History McGillin's Olde Ale House

Table Of Content

• Sura Indian Bistro brings a “mosaic” of regional flavors to Center City
• Great Black-Owned Shops and Boutiques in Philadelphia
• Sign up for email updates
• Visit Philly 3-Day Stay
• Ten legendary jazz musicians from Philadelphia you should know
• Philly's Oldest Tavern
• A Guide to Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month 2024 in Philly
• Where To Eat And Drink During A Snowstorm

Warm up the new  year sipping an Irish Coffee, Hot (Spiked) Cocoa, Hot (Spiked) Cider or regional beer and watching the bowl games. We’ll start the new year by opening one hour early – at 10 a.m. $10 cover charge with in/out privileges (if we have capacity). Get your Halloween boo-ze at Philly’s oldest bar, where we have real ghosts, skeletons in our closet, drink specials and over the top Halloween decor! Celebrate this Mexican holiday at an Irish fiesta!

Top Irish Bars in Philly - Philadelphia - Eater Philly

Top Irish Bars in Philly - Philadelphia.

Posted: Sat, 02 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Sura Indian Bistro brings a “mosaic” of regional flavors to Center City

Get this season’s Eagles Super Mug for & get $2 refills of Bud Light — every Eagles game — all season long! We’ll be serving our famous Iggletini & other Eagles-themed drink specials. Typically includes Pumpkin Martinis, Oktoberfest beers and a rotating list of German  and pumpkin food specials including Pumpkin Mac & Cheese, Pork Pumpkin Apple Cider. Doyle’s service even impresses first-time customers. He once served two men a couple of martinis and some stout beers and was shocked when they left him a $500 tip — his biggest ever — which he split with the other bartender working that day. The storied heritage and classic pub ambience draw all types of bar-goers, from college kids avoiding the library to young professionals grabbing after-work beers, families catching an Eagles game, to retirees.

Great Black-Owned Shops and Boutiques in Philadelphia

McGillin’s Olde Ale House opened in 1860 and has survived not 1, but 2 pandemics — one in 1918 and the other in 2020! Owner Chris Mullins, Sr. locked the doors on March 16, 2020 (1 day before St Patrick’s Day) and then gleefully re-opened them about a year later. Modelo has paired with the International Rescue Committee, an NGO that responds to humanitarian crises and helps people rebuild their lives.

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Festivities begin Saturday, with an open-to-all party featuring surprise guests at the bar from noon to 5 p.m. Celebrations will continue throughout the year, with specials like Doyle dollar dog days, and will culminate on St. Patrick’s Day. But it’s interacting with everyday people that Doyle loves best. On Saturdays and on St. Patrick’s Day and New Year’s Day. On those occasions, the bar is often packed with his regulars who’ve become friends and his friends who’ve become regulars. He’s also met Chase Utley, watched Jason Kelce play cards in McGillin’s, and worked the bar during the Phillies 2008 World Series parade, the busiest day he’s ever seen.

Of course, we have no proof that he doesn’t either.

Ten legendary jazz musicians from Philadelphia you should know

This golden Helles lager is smooth and satisfying with a clean malt character reminiscent of fresh-baked bread. German hops add a hint of floral notes and subtle bitterness, while lager yeast lends a crisp, refreshing finish. 4.3% alcohol/21 IBU.McGillin’s 1860 IPA – Brewed exclusively for McGillin’s and inspired by Troegs’ Hop Knife. This hop-forward IPA is fresh and aromatic with bold notes of citrus and tropical fruit courtesy of six different varieties of classic American hops.

Doyle earned a "Best of Philly" award in 2010 when he was named the city's best bartender, and his wife, Laura Doyle, said all these years later she doesn't mind sharing him with the rest of the city. As Doyle gets ready to turn 80, he's scaled back his schedule to one day a week, but he's now worked for three generations of owners, and his tenure has spanned eight Philadelphia mayors. He's also served then Vice President Joe Biden and many other national politicians, athletes and celebrities. Expect Irish pub classics, like the ever-popular Mile High Meatloaf and Shepherd’s Pie, plus Americana bar bites—everything from burgers to pizza and wings (just 35 cents per plate, if you come on a Tuesday night). Ma McGillin finally passed away in 1937 at the ripe old age of 90, passing management of McGillin’s along to her daughter, Mercedes McGillin Hooper, one of 13 children to be raised on the bar’s second floor. Hooper ran the establishment with her nephew Doc for the next 21 years before selling it to brothers Henry Spaniak and Joe Shepaniak (who spelled their names differently) in 1958.

Going to Philadelphia’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade? Stop by for authentic Irish stout, St. Patrick’s Day cocktails, green beer & a rotating list of Irish food specials. We realize that wait times are sometimes long & thank you for your patience. We realize that wait times are sometimes long — thank you for your patience. Philadelphia’s history is some of the most fascinating in the United States.

Where To Eat And Drink During A Snowstorm

And that’s how Doyle, 79, a married father of two and grandfather of four, came to be the longest-serving bartender at Philly’s oldest-operating bar. This month marks 50 years for Doyle at McGillin’s, which opened on Drury Street near 13th in 1860, and in true Philly fashion, the bar is throwing a yearlong party in his honor. He started going to the storied Center City bar regularly on Friday nights in the early ‘70s, when his wife would go to her mother’s house to do laundry. The signs of defunct businesses, like department stores Lit Brothers and Gimbels, show the tavern’s lasting power. Mullins said that when the Strawbridge & Clothier store at 8th and Market Streets closed in 2006, employees brought one of its exterior, circular stone signs to be hung there.

While young 20-somethings fill the place for karaoke on Friday nights, happy hours at McGgillin’s are typically filled with a very diverse crowd. There is a ship bell and a cow bell behind the bar which the bartenders ring when they get a great tip. They also ring it to "gong" or "boo" a bad karaoke singer. During a Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Union, or Philadelphia Flyers game, it can be expected that the bell will be rung when the home team scores. McGillin’s made history – celebrated 150th anniversary with giant party, visit from Budweiser Clydesdales and introduction of McGillin’s 1860 IPA. J.E. Caldwell, a jeweler in business since 1839, closes.

If you ever visit McGillin’s — and you should if you can — their exclusive McGillin’s 1860 IPA is the beer to order. Back when I was in college they had some sort of ridiculous Friday night wings special — 100 wings for $10? — that never ceased to seem too good to be true. John Doyle is considered an icon in Philadelphia. The beloved McGillin's bartender is credited with being a matchmaker, saving marriages and pouring countless drinks while working at Philadelphia's oldest continually operating tavern. Billing itself as the bar that “outlasted the Civil War and even Prohibition,” McGillin’s Old Ale House, the oldest continuously operating bar in Philadelphia, is a major point of pride for natives of the city.