What no Bud light? Â Hell no, try some real stuff!
This place will start to become part of my regular bar rotation, As you walk through the door, you are warped to a simpler time. Â A time before people would get drunk on credit, and entertain themselves at a bar with a Mega-touch. Â This place before all of these other places is exactly where you would end up. Â In other words this is your parents bar baby! Â You walk into a converted house and down the right hand side is a long bar-top and some tables on the left, head towards the back as you admire the wood panel-walls and soak up all of what a place like this has to offer. Â You will also start to notice all of the nostalgic decorations from beer steins, to games like checkers, and connect four on various tables. Â Once you get to the back of this bar there is a huge cooler, inside of that cooler is a collection that would challenge the cast of Animal House. Â Fully stocked with various selections of beer, that are all excellent, and a great supplement to the already awesome beers on tap. Â Ranging from craft brews to some big names like Guinness, and Smithwicks. Â Oh yeah, feel free to grab what you would like out of that cooler and pay the bartender. Â Don't forget it is cash only.
Speaking of cash only, it truly is a time capsule, and there isn't anything wrong with that. Â If you are pretentious and more worried about what the Kardashians are about to do next, then please take your stilettos somewhere else, because you are in the wrong part of town!
Stop here if you just got out of the Reading Phillies game, and enjoy a few while traffic departs. Â Hopefully they will have live music when you visit, just to enhance the visit.
"Don't be yourself - be someone a little nicer." Â Mignon McLaughlin
At Mike's, it's all about the bartender but his name ain't Mike.
Pete C. is the owner, bartender and chief bottle washer at Mike's Tavern. If the name sounds familiar, it's because he owned the Northeast Taproom in Reading for almost 20 years before packing up to new adventures for the better part of a decade. Let's be clear about one thing: this is as close as you're going to get to "Cheers" in this area. Come in a couple of times (or maybe even just once), strike up a conversation and the next time you walk through the door, he may very well greet you by name.
Mike's is not as eclectic as the Taproom was, with its funky photos hanging on the walls and toys you haven't seen in 20 years for sale behind the counter. But if you're looking for the great beer selection he's always been known for, this is the place. There are free pretzels in a large glass jar with some empty bowls next to it for self service. Other than that and a few bags of potato chips, there are no other food options. This bar has been in business since the year after prohibition and Pete didn't want to change too much inside or the name.
It's walkable to the Reading Phillies stadium, offers the best beer selection in the city, has a friendly crowd and the best bartender.