McGillin's Olde Ale House has been open continuously since 1860, making it the oldest operating bar in Philadelphia — a claim it makes without apparent exaggeration. The building is on Drury Street, a narrow alley threading behind the theaters of Midtown Village that many Philadelphians have never found, which gives the bar a hidden quality that its fame makes slightly absurd. The interior is a classic American wooden tavern: long bar, low ceilings, walls covered with breweriana and old photographs, and a long tap list of rotating American craft beers alongside the standards.
The atmosphere on weekends can be loud and crowded, particularly when there are games on television; weekday evenings are quieter and better for conversation. The food is honest pub fare. The real draw is the combination of age, ownership continuity (the McGillin family has run it since the beginning, with a brief interlude of leasing), and the particular coziness of a bar that knows what it is and has no interest in becoming anything else. Order a pint, find a seat, and let the fact of 160 years of continuous operation settle over the experience.