A genuine institution, Caffè Lena has been hosting folk and acoustic music in an upstairs room on Phila Street since 1960. The room holds fewer than 200 people and the booking policy still leans toward the kinds of singers and songwriters who travel by van — authentic rather than polished. Tickets are cheap and shows often sell out.
The downstairs cafe is open during the day, serving coffee, tea, and light food in a low-key setting. The neighborhood around Caffè Lena — the blocks just south of downtown Broadway — is worth wandering for its mix of independent shops and Victorian-era architecture.