Top happy hours: South Street West
We're going neighborhood by neighborhood to point out top happy hours. In this installment, we scour the area known as South Street West or Graduate Hospital or Southwest Center City. The neighborhood at the southwest edge of Center City is a gold mine for beer happy hours, and there are plenty of specials on wine and cocktails, too, if you’re not in the mood for brew. Don’t forget to check out the late-night discounts several bars offer in addition to early evening deals.
We're going neighborhood by neighborhood to point out top happy hours. In this installment, we scour the area known as South Street West or Graduate Hospital or Southwest Center City.
The neighborhood at the southwest edge of Center City is a gold mine for beer happy hours, and there are plenty of specials on wine and cocktails, too, if you're not in the mood for brew. Don't forget to check out the late-night discounts several bars offer in addition to early evening deals.
Resurrection Ale House
At Leigh Maida and Brendan Hartranft's craft beer hideout at the corner of Catherine and Grays Ferry, happy hour runs Tuesday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m., when all draft beer is $1 off. The same deal repeats Sunday from 6 to 10 p.m., providing fun for those who "can't afford HBO," per the bar's website.
Rex 1516
Comfort is found at the marble bar of this Southern-themer every day of the week from 5 to 7 p.m, with a menu of $5 snacks from chef Justin Swain that includes pimento grilled cheese and a shrimp po' boy. Drink deals change daily, from $6 Hurricanes on "Mardi Gras Monday" to a flight of three 8-oz. draft beers for $10 on "Thirsty Thursday."
Sidecar Bar & Grille
From 5 to 7 p.m. weekdays, Adam Ritter's 22nd and Christian tavern offers half-price apps like nachos and carnitas tacos along with $2.50 Miller High Life bottles and $1 off all well drinks. Wednesday through Friday, dollar-off drafts join the deals, and the dollar-discount is also available Sunday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. All night long on "Bitter Mondays," domestic bitter beers get the buck-off treatment, and on "Tight Lipped Tuesdays," all domestic drafts are $4 each.
The Cambridge
All pints are half-priced from 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays at the long bar that stretches the length of Chris Fetfatzes and Heather Annecchiarico's South Street den, and the drafts are swapped often enough that you might not be able to make your way through them all before the list changes. Wine drinkers can join in with $2 off the house malbec.
Jet Wine Bar
Three hours of happy hour happens nearly every day (including weekends) at Jill Weber's casual destination for global wine, with $5 vino and sangria offered 4 to 7 p.m., along with $3 Kenzingers and $3 bruschetta. "Martini Monday" adds $5 martinis, and Tuesdays are "Flight Night," where 2.5-oz. pours of any three wines go for $10. On Wednesday, the regular deals move to late-night, from 9 to 11 p.m.
Grace Tavern
Happy hour comes just twice a week to this Grays Ferry hangout from Fergus Carey and Tom Peters, but the proprietors' beer prowess makes the deals interesting. Tuesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. bring dollar discounts and free merch from a rotating featured craft producer. Wednesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. is for the ever-changing "after-school special' (think $4 pints and well drinks).
The Strip Joint
The former SoWe at 22nd and Carpenter is now a steakhouse with happy hour that runs twice a day. Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. and again from 11 p.m. to midnight, you can sip on $3 craft drafts and house wines, $4 specialty cocktails and $15 carafes of sangria. In an unusual move, the late-night deals are also available on Saturday.