Philadelphia has no shortage of restaurants or bars or gastro pubs or any sort of new hybrid of all of these things that may come out as this article is being written. Places in this town will open and close before I even realized it was there. (Seriously, what is the name of the latest restaurant on 12th and Locust?) Drinks will be either expensive or cheap, and food will be some sort of fusion of every culture that has ever existed with an American spin. Oh, the restaurant industry.
But sometimes though you can find a hole in the wall restaurant that serves beer or cocktails; an unexpected gem in the culinary journey of life. The food in these secret bars is usually more authentic and the drinks are inexpensive. For instance Chinatown is steeping with secret bars. You can get some of the best food of your life and get $2.00 beers or $4.00 cocktails. Mah Lai Wah’s, Joy Sin Lau’s, Sang Kee’s Peking Duck house are all places I love and love to get my drink on.
Another place that you may already be familiar with is Midtown Diner. Now I know that they have closed most of their locations but I believe there is still one on 11th and Sansom. The food is reasonable and they will bring with beer right to the table, you don’t have to sit at the counter. 12oz steak for $10.00 and a $3.00 miller high life, yes please!
In West Philly you have the Salt and Pepper on 47th and Chester right up the street from Clark Park. This take out joint will serve you some of the finest hotplate specials you can imagine –seafood+fries, chicken fingers+mac and cheese plus breakfast sandwiches, and although the beers there are carryout, there are tables inside and out where you can sit and eat. And the beer selection is out of this world. It‚Äôs no Foodery so you probably can‚Äôt even get a beer above $4.00. The food is good and the beer selection is great.
The newest place for me that I’ve found is actually a few blocks from me. Thang Long a neighborhood Vietnamese place on Sergeant and Kensington has fantastic giant bowls of soup and you can buy a half a chicken meal for $6.50 (P.S. Рthey get the chickens very fresh next door, at the chicken butcher). And of course super cheap beers to go with your meal.
So! It’s not fancy but these places get the job done. Better food than you can get in a bar and cheaper drinks than you can get in a restaurant, a win/win for me. Do you readers have a favorite secret bar? Let me know why it’s special—oldoldwoodenship@yahoo.com
Jenn Sharon
