I can't put into words how much fun I had here on Saturday night. Â The dj was playing every bad song we requested, the bartenders were attentive, and the atmosphere was great. Â Everyone was drinking citywides and singing along to Salt'n'Pepa (but mostly me). Â One of my favorite dive bars in the city, by far.
Review Source:Wow so last night a bunch of us decided to go to Philly for some good old fashion drinking. We visited one bar a friend of our's works at then decided to move on. We went to 2 old favorites of mine and one was boring as all get out and the other had all these silly new rules. We were thinking of going home when my one friend spotted a pabst sign in a window. We stopped at the handle bar and I think this is my new destination when I go to Philly now. We walked in and the bartenders were smiling and waving at us like we knew them for years. We sat down had excellent service all night from the bartenders Jon and Chuck! Another thing that was awesome about the bar was when they serve mixed drinks they give you a straw topper (I got a flamingo)! The prices were all very reasonable but the only thing is they do not take card :(. That's ok though because they have a atm right in the bar. The music was also really great the Dj B-Rad was playing all sorts of good music and taking requests all night. I can't wait to go back to this bar! Last thing before I'm done ......they hand out ring pops !!!! So even if your the DD you can have candy ! Well hats off to this place because in my opinion they are doing it right :D !
Review Source:If there were such a thing as The Hall of Extraordinary Dive Bars, The Handle Bar would most definitely belong in it. Whatever hipsterity exists here is but a thin veneer, easily wiped away to reveal its true non-hipster, working class origins.
It's in a great spot too. Within the context of the rise of NoLibs and Fishtown, it's near the "center of things" yet simultaneously off the beaten path. I dig that.
I've done my time on the dive bar circuit and this place quickly became a favorite of mine. If you like dive bars, you should check it out.
Get fu-shnickened and be sure to take care of your bartenders.
In Northern Liberties/Fishtown? Line at Frankford Hall too long? Barcade so packed that you physically can't fit in to play as the lizard guy in Rampage? Barbary...no, just no. Well, my friends, if you find yourself in this situation, you're in luck: the Handle Bar sits quietly at a small crossroads between Barcade and the Barbary, and a dim light in the window beckons you come hither.
Upon entering you will feel yourself overdressed and somewhat out of place. Just go with it. Belly up to the bar and order the least terrible beer you see (actually, while the selection generally showcases the broad range of Bud through Miller High Life, they do have a couple of decent beers, usually).
Some of the regulars may give you quizzical glances, wondering why someone with pristine, multicolor Puma sneakers and a shirt that bears an expressionistic take on Donkey Kong would be there. Luckily for you, there is an instantaneous way to endear yourself. Shuffle over to the jukebox and put on some Guns n Roses. Done: you're in. Before you know it, everyone will be rocking out to Night Train together.
You also have the opportunity to have riveting conversations with its denizens. A very nice lady informed, with a piercing (though I think friendly), scowl that this is a biker bar and it used to be only for REAL bikers before these kids showed up. I responded that I understand and empathize. Luckily, I was a connoisseur of Excitebike on the NES, so I wish these non-bikers would hit the road (in whatever non-bike their vehicle might be) too.
If all of this sounds like it might be awesome, 1) we should hang out, and 2) definitely check the Handle Bar out!
Cheap drinks, good beers on tap, karaoke, and they let you smoke inside. Word up. This is the kinda place I can get used to at 1ish in the morning coming back from wherever.
The place isn't huge, but it doesn't need to be. Diverse crowd inside, but if I had to nail down the type of crowd, I'd say... well, I dunno. You just have to go there. They're really friendly. Especially on karaoke night.
I'm a huge sucker for singing songs to strangers, aren't I?
Oh, and clean bathrooms! You can't underrate that!
Again, this place was a pleasant find amongst many overhyped and overcrowded bars in the area. Will be back.
is it a dive bar....maybe, is it worth going to ,,,absolutely yes!, personally i don't consider this a dive bar, its a neighborhood bar where the neighborhood became "trendy" around it. so if all you fairy ass yuppies don't like it, go away and spend 8 bucks for some douche bag beer down the street,
Review Source:I'm a sucker for a good dive bar. I mean, I like gastropubs as much as the next chick, but there is something so nice about being able to go somewhere and spend like 2 bucks for a beer. It's a comfortable place and our bartenders were pretty awesome. I got there at around 7 and I guess that during happy hour the bartender chicks are all in lingerie. To be honest, I didn't really notice, but that could just be a sign that I've been spending too much time at Trestle Inn. Anyway. Drinks are cheap, bartenders are friendly, and the drinks are cheap and the bartenders are friendly.
They don't accept credit cards, which is probably a good thing since it's the sort of place where you might feel an overwhelming urge to start buying rounds of shots.
Also, I know all the non-smokers are getting their panties in a twist about it being smoky in here. Get over it. They allow smoking. It's going to be smoky and you probably won't like it for that reason. However, you do have the option of going to any of the 4 zillion other bars in Philly that don't allow smoking. So there's that.
I tried to go to The Handle Bar on a Saturday night. Â While most bars in Philadelphia have banned smoking, The Handle Bar still allows it. Â The bar was so full of smoke that I could hardly see or breathe. Â I had to leave immediately.
So, if you are a non-smoker, this is not the bar for you.
Pretty much my favorite dive bar right now. The bar tenders are awesome, and while youd think the crowd would be a bunch of uptight blue collar dudes, they are actually awesome. Every time I go here the few regulars cool as hell and will buy you drinks if you arent a total asshole. Ive gotten more drunk here than almost every other place in the city because the atmosphere just lends itself to drinking.
Jukebox is awesome too, it only accepts old 5$ bills which is hilarious and its fun to put on 13 minute metalcore songs and not have anyone complain.
Buy union
Some dives are fun dives, and some dives are just dives. This is just a dive, complete with rude bartenders who try to start fights with your friends and waaaay too much smoke (I am not at all sensitive to a smoky bar, but this was too much for me).
Two stars goes for VERY cheap drinks and a space that can 14 boisterous friends no problem.
Les and Doreen's is about 127832470 times more fun, and less than a mile away.
I have lived in the neighborhood for 7 years and never went here but I went on a Friday night with some friends and what a nice surprise! Yeah, it's a dive but the bartenders are really down to earth, happy, really friendly. They don't accept credit cards but that's why beers are $1.50.
 It's cheap and you're not paying for the atmosphere but it's a really nice change from all the fancy places that are jam packed with bad music and yuppies. I felt very comfortable here and will go back again!
last night was my first time here, and i'm left wondering why it took me so long to check this place out, considering i live 4 blocks away.
the friend i was meeting there said thursday is the night to go to this place. there was karaoke going on. it wasn't busy but it wasn't dead, but a lot of people didn't seemed interested in the karaoke, but the people who did dare to do it (rather drunkenly i might add) were really into it. sort of put a smile on my face at the dedication.
this is a little hole in the wall place but it has such charm. and a pbr is only $1.50. huh?! cool! the bartender gave me a big smile, i ran into some people i knew and never expected to see. over all a really great experience at a really small charming local dive bar.
I only go out there on Sunday evenings but:
The Handle Bar is what a bar is suppose to be... You walk in, people are talking, good music (Sunday is bring in your own ipod mix night), you get a beer that doesn't cost your an arm and a leg and you chill.
The bartender on Sunday nights is Chalk, he will leave you alone unless you need a drink or your actually want to talk. He is a young guy but an old school bartender, keeps the bar clean, your drink full and will have a conversation about anything. The game is always on, but doesn't drown out everything else. And the atmosphere is the perfect mix of dive bar, local, and under the train track bar that you will ever see in Philly.
All in all a must stop on Sunday nights to come and meet people from the neighborhood and talk about anything and everything.
Drop in have a beer and say hi to Chalk, you won't regret it.
Yo.
First off I appreciate this place for being a laid back, Philly flavor bar close to the Barbary, where you can kick some drinks between bands when the Barb is doing their all ages thing. Â
Second off...friend face and I dropped in here (night before Memorial Day weekend) and got...about eight thousand free shots, a history lesson on the gentrification of the neighborhood from a lifer (it was actually really interesting), tons of attention for dancing like scandalous whores, an invitation to a block party tonight, a story about how there were a bunch of drunk cops a block away shooting off their guns for no good reason........and a "just for fun" fist fight in an alley at 2 AM. Â My knuckles look so hot right now. Â
If my description hasn't sold you on this place...you should probably not hang out in Fishtown by yourself after dark...or ever.
We ended up here walking home from the Barbary which was entirely too full! Actually we were on our way to my friends house to make our own drinks and mayhem, when I spotted this place and said, heck lets go get a few more drinks there.
I was instantly a fan. Now there could have been several reasons for this...could have been the fact that upon entering I was a bit tipsy and for some reason they were playing Digital undergrounds, Humpty Dance(say what you will...I still think that song is HILARIOUS!). It could have been the union guys just sitting around the bar like it was their second home, or it could have just been that I was, in fact, really drunk.
Either way....I liked the place. Whenever I need someplace to overflow to from the Barbary I'll be here :)
I had to sneak over here to get a beer while a band was setting up at an all-ages show at the Barbary. Â This is the type of place where union worker dudes go to kick back and have a beer with other union worker dudes while throwing darts. Â
The place was nicer than I expected and had a good variety of beers that were served cold and quickly for a decent price. Â The bad part? Â It's a bad part so when you crash the place with your friends, you'll stick out. Â It's one of those places where they know you by name and it's too small to hide away in. Â
Regardless, if I lived closer, I'd give it a shot at making it my neighborhood bar but I'm just outside of that range.
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