A night out on the town with your friends is always fun. But once the weather starts warming up, there's nothing better than tossing back a few daytime drinks while hanging out on some of Philly's best patios. Whether you're looking for stunning views of the city or a sports patio to watch your favorite teams, this guide has you covered. Here are six bars where you can catch some rays, have a few drinks and kick back with friends.
Best Rooftop Bar: Assembly Rooftop Lounge
Penn Center/Logan Square
Assembly Rooftop Lounge, located on the top floor of the Logan Hotel, has comfortable couches placed along the edge of the lounge and fire pits all throughout the space to keep you warm during the colder months. You'll also get panoramic views of the Ben Franklin Parkway, City Hall, Logan Circle, and more while you figure out what to order. The lounge offers a menu that features six house cocktails, a seasonal frozen cocktail, wine, beer and several small plates like baked brie, Swedish meatball sliders, Korean chicken bao buns and more for sale.
Pro tip: For one of the best views of the city and for an Instagram-worthy photo, we highly suggest heading out in the evening when the sun is setting. You won't regret it.
Trendiest Patio: Independence Beer Garden
Market East
If your idea of a good time is throwing back a few cold beers with your friends out on the porch, then you need to head on over to Independence Beer Garden. The business has an expansive 20,000-square-foot garden that offers magnificent views of the Liberty Bell and Independence National Historic Park. It's decorated with reclaimed timber, stringed lights and distressed metal, with a ton of plants and flowers placed throughout the space. Currently, there are 23 craft beers available, plus options for wine and cocktails. If you get hungry, pair your drink with small plates, such as wings, tacos, burgers, salads and others. (See the full menu here.)
Best Patio For Brunch: Talula's Garden
Washington Square West/Market East
Talula's Garden offers a quaint patio space out in the back of its restaurant that's ideal for a Sunday brunch, especially on a warm, beautiful day. Once you enter into the garden, you'll find yourself surrounded by tons of flowers and greenery, wooden furniture, heat lamps during the fall and winter, and props that you would normally see in a garden such as a toolbox and rakes. Alongside the rustic decor, the farm-to-stable restaurant boasts a solid brunch menu that includes blueberry buttermilk pancakes, Talula's lox plate, sugared almond donuts, fried chicken and waffle and more. Wash down the meal with your choice of cocktail, beer, cider, or wine.
Pro tip: Since brunch is only offered 10am-2pm on Sunday it gets extremely packed, especially during the warmer months, so if you can, make a reservation before you get there. If you don't, plan on spending about an hour waiting for a table.
Patio With Killer Cocktails: La Calaca Feliz
Fairmount
The eatery, located on Fairmount Avenue between N 23rd and 24th streets, has a cozy patio out in the back for diners looking to chow down on Mexican specialties. There are wooden chairs and tables available for more than 20 guests and a large tree decorated with stringed lights that get turned on during dinner hours. The menu features items like tacos, enchiladas, soups and many more for less than $20 each. If you're looking to snag some deals, head over during happy hour on Monday-Friday from 4-7pm where you'll find discounted drinks and small plates for $4-$6.
Best Dog-Friendly Patio: Square 1682
Rittenhouse Square
Square 1682's open-policy of dogs on its patio is a great place to make some friends and people watch on a warm, spring day. The business partnered up with the local SPCA and offers a special BYOD (bring your own dog) brunch to diners every weekend, where $1 of each item sold gets donated to the organization. Humans can choose between the Daisy (Tito’s, lime, giffard pamplemousse, chamomile citrus tea), Ruby (Tito’s, lemon, pressed pineapple, cedilla acai liquor, prosecco) and Lex (Tito’s, ancho reyes chili liquor, ginger syrup, lemon) for $11 each. And since you can't have all the fun, Square 1682 has four items on the menu for dogs including blue buffalo eggs & taters, best in show stew, doggy dirty rice and peanut butter biscuits for $6 each.
Best Patio to Watch the Game: XFINITY Live! Philadelphia
South Philadelphia
There's no better place to watch your favorite Philadelphia team take on the Dallas Cowboys or San Francisco Giants than at XFinity Live. Located in the Wells Fargo Complex, the venue is home to six different bars and restaurants including 1100 Social, Victory Beer hall and others. You can either camp out at your favorite venue or freely walk from one bar to the other through a huge courtyard, that has tons of seating available for sport enthusiasts.
