Long overdue in giving Doobie's some love as we have drank here a lot, and drank a lot here. It's easy to do, it's a comfortable dive. It's a neighborhood spot; a wood paneled corner bar with friendly bartenders and conversational regulars.
On the latter note, I mean, I once had a lengthy conversation about the career of actress Kate Mulgrew. The randomness of that chat alone just warms the cockles of my wretched heart. I have many examples of that sort of thing here, but as you can tell I just wanted to bring up Kate Mulgrew. Mulgreeeew... OK, and on the very same night, I met a group of French students and so I sneakily played them a small selection of Edith Piaf tunes, because I am a walkin talkin example of cliche choices. "Hey, ya like that don't ya, French people?!" Oh they did. Got some laughs, what can I tell you... Why am I bringing this hazy memory to your attention? Because they have Edith Piaf on the jukebox. That's why!
They have a great ol jukebox full of such a great variety of eclectic choices and a lotta lotta David Bowie through the ages. It's wonderful and I'm a fool for such wonderful jukeboxes, I tell you. Has to be one of the best in Philly. It always seems to keep us there longer than we planned, extra pitchers of beer included.
It's definitely divier than I remember on previous trips. Â We popped in for a few drinks before a later dinner. Â I remember a stale smell just as we walked in but I got used to it after a while. Â The bartender was pleasant but you could tell that she had to work hard on the pours. Â It's time to update the tap system. Â The beers were a bit warm and poured with a ton of foam. Â Lots of foam = wasted beer. Â I can't complain about the prices, they were very cheap. I ended up going to canned beers, which was fine, but I love drafts at a bar. Â I hear the food is good but I didn't try it. Â I love dive bars, but just a few improvements (maybe an oxymoron) in the tap system would make this the perfect dive!
Review Source:Love love love it here! It's the perfect laid back place to go to when all you want to do is hang out, relax, and maybe play a board game. For such a small place, they have a pretty big menu with lots of shareable options for your table.
Huge plus: They love animals, and your ATM fees go to a cat rescue.
$4.50 for Lagunitas Waldo (9.25% ABV)? Excellent!
Sometimes its just nice to get out of lab, where it can be pretty solitary and just hang out at a bar where they know you and you are familiar with the staff there. Â Extra plus for having credits on the juke box last night as I was able to get a few extra songs in.
I love Doobies, because Doobies loves animals.
They were kind enough to let us have our Ringling Pre-Protest party here, and made sure to have many vegan specials on the menu.
They donate to local animal charities as well.
Great beer list, and a good bar food.
I wish I had discovered this hole in the wall when I lived in the neighborhood.
This has quickly become one of my favorite bars in Philly. It's kind of hard to tell what this place even is from the outside, but I promise it's worth looking for.
Great prices, board games, pet friendly, awesome music. A bartender that is from NEPA and just seems like an awesome, laid back guy. What more could you ask for?
Bonus points for being a few blocks away from my apartment!
This little hole in the wall is awesome. Â We stopped here on the way to Bob & Barbara's with friends and wound up just hanging out here all night instead. Â Our waiter was quick and attentive and the noise level was enough to make the bar feel full and lively without killing group conversation.
Review Source:TERRIBLE TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. please don't waste a night here. not a cool dive bar - a nasty dive bar. the staff was completely unprofessional and rude. not only did they run after us down the street accusing us of not paying the bill after we left cash and tip on the table, but once they located the money accused us of not tipping well enough. 1. ASK YOUR COWORKERS IF THEY GRABBED THE MONEY OFF OF YOUR TABLE BEFORE YOU ACCUSE YOUR CUSTOMERS OF NOT PAYING. 2. TIP IS OPTIONAL. 3. 20% IS GENEROUS FOR SUB PAR SERICE. never to return and sure to spread the word.
Review Source:I love Doobie's. I particularly enjoyed going there mid afternoon on a Saturday when it was almost deserted and playing Connect 4 and Trivial Pursuit for hours. I had the hard cider which was great and there's also a good beer selection (so I'm told). It really is the perfect neighbourhood dive bar and my ideal kind of hang out. Staff are extremely friendly, as are the regulars. They do food too which I didn't try but it looked decent.
Too bad I never got to go to their quizzo - I bet it's really fun!
"Like drinking in your friend's rec room back in high school."
"Close and cheap!"
"Where everybody knows you're lame."
These are my friends' descriptions of Doobie's that go back twenty years. Back when I was a younger man, this was my local. Good beer on tap and good food. Air conditioning when you needed it. Friendly service.
Also, an incredible amount of second-hand smoke that never seemed to dissipate.
Times change. My wife and I were in town for Philly Beer Week, and we decided to pay a visit, even though she abhors smoke and, therefore, harbored a grudge against Doobie's. We did know that the powers that be decided to interfere with property owners' rights by banning smoking in bars, but we had to see it for ourselves.
It hadn't changed all that much. The food menu still had lots of vegetarian and vegan options. Still good beer on tap, including some Philly Beer Week entries. They had a new big screen TV. I recognized the bartender. Best of all, though, NO SMOKE! Incredible. The icing on the cake was the collection box that benefited cat adoptions.
Congrats, Doobie's! You won my wife over! Do you know how difficult that is to do? You're on a very select list now.
Of course, I always loved you.
I heart a great dive bar.
That's why I fell in lust at Doobie's.
It's far too infrequent that I travel past 20th street, but this little gem reminds me again why I moved back to The City of Brotherly Love.
Eccentric and genial staff, fantastic draught selection, and that neighborly corner bar atmosphere we watering hole goers are always out on the prowl to identify.
The waitress at a nearby restaurant told us to come here and side-noted that we'd probably find ourselves sitting next to her later in the evening.
Low and behold we saw her there later. Join forces with friends and meander this way. Great city dive bar..love every minute of it.
now this is a real dive bar. Â i can't believe how great doobie's is when it isn't shrouded in a layer of smoke so thick you can barely make out your pint in front of your face! Â um, yeah... i've been away from philly for a while and used to come here that long ago. Â don't judge.
LOVE that the have vegan and vegetarian food options on their extensive menu, and i just adore that they have collection jars to help kitties. Â
bartenders are cool, jukebox is filled with gems, and the crowd is mellow and friendly. Â
now if only i could find a place like this is SoCal.... perhaps only in my dreams.
3.5 Stars
Solid dive. Not the best dive bar in the city, but at least it's not one of those pseudo-dives that suprises you with a Blue Martini type bill at the end.
Go here to check out the comedy show on Wednesdays. It's entertaining and features local comics who will likely get drunk with you.
The food is pretty decent, but more importantly, very cheap. I had the crab cake burger which was very tasty and only 5 bucks. It was plagued with the same problem that SO many crab cake burgers have; it's sooo much more bun that crab cake. Maybe there should be smaller buns meant just for crab cake sandwhiches. Yeah, there should.
Doobie's has a surprisingly decent/modest draught selection that wouldn't piss off a beer snob (although why would a beer snob go to a dive bar?)
The waitress told me "Doobie's doesn't serve fried foods" and I was all like, "Cool, a health-conscious hole-in-the-wall." It seemed neat, but my sandwhich came which potato chips which are indeed a fried food. So Doobie's just doesn't fry anything themselves (they probably don't wanna deal with a deep-fryer. I can understand).
Check this place out. I will certainly be heading back on a Wednesday to catch the live entertainment.
Doobie's is one of my favorite places to post up for a few hours. From the moment I enter, the bartender Rich is a warm & welcoming presence. Â I'll walk up to the bar and order my first drink(s)--a clever variation on the citywide special involving a can of Sly Fox in place of PBR--which I always start with and would be a fool not to. Â After queuing up some hot jams on the jukebox I follow this up with something from the surprisingly extensive and comparatively cheap, not to mention dank, beer list. Â
At this point, it would be wise to soak up these libations with food. Â Despite the fact that their kitchen is the size of an airplane bathroom, they somehow manage to present a diverse and ever-changing menu. Â I have never been amazed by it but its definite "bar food plus" and, like the beer, shockingly cheap.
Doobie's is as unpretentious and comforting a bar as exists anywhere. Â The only reason I'm not dropping five stars on it is that I still haven't gotten over having my butt handed to me at Monday night quizzo.
How in the blue hell did I miss reviewing Doobie's after the UYE that Jim H. hosted here? That's right, I already established the fact that I'm a horrible slacker sometimes.....
But enough about that. Doobie's is one of those bars that I've heard many stories about the legacy of before I ever set foot in it. And it's also one of those bars that I've walked by on several occasions due to the lack of signage; and fact that after a good sized tenure of school I vowed to spend not too much time looking at chalkboards. But when the time came to finally set foot inside I was looking forward to finding out how much of the legacy held up, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much of it was accurate.
Doobie's might just be the only dive bar where you can watch a round of Jeopardy and have a good conversation with some of the patrons about the questions. Can't figure out the new name of the Sears Tower in Chicago now that Sears is no longer in business? The bartender has the perfect book to find that answer without missing a beat on what drinks you're ordering. Doobie's is just just that kind of Dive bar that has an endless amount of character that's pretty hard to resist. And it gives you games of Connect Four while you enjoy it.
With the exception of Tritone, Doobie's is one of the only Philly dives that hook up some killer food. The soup that I had was impeccable. And there  were plenty of burgers, smoked turkey sandwiches, and then some! And what a list of drinks and special they have! you definitely can't go wrong with a rotating cask on tap. For us it was Fuller's ESB, and it looks like it's now Dock Street's Man Full of Trouble. And the $5 for a can of Sly Fox and a shot of Bourbon special is pretty damn hard to resist!
Consider all of this, and the toss in a jukebox that's chock full with plenty of classic tunes, and you have one o my favorite bars in Philly!
I came here for a UYE held by the illustrious/notorious Jim H. I'd actually never been over in this part of Philly before, so it was nice to walk over and see a little slice of Fitler Square. I actually walked past it since it's pretty much two doors inset into a building on the corner. Thankfully I saw the sandwich/beer board on my return trip.
Inside I was greeted by a warm atmosphere with lights that reminded me of the best of the neighborhood bars I used to go to back in Chicago. The bartender took my beer order and I settled into a nice comfortable night of talking to The Limey and the rest of the Yelpers. The Fullers ESB cask was phenomenal. The food was good too. The smoked turkey sandwich I got was damn tasty, though it was a tad light on the toppings and meat.
The people were an interesting mix of Ryan Adams looking hipsters, 20 somethings, the Yelpers, and the emo looking server. As Jim H alluded to earlier, there were in fact people playing Connect Four, as well as people watching Jeopardy.
For $1000 when will Jim go back to Doobies?
What is really damn soon, Alex?
With some time to kill before the Victory beer dinner last night, I decided to meet up with some of yelp's finest in one of the city's diviest. Â I'll admit, walking up to the bar I was a tad nervous that I'd be the only person to show, as there were some mixed messages during the day about whether or not a pregame was still taking place. Â I opened the door and felt relief wash over as the smiling faces of Jim H. and Chris V. greeted me from the end of the bar. Â While introducing myself to "Jack" and Stephen H., I became keenly aware that my loud mouth was carrying and that every other patron was now well aware that this was a meet-up of friends from the Internet. Â Flustered, I took a seat and realized that I had walked right by Dan C. in the process (Sorry, Dan, I'm blaming it on the suit!), prompting me to get up for another round of hugs and hellos. Â
Finally, I returned to my post and ordered a Flying Fish. Â The bartender gave a heads-up that the version on tap was actually the Grand Cru Winter ale, and since I had never tried it before, he offered a taste. Â Happy day, I was met with what instantly became my new favorite seasonal! Â
My introduction to Doobie's was cut short as our event times drew near, but I was happy for the opportunity to check the place out. Â The warm and friendly service we received is definitely enough to bring me back, and any place with rumors of David Bowie's presence in the 70s gets an extra star from me. Â Any coincidence that Golden Years has been playing on a continuous loop in my head ever since? Â I think not!
Though I'm super stingy with ratings, the three stars I'm giving Doobies belie how choice a dive bar this bunker-like corner spot is. Not everyone's partial to a good hole in the wall, but our UYE on a balmy winter Tuesday provided the occasion to sample what I've come to think of as one of the city's best.
A hairball bartender named Jim, $5 special Sly Fox beercans with a shot of bourbon, and a sterling selection of 70s and 80s little-known classics on the jukebox, and the scene is set for a grimy good time. As for the patrons, if the midweek regulars are any indication, this joint attracts plenty of hella cool urbanites. A Dirty Frank's on the Rittenhouse/Fitler side of town, but less blown out and cozier. Stop in.
Mid conversation, i heard the distinct noise of plastic coins hitting the bar and my pop culture infused mind immediately played , " Pretty sneaky, sis!" . Because I was interested in what my friend was saying, I didnt investigate what the noise really was. It was soon after that I noticed the familiar Connect 4 game stand, towering next to a shortie Sly Fox can and empty shot glass. It was surreal.
Doobies is a cool little speak-easy, just askew from center city. It was McThrill, who suggested it as a venue for the Get to Know me! makeup date. I agreed because of the stellar reviews ,that friends and trusted Yelpers have given it.
I found free and easy parking a few blocks south of Doobies, and headed to the corner of 22nd and Lombard. When I got there, I was confused. I saw what I assumed was Doobies, however sans signwork, I wasnt sure. Luckily, from out of the shadows, emerged McThrill, who confirmed I was in the right place. After trying to go in through the out door, we eventually found the section of the wall which allowed entry.
It was a cool little place, "little" being the optimum word. I dont think an event of any larger magnitude would work here, but it was certainly cozy and perfect for the motley crew who showed this time. Im still amazed that of all the Yelpers, who ive been lucky enough to meet, none have disappointed and none have been tools.Lots of good people up in here, thats for sure.
Drinks were great, food looked good (although I didnt dig in) and the barkeep was cool (Ill hold my opinion of the creepy "server" that lurked always nearby). I managed to have a good time without spending more than $20.
Back to Connect 4. What a novel idea, to have some old-school board games, for the patrons to enjoy. I was half-tempted to bust out that Game of Life and play a few months.
As everyone was well met, and the party wound down, I set off into the mean streets of Philly to find my car. I must have gotten turned around because it took me a while to find where I parked my car. Apparently I had too good a time at Doobies, and most likely, the extra brisk walking time was needed before the trip home. Pretty sneaky...Doobies!
In all my years, I never thought I'd be a barfly. Â Heck, I barely even drink, maybe one or two good beers a month. Â And yet, Doobies has turned me into exactly that.
The first few times I went, I felt a little on the outside, because there are so many regulars, but truth be told, I took the time to talk to the bartenders, and from there I met some of the greatest people who have ever worked at, or hung out in, a bar
The food is not your usual bar food, there is nothing deep fried. Â What there is, is a mostly home-made, ever changing menu which sports many veggie/vegan dishes as well as your carnivores delights.
The beer choices are varied and wonderful, and the beer engine is a feature not found in many places. Â I can always count on seasonal craft beers, and enough choices for anyone's tastes.
Sunday nights one can find anywhere from one to four Scrabble games going on, and everyone is encouraged to join in.
The bottom line - the best staff I have EVER encountered works at Doobies. To a one, they are wonderful people. Â I occasionally go elsewhere, but Doobies is truly my "Home Bar."
P.S. Â The jukebox is amazing, though I love the nights when one can watch Futurama on the TV above the bar.
Dirty. Unfriendly hipster vibe. Bartender is...edgy.
Ordered nachos (which were gross) and as I lifted the last stale chip into my mouth, a movement by the bartender's feet caught my attention.
A baby mouse, headed for the kitchen. To reunite with his large mouse family i'm sure. Â Strangely, the dog that was running around inside paid it no mind.
BUT...
If you've ever seen Doobies, none of this should come as a surprise, and it didn't to me. Â So I calmly pounded my Flying Fish, closed my tab and left.
Are you a fixed-gear bike kinda guy who regularly wears expensive (but torn) women's skinny jeans, an american apparel v-neck and a keffiyeh draped around your (cold?) neck? Are you appalled when someone orders a cheap, flavorless, Miller Lite as you happily swig pabst? Do you see absolutely no irony about your existence? Well, Doobies is for you.
Everyone else, pound a few miller lites in your living room and head to ten stone.
I don't know what that girl Emily was talking about in the middle of these reviews somewhere, this place was dirrrty. Â Not a place you wanna take a date. Â Bathrooms were gross! Â Definitley a dive bar, and this place was trying to be. Â
Noticed what George was talking about. Â This crowd is pretty tight knit. Â They all seemed to know each other, and nobody seemed too friendly. Â The jukebox is good, IMO. Â Lou Reed helped me feel better when nobody would talk to me.
The food wasn't so great. Â I ordered the chicken dumplings, and they were burnt. Â The beer selection was decent. Â One thing I can agree with Emily, is that I also wished I could come up with something remarkable to say about this place. Â Just another dive bar. Â Props for being able to get a beer for a few bucks.
I went here on a recommendation that is was a fun place to go. Really quirky and all that with board games, juke box, Christmas lights on the walls... You get the idea.
It had all of those things, yet what made itself clear when you walk in the door is that the crowd inside is really tight knit. Make sure you're coming with friends because most likely you won't make any new ones here.
The beer menu was decent, prices were fine, and the ambiance was interesting. However, the vibe from the crowd was a little frigid. I've never had this happen in another other Philly bar. I've often thought of going back, but am turned off by the idea that it might put me in a bad mood.
Smoking sometimes spontaneously erupts inside as well. It is posted smoking only outside (with a designated area), but hey, this is a club house. They'll do as they please.
I've been told that I should give it another try so maybe my rating will change. However, I'm really put off from going back.
Great, home-cooked food from a shoe-box kitchen, a beautiful old liquor cabinet (book shelf?), wide cedar planks for walls, perpetually wet floors in the closet bathroom.
This is not a place for a date. Â Have a drink, eat some food, and enjoy good times with your pals. Â No white-glove treatment here... just down-to-earth friendliness and attention to the few details that really count.
I love a good dive bar, but doobie's is just mediocre. Â The place seems like it doesn't really *want* to be a dive. Â It's not dirty enough, the music isn't bad/good enough, the patrons are on the mild-mannered side, and they actually have an extensive menu! Â I'm pretty sure I had an existential crisis in this place - I found myself wondering "If they serve vegan food, can they really be called a dive at all?" Â (And before you go trying to answer that rhetorical question, consider the bottle of Campari they have placed conspicuously on the bar shelves. Â Seriously. Â Campari!)
Nevertheless, I had a positive experience here. Â Service was good, though the food was slow. Â I just wish I had anything remarkable to say about the place.
The front door is the side door, there's maybe one half-lit yuengling neon in the window to give you the idea that theres a bar inside this place, and theres absolutely no signage telling you where you are is actually where you want to be until you get inside. Â
doobies, i want you inside me.
Ive gotten locked inside the bathroom (which is hilarious once you escape, though it can be an obese persons nightmare) more than once, played back to back to back David Bowie albums on the juke without complaint or interruption, and have eaten spaghetti and meatballs here with my dog.
If you ever want to get drunk with your mutt, listen to Tom Waits  Closing Time in its entirety, all while being bothered by no one, this is your pad everytime. forever.
What did I miss? People, you know I love me a dive bar like nobody's business. So when my friend told me she was taking me here, I did the happy dance. But guess what? We walked in and it was like the scene in a movie where the needle gets scratched across the record. Crickets chirped. Everyone seemed to stop talking and gave us the stinkeye. WTF Doobies customers? Seriously.
It turned out that we knew some people who were hanging out there that night, and we sat down for a few. But the spell was broken. I felt awkward and out of place. I tried to rekindle the magic, but no dice. Doobies and I did not have a love connection. Sigh. Chuck Wollery, where the hell were you when I needed you most?
I had my 21st birthday celebration at this quaint little bar, because I was subletting the house next door for the summer with a bunch of friends. Needless to say, I spent a good part of that summer at Doobie's.
Its a great little place--very chill, but also young. The food (much of which is vegetarian or vegan) is pretty good and they have a good selection of beers. You wouldn't want to order a fancy cocktail at Doobie's, but they do make good drinks. Everyone is really nice; its the type of place where the bartenders remember you AND your favroite drink. To top off all the good stuff, they have games! Scrabble and beer are a great combo!
What a great little bar. Â The second time I ended up here there was a benefit going on for cats! Â I mean, come on who doesn't love cats! Â There were some great raffles, including free pitchers given away every hour. Â I love a bar that has no problem having cool little events like this.
I've had a couple great nights at this bar. Â I've seen the same waitress there and she's always great. Â Quick to take your order and quick with the food. Â The bartender trusted us telling him how many drinks we've had at the end of our night. Â I really like the size of this place. Â A couple of tables which are pretty close together. Â Also, they have a decent selection of board games to pass the time, even gamble on! Â Definitely make it a point to stop here, even if it is just for the incredibly polite staff.
Like many in Philadelphia, Doobie's was the first bar I ever frequented as an underager. Â Of course, policies have become more stringent due to a recent bust, I believe. Â Definitely a locals bar, though many have come for the legendary jukebox. Â In an age of flashy computer screen jukeboxes that charge an arm and a leg for crappy songs, it's great to see one that still exists with an incredible range of music to boot. Â
The food is no-frills - in fact, Â most of it is "ding-ding" food (microwaved). Â Somehow, it always still comes out quite tasty. Â The beer selection is great, and the tables outside are nice in the warmer months.
Doobie's is one of those places that feels like it's an old man's drinking bar, but you can go to it while you're still young. Â The dark wood walls have captured the scent of many years of smoking, and though no one smokes there now, you can still smell it in the air. Â
It's a cozy place, and it's dark, nearly windowless interior gives you the feeling that when you step outside after hours of drinking you'll find that several inches of snow had accumulated while you were inside - even in September.
A night at Doobie's starts off slowly, but as people start to pile in one by one, it reinforces those feelings of going to a bar in the middle of a snow storm and finding a crowd of other people with the same idea, when everyone should've just stayed home.
The crowd is friendly, the jukebox plays low, the pitchers are decently priced (I wouldn't say cheap), and the food menu is enticing. Â It's a chill neighborhood bar to stop by to watch the game in good company, play some cards, and relax.
Good dive bar with cheap beer. Â Wood paneling on the walls, extra tables and such stacked around (there must be several fire code violations), and locals just hangin' out.
Surprisingly, there are a bunch of vegan options. Â The food wavers between average pub grub to pretty good.
If you're in the neighborhood, you could do worse than Doobies.
Doobies is a place worth going, if you've got nobody to impress. It's a great bar to grab a table, a pitcher, and unwind.
They do have a very vegan-friendly menu, but I've never had food there that's been too good. Instead, it's the cheap pitchers, frequent drink specials, and the O'Reilley's stout (which I think is Philly's competitive answer to Guinness) that makes Doobies fun.
It's also pretty cool to see a city bar that has a night-to-night crowd of regulars under 35. If Cheers were indie-rock and in Philadelphia, it would have been called Doobies. Sorry Sam Malone.
Another bar that put's the 'teeny' in Martini, Doobie's is a neighborhood dive with a lot of old-school personality. Â The bartender was this old dude who was pretty entertaining. Â The beer was cheap. Â Exceedingly cheap. Â I went with a bunch of folks and our tab was so ridiculously low that I thought the bartender was dyslexic. Â The jukebox was oldschool, as well, which I like. Â It had the Johnny Cash cover album so I played his rendition of Personal Jesus, which seemed appropriate to the conversation we were having (somehow about Jesus, despite the no religion/no politics rule I have for bars.
If you're going to Doobies, I definitely recommend going all Andre the Giant and bringing a posse.
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