301 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106   

Phone: (215) 925-1919

Not a thing. Great place as is.

For an Olde City bar with such history, The Society Hill is rather unassuming. You walk into the place from the corner of the room and it's a sea of about 20 tables and chairs. You hve to meander through these tables and chairs to make it to the bar. Speaking of which, along the wall to your left is the bar, which has about 8 taps represented. Thumbs up here, they've got all of the Phillytown favorites on tap: Boddingtons, Guinness, Yuengling, McSorleys, and Caffrey's. Now that's what I call a pub!

For entertainment there are 2 TV's (19 inchers) and a piano. On Friday and Saturday Nights, a piano player is tapping out Fabulous Baker Boys versions of American standards from the 30's, 40's and 50's. It's admittedly nice background music, but after about 2 hours of this, The Dog had enough;  and my party walked across the street to Saint Jacks to liven things up.

In the summertime, The Society Hill brings out the cafe tables and chairs and you are free to drink a pint of your favorite brew, while the tourists and school groups hustle by experiencing Philly's rich history, or is it that they are running away from the vagrants - I'm not sure which it is.

Speaking from experience, these cafe tables are the perfect place to fritter and waste a Saturday afternoon with a cold pint and a good friend. If the friend isn't available, a good book will do. You won't believe how many tourists walk around this area on a weekend exploring all that Independence Hall has to offer. If your smart, you could

The hotel portion of this site is still in operation. There are about a dozen rooms available for under $200/night. If you're in the mood for staying at a place that has a bit of history to it, in the middle of everything, look no further.

The crowd is a good mix of people in their 20's and 30's. There appeared to be a continental dived between the single people and the couples. The singles were "selling it" at the bar, while the cozy, upright tables were close enough for couples to whisper sweet nothings in each others ears - or maybe they were just discussing who should pay the bill? It is almost a new millennium (sorry 2000 is still the 20th Century) and the women folk are not afraid to whip out their wallets when the bill comes - sure it's just a ploy to get the guy to jump for his wallet; but it's the thought that counts. It's really some sort of Jedi-Mind-Trick that the women have learned over the years to effectively pull a fast one on us guys; but hey whatever works. But I digress...

Being located in one of the most popular bar areas of the city, Olde City, I'll just refer you to our Olde City page and you can pick and choose who you'll visit after the Society Hill. I have to admit it was hard for me to leave, but a man can only stand so much piano music - now if Michelle Pfeiffer were singing on top of that piano, I'd book a room.