Philadelphia
You're flying out of Philadelphia Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Philadelphia Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Philadelphia's airports.
City centre · $$$
a.bar is the Rittenhouse Square casual cocktail-and-snack offshoot from the celebrated a.kitchen team — a tight programme of seasonal drinks paired with a small
Old City · $$$
Amada Bar draws a steady local crowd in Old City. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Bella Vista · $$
Blackbird Pizzeria Bar draws a steady local crowd in Bella Vista. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
City centre · $$
East Passyunk Avenue is one of the most concentrated streets for eating and drinking in Philadelphia, and Brigantessa is among its finest. The osteria opened in
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Philadelphia proper at the end.
Plays for Philadelphia Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 200+ cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Philadelphia? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.