Mace's Crossing Pub

1714 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Location: Center City, Phila, PA

Phone: (215) 564-5203

Click Here for Map/Directions

Overall Rating (1 to 10): 6

What I’d Do To Improve the Place:

Clear the Heineken ad off of the front door. Carry the German beer on draft, but don't plaster German beer ads all over the place. Pub and German are contradictory.

In the shadow of some of center city's biggest high rise hotels and office buildings, Mace's Crossing stands apart, beckoning the locale in for a frosty concoction. Mace's Crossing is at a prime location at the intersection of 17th Street, Cherry Street and the Ben Franklin Parkway.

The door that is visible in the above photo, places you in the rear of the bar. If you enter off to the left of the building, near the tree, you will wind up at the front of the pub.

The bar is along the left wall. It can accommodate about 10 patrons. There are only 5 beers on tap including: Heineken, Flying Fish (brewed in Cherry Hill, NJ), Guinness, & Coors Light. The odd part about the drafts is that 3 are conventional, attached to the bar, taps. But the other two taps are drilled into a Coleman cooler, as if they were temporary. I've never seen this before.

In light of this fact, the bar itself is beautiful: solid oak wood, with a brass rail and footrest. Behind the bar is a giant mirror, which doubles as a backdrop for the liquor cabinet.

Beyond the bar area, continuing into the area located behind the picture window, shown in the above photo, is a dining area with about 10 tables and chairs set-up. There is an upstairs area that contains more tables and chairs. In and around the dining area, are multiple neon beer ads and assorted bric-a-brac hanging about the room.

One thing that occurred to me as I drank my Flying Fish, was: "Where's the other half of this pub." Mace's is a small bar, which really isn't that bad. But during my visit, the place was crowded, and bodies had to be displaced, in order for someone to make their way to the unisex bathroom.

A large portion of the clientele appeared to be either conventioneers or seminar goers who have overflowed from their hotel's house bar looking for a different place to drink, away from the boss.

So if you happen to find yourself in the vicinity of 17th and the Parkway, stop into Mace's Crossing and ask them what the heck those taps are doing in the cooler, or maybe just have a bite to eat and throw back a Guinness.

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