Must-see nightlife in Chinatown & Center City East

  • Dirty Franks

    Chinatown & Center City East

    In business since 1933, Franks' regulars call this bar an 'institution' with some irony, but it does have grunge style as well as housing the Off The Wall…

  • Charlie was a Sinner

    Chinatown & Center City East

    Charlie, apparently, sinned during the building's sketchy past as a brothel. Never mind, it's a catchy name for what is now a sophisticated cocktail bar…

  • Double Knot

    Chinatown & Center City East

    This is one of the few places in Philly that serves sake properly (poured into an overflowing cup inside a wooden masu container). They also makes great…

  • Voyeur

    Chinatown & Center City East

    As every other bar around the Gayborhood shuts down at 2am, this dance club starts cranking up. Top DJs spin to a background of chandeliers, lasers and an…

  • Woody's

    Chinatown & Center City East

    Philly's oldest gay bar is fail-safe for good night out. The original bar is supplemented by neighboring connected spaces. On the corner with Walnut St is…

  • Tria Cafe Wash West

    Chinatown & Center City East

    An elegant but informal bar with an excellent menu of small plates and sandwiches (snacks $5 to $12) to pair up with its extensive list of wines.

  • Writer's Block Rehab

    Chinatown & Center City East

    Cafe by day, cocktail bar by night, this quirky bar, just south of the Gayborhood, is a bit of a gem. Wordsmiths will love its trompe l’oeil library…

  • U Bar

    Chinatown & Center City East

    If you like your LGBT bars straight up, this friendly, no-frills place works a treat. The floor-to-ceiling windows (which open up on warm nights) provide…

  • Toasted Walnut Bar & Kitchen

    Chinatown & Center City East

    Although they don't turn boys away, it's pretty clear this sports bar is one for the girls. Spread over three levels, there's DJs and karaoke depending on…

  • The Bike Stop

    Chinatown & Center City East

    If its forbidding metal door on a side alley doesn't give you a clue, the porn on the TVs above the bar, alighting an otherwise gloomy interior, certainly…

  • Square One Coffee

    Chinatown & Center City East

    Drop by this spacious, contemporary cafe to sample the specialty coffees made from a family-owned, award-winning roaster based in Lancaster, PA. Vegans…

  • McGillin's Olde Ale House

    Chinatown & Center City East

    Philadelphia's oldest continually operating tavern (since 1860) – it remained open as a speakeasy in the Prohibition years – is a chummy Irish-style pub…

  • Tavern on Camac

    Chinatown & Center City East

    One of the longest-established gay bars in Philly has a piano bar and restaurant downstairs. Upstairs is Ascend, a small club with a dance floor; Tuesday…

  • Premium Steap

    Chinatown & Center City East

    Hidden inside an office building is this elegant, contemporary teahouse and shop serving teas from black to white, from rare to exotic single-estate…

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