Annie's Cafe

Annie's Café is one of those rare pubs that doesn't have to work at it to pull off the Irish Pub theme. It just happens naturally here. There is a minimal amount of kitschy bric-a-brac nailed to the walls, the bar is a grand wooden structure sprouting about 8 taps. The bartenders aren't speaking with an Irish brogue, for the benefit of out-of-towners. And Annie's brings in some decent Irish acts to play their acoustic instruments for the crowd.

It is also a common occurrence to find a number of cute Irish lasses here. Since Annie's is located near the Main Line, the Au Pair's working in the area have to have someplace to go and unwind and this seems like an obvious choice. And yes, Irish-American skirts show up at Annie's because it doesn't exude a Meet Market Vibe.

You enter Annie's through the door under the green awning pictured above. The bar is set-up on the left hand side of the room, while tables and chairs line the right hand wall. If you follow the bar to the back of the room, you'll find the entrance to the dining/live music area on your left. This room is filled with tables and chairs. During nights when Annie's has a live act playing, you'll be extremely lucky to find a seat in here. But not to worry, there is an opening in the wall between the bar area and the dining area, so that most people at the bar are able to ogle the live act from their barstools.

Which brings us to the live acts. I've visited Annie's probably 8 times in the past couple of years. On most of my visits there was a nice acoustic Irish band playing, which is great. I've always said that a good brew goes nice with good music. But there were a few occasions where the only entertainment was watching their 2 TV's and listening to a mix tape. All I'm saying is that it would be nice if live music was the standard rather than the exception on the weekend nights. When they've featured live music, the bands have been great. You can usually tell there is a live act playing if you pass by their bay window and the room is jammed with people.

You have the standard Irish Pub brews here: Guinness, Harp, Bass, etc. When they pour you a Guinness, Annie's is so confident that you'll get a "good pour" that they outline a shamrock in the head with the tap - if the general shape of the shamrock is still staring up at you when you finish the pint, they've poured it right. Of course, this is predicated upon the fact that the drinker does not "slurp" the head off while drinking the pint - a move that fellow Phillytown crony, Elbo, often does, much to the chagrin of the P-town crew. Bad Elbo, Bad Elbo!

The crowd at Annie's is comprised of mid to late 20somethings. It's always a nice friendly crowd, never out of hand. Annie's seems to be a nice double date place also - at least that's what I've observed. My guess is that the guys like the place for the brews and the women like the place because it's usually quiet enough to converse without shouting.

When (and if) you grow tired of Annie's Cafe, there are a couple of other bars in the neighborhood worth visiting: Brownies 23 East and Gillane's. Brownies is a 2 level bar that features live rock acts on the weekends. Gillane's is similar to Annie's; you're likely to catch a blues band that is either at the beginning or end of their musical career.