McGillin's Olde Ale House opened in 1860 on Drury Street, the year Lincoln was elected, and it has poured beer ever since, which makes it the oldest continuously operating tavern in Philadelphia. Visit Philadelphia and Wikipedia both record the unbroken run, and the alley address has barely changed in more than 160 years.
Who would love it: drinkers who want history with their pint and a deep board of local Pennsylvania beer. Who would skip it: anyone after a quiet date room or a craft cocktail program, since this is a busy, loud, old-school ale house, not a lounge.
The tavern hides on Drury Street, a narrow alley between 13th and Juniper below Chestnut, which is half the fun of finding it. Inside it is warm and wood-lined, the walls crowded with old Philadelphia signage and city memorabilia collected across generations. The room fills with a friendly after-work and weekend crowd, and on Sundays and Wednesdays it turns into what locals call the best karaoke in the city, starting at 9pm.
Order local first, since McGillin's runs around 30 taps with a clear focus on Pennsylvania and regional craft, per the bar's own beer listings. The move is the house ales brewed for McGillin's, the 1860 IPA, the Genuine Lager, and the Real Ale, which you cannot get anywhere else. Pair a house draft with the tavern food, keep the order in the local-beer lane, and let the proprietary ales do the work that a 160-year-old ale house should.
The crowd is Center City office workers at happy hour, students and locals later, and out-of-towners who read about the history. It runs busy on weekend nights and during big Philadelphia sports games. The kitchen stays open until 1am and the bar to 2am daily, so a late meal and a late round are both on the table.
Who is it for. History-minded drinkers who want the oldest tavern in town, beer fans after a deep local board, and groups up for a loud karaoke night. Skip it if you want a calm, intimate evening, since this room runs full and lively.
Best time to go is a weekday happy hour for the after-work energy without the full weekend crush, or a Sunday or Wednesday from 9pm if karaoke is the point. The tavern sits on Drury Street in Center City, a short walk from the Avenue of the Arts and the Midtown Village restaurants.
A practical note on finding it: McGillin's is tucked down an alley, so follow the address to Drury Street rather than looking for a storefront on 13th. The strength here is the combination, an authentic 1860 tavern with a genuinely strong local-beer program, which few historic bars manage to pull off at once.
What regulars say centers on the mix of history and a real beer program. Reviewers note that few historic taverns also pour a board this local, and the house ales get singled out as the order that sets McGillin's apart. The alley entrance is the common first-timer note, and the weekend and karaoke-night energy the common warning for anyone wanting a quiet table. The recurring advice is to come for the room and stay for the Pennsylvania taps.
For the wider field, our guide to the best craft beer bars in Philadelphia sets this Center City institution against the Fishtown beer halls, and the city Philadelphia bar guide maps where to drink across Center City and Kensington. Beer fans should compare the hall energy at Frankford Hall in Philadelphia and the tap range at City Tap House in Philadelphia.
Sources: McGillin's Olde Ale House official site, mcgillins.com (2026); McGillin's Olde Ale House, Wikipedia; Visit Philadelphia, McGillin's Olde Ale House; Mashed, This Historic Philadelphia Tavern Has Been Pouring Beer Since 1860. Profile by Tom Callahan, barsforKings.
