There is no sign outside the Ranstead Room. You climb a staircase above a restaurant and push open a door into a narrow, wood-panelled room that feels like it has been there since Prohibition actually ended. The lighting is the colour of old whiskey. The bar is maybe 20 feet long. It holds perhaps 40 people and prefers when it holds fewer.
This is Philadelphia's quintessential hidden gem bar. The kind that locals discover early and tell exactly one other person about. The cocktail list is short, confident, and reasonably priced by the standards of serious bars. Nothing is overworked. The Whiskey Sour is made with fresh lemon and an egg white that produces a foam that holds its shape. The Boulevardier is built correctly and delivered without fanfare.
The bartenders here know their audience. They are not performing expertise; they are exercising it. When the room is right, on a Wednesday evening with 12 people and the right record on, the Ranstead Room is one of the best places to drink in Philadelphia. It sits within a few minutes' walk of Franklin Mortgage and offers a complementary experience for anyone building a tour of the neighborhood's best cocktail options.
The menu rotates seasonally. The prices stay honest. The entrance remains unmarked. We recommend it without reservation, and trust that the people who find it deserve to be there.
What to order
- 01
Whiskey Sour with Egg White
Bourbon, fresh lemon, sugar, egg white. The kind of Whiskey Sour that makes you realise what you've been missing at every bar that skips the foam. Order it first.
- 02
The Boulevardier
Bourbon, sweet vermouth, Campari. Built cold, stirred correctly, served in a coupe. A strong argument for choosing whiskey over gin in this format.
- 03
Seasonal Sour
Changes with what the bar is most excited about. Could be mezcal and tamarind in autumn, strawberry gin in May. Ask what's on rotation and trust the bartender's answer.
- 04
Spritz of the Season