guinness pour anywhere else in the states (seriously). Their kitchen and entire food menu is also fantastic.

I’d also be doing out-of-towners a disservice if I didn’t mention Carbon Copy and the beers they’re making in West Philly out of the old Dock Street space off Baltimore Avenue. They recently opened another space in our Port Richmond neighborhood featuring the Polish specialties of Mom Moms Kitchen as well. The beers and food options at both spots are great.

That rich brewing tradition I mentioned earlier has always shined through with simple classic beer styles, especially of English origin. We haven’t just started to enjoy these styles in more recent years either as they too have a made a bit of a resurgence alongside lager. Philadelphia has been making wonderful smaller English beers, and making them well, for longer than many of our contemporaries.

Seek these out and enjoy many just as we do!

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Join All About Beer for a series of fun in-person events

The 2026 Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America + World Beer Cup® will be held from April 20 – 22 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA. If you are headed to the Craft Brewers Conference in Philadelphia this month, please join All About Beer at a number of events we are hosting or involved with across the city. Learn more here.