Top Hipster Bars In Philly

If you are a fan of indie music, interesting food, art, and microbrews then you're looking for a hipster bar. The word "hipster" is often describing people who are very trendy and sometimes on the pretentious side. This can be seen as a positive or negative. But they are generally younger people who are progressive, independent in their thinking and identify with the subculture or what is thought of as "alternative."  The term only popped up in the 1990's, it involves a real melting of tastes and behaviors. Such as liberal redneck types, or vegan bikers. Here are the top 5 bars in Philly that meet that criteria.

Garage
1231 E. Passyunk Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 278-2429
www.garagephilly.com

Garage is a unique bar that will appeal to beer lovers (they carry several hundred varieties in cans). Hipsters are spotted here frequently. Happy hour Fridays are $1 drafts. And for foodies, there is a changing food truck to serve up the customers. The Truck rotates, so there is always different food. Garage is serious about beer and fun; they even have a BYOF (bring your own food) policy. They have skee ball, pool tables, and pinball for entertainment. Customers describe it as hip, loud, and an interesting dive bar.  The 300 types of beer though, probably encourages people to keep coming back.

Dirty Frank's Bar
347 S. 13th
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 732-5010
ww.dirtyfranksbar.com

Dirty Frank's dates back to the days of prohibition so it's a popular "watering hole" for artists and today's hipsters. Dirty Franks is the quintessential hipster dive bar, it has a grungy look about it, there is also a fancy juke box and has artwork for sale on the walls. It's a good place for conversations, darts, and people watching. Dirty Franks attracts a wide net of people and is cash only.

Tattooed Mom
530 South St.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 238-9880
www.tattooedmomphilly.com

Tattooed Mom has excellent food, music and many people describe the atmosphere here as pleasant, retro, and kitschy. They are located right in the heart of South Street so there is convenience for those who wish to do some shopping or to walk off their drinks. For food specials you may want to stop in on a Wednesday, burgers are $3. For fun there are pool tables, and upstairs they have couches so you can sit back and chat. This also happens to be a place many rock bands visit while touring in Philly, so you never know who you will bump into.

Related: Top Rock Bars in Philadelphia

Johnny Brenda
1201 N. Frankford Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(215) 739-9684
www.johnnybrendas.com

Johnny Brenda's is "Hipster Heaven" and has been known among locals as "the rock bar." Here you can also enjoy local brews, good food, and good conversations due to the thoughtfully planned layout. Johnny Brenda's cooks up some decent food and also has a nice selection of oysters for happy hour playfully referred to as Blue Oyster Cult specials; this is a perk for people who love seafood. They also cook up some excellent burgers for carnivores.  Not every hipster bar has outdoor seating, but here they do, which is a plus when it gets very crowded or the weather is too good to miss.

The Pub On Passyunk East
1501 E. Passyunk
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 755-5125
www.pubonpassyunkeast.com

The Pub on Passyunk East or the P.O.P.E. as many refer to it, is lovingly described as hipster without being "too hipster." It is a typical dive bar with a great jukebox, and has a decent assortment of local brews. They keep 14 on draft that are regularly changing and also carry a large assortment of microbrews in bottles, some which are hard to find. The food here is affordable and tasty. They also have plenty of vegan food options. The P.O.P.E. also has outdoor seating and brunch on the weekends

Related: Best Dive Bars In Philadelphia

Christina Dagnelli is a freelance writer in Philadelphia and the author of Little Squares with Colors: A Different way to look at autism. Her work on examiner can be found here Examiner.com.