Philly After Dark - PhillyWired.com

After touring Philadelphia’s world-class attractions and historic sights, it’s time to unwind at one of Philadelphia’s hip nightspots. Visitors can dance to contemporary music, sing with locals at a piano bar or quench their thirst at a trendy lounge.

Neighborhoods Known for Nightlife
South Street, called “the hippest street in town,” is lined with restaurants and nightclubs, and bustling with young people. Copabanana (342 South Street, 215/923-6180, www.copabanana.com) offers an entertaining view of the crowd and a wide variety of beer and margaritas, and Downey’s (526 S. Front Street, 215/625-9500, www.downeysrestaurant.com) boasts a new bar and cocktail lounge. Just across the pedestrian bridge is Columbus Boulevard, where Katmandu Restaurant-Bar-Nightclub (417 N. Columbus Blvd., 215/629-7400, www.katmandurestaurant.com), Rock Lobster (221 N. Columbus Blvd., 215/627-7625, www.rocklobsterclub.com), Egypt Nightclub on the Waterfront (520 N. Columbus Blvd., 215/922-6500, www.egypt-nightclub.com) and many other indoor/outdoor clubs provide breath-taking views of the Delaware River. Another waterfront property, Dave & Busters (325 N. Columbus Blvd., 215/413-1951, www.daveandbusters.com) features a wide variety of electronic games and simulators, pocket billiards, hand shuffleboard tables, just-for-fun blackjack and dining for the entire family.

Old City is known for its hip restaurant scene and many of the restaurants in the trendy neighborhood attract a stylish bar crowd. It’s easy to be swept away by the 10-foot-tall Budda and waterfall wall at Buddakan (325 Chestnut Street, 215/574-9440, www.buddakan.com), the Casbah-like scene with a rainbow of changing lighting at Tangerine (232 Market Street, 215/627-5116, www.tangerinerestaurant.com) or the recreation of old Havana at Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar (10 S. 2nd Street, 215/627-0666, www.cubalibrerestaurant.com). Sip award-winning martinis under olive-shaped lighting at Continental Restaurant (138 Market Street, 215/923-6069, www.continentalmartinibar.com), and hang out in the living room setting at Lucy’s Hat Shop Restaurant & Lounge (247 Market Street, 215/413-1433, www.partyinoldcity.com). Swanky Bubbles Restaurant and Champagne Bar (10 S. Front Street, 215/928-1200, www.swankybubbles.com) is known for dozens of champagnes by the bottle and 11 by the glass; Bluezette (246 Market Street, 215/627- 3866, www.bluezette.com) for its clubby atmosphere, soaring windows and soul, Latin and Caribbean feel; and Fork (306 Market Street, 215/625-9425, www.forkrestaurant.com) for its sophisticated, yet artsy/urban ambiance.

Many of the upscale restaurants along Restaurant Row/Walnut Street have chic bars. Avenue B (260 S. Broad Street, 215/790-0705, www.mealticket.org), next to the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, has a sexy piano lounge with a refurbished 1902 Steinway grand piano, dark African wood bar and an outdoor café. Two restaurants in buildings that were formerly banks, Circa and Striped Bass have cathedral ceilings that give them a sophisticated and timeless feel. Striped Bass (1500 Walnut Street, 215/732-4444, www.mealticket.org) features mullioned windows, towering palms between marble columns and lush floral arrangements, and Circa (1518 Walnut Street, 215/545-6800, www.circarestaurant.com) has a 45-foot-long antique mahogany bar and specializes in “circatonics” and “circamargaritas.” The petite, terra-cotta-colored bar with a marble fireplace and a window that overlooks the European-style garden at Opus 251 (251 S. 18th Street, 215/735-6787, www.opus251.com), located in the Philadelphia Art Alliance mansion, has a warm and inviting feeling. D’Angelo’s Ristorante and Lounge Italiano (256 S. 20th Street, 215/546-3935, www.dangeloristorante.com) has deejays each night and an extraordinary collection of Italian wine. The dance floor and cocktail lounge attract a big crowd on weekends. Philadelphia’s upscale jazz club, Zanzibar Blue (200 S. Broad Street, 215/732-4500, www.zanzibarblue.com) features live performances nightly from legendary and rising stars of jazz, while WarmDaddy’s (6 South Front Street, 215/627-2500) offers traditional Southern cuisine and live Blues music.

Nearby, Trust (121-127 S. 13th Street, 215/629-1300, www.trustrestaurant.com), which has been the catalyst for a changing neighborhood, has a large, contemporary bar featuring “electronic” cocktails with illuminated ice cubes and a legendary communal washroom that resembles a swimming pool. Polly Esther’s and The Culture Club (1201 Race Street, 215/851-0776, www.pollyesthers.com), Philadelphia’s authentic 1970s disco and ‘80s retro nightclub features a fully lit 500-square-foot Saturday Night Fever dance floor.

Brew Houses
Independence Brew Pub (1150 Filbert Street, 215/922-4292, www.independencebrewpub.com) is convenient to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, for a game of pool, darts, or a selection of six Independence Brew’s own beers.

Another great place for a beer in Philadelphia’s suburbs is Flatspin American Grill and Dancehall (2750 Red Lion Road, 215/969-7746, www.flatspinrocks.com). The new restaurant/nightclub offers dancing to live bands and deejays, and helicopter rides and flight training giveaways during special events.

Hotel Bars & Lounges
The majestic space at The Rotunda in The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia (10 Avenue of the Arts, 215/735-7700, www.ritzcarlton.com) is designated a National Historic Landmark. With its soaring Georgian marble columns and 141-foot overhead dome, The Rotunda is a welcoming spot for afternoon tea, light dining and cocktails. Live jazz on Thursday through Saturday evenings and a Chocolate Buffet on the weekends complement the stately space, which was originally a bank. Enter The Vault at The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia through the 100-year-old golden door that once barricaded the bank’s treasures. The intimate tobacco lounge features such riches as premium cigars, as well as a wide selection of champagnes by the glass, cognac, armognac, single malt scotch, ports, liqueurs and cocktails.

The Swann Lounge, at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia (One Logan Square, 215/963-1500, www.fourseaons.com) epitomizes luxury with its warm woods, soothing colors and view of the Alexander Calder’s Swann Memorial Fountain in Logan Square. The Swann, which was named one of the World’s Top Bars by Gourmet magazine, specializes in martinis and has a large selection of cognacs and scotches. On Friday and Saturday nights, enjoy a Viennese dessert buffet and live jazz combo.

Teller’s Bar at PSFS in the Loews Philadelphia Hotel (1200 Market Street, 215/627-1200, www.loewshotels.com), known for its 43 flavors of martini and a bar with neon lights that change colors, is undergoing a renovation that will add a raw bar. The former bank building is one of the first examples of a modernistic skyscraper and a National Historic Landmark.

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