Philadelphia
You're flying out of Philadelphia Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Philadelphia Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Philadelphia's airports.
City centre · $$$
a.bar is the Rittenhouse Square casual cocktail-and-snack offshoot from the celebrated a.kitchen team — a tight programme of seasonal drinks paired with a small
Old City · $$$
Amada Bar draws a steady local crowd in Old City. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Bella Vista · $$
Blackbird Pizzeria Bar draws a steady local crowd in Bella Vista. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
City centre · $$
East Passyunk Avenue is one of the most concentrated streets for eating and drinking in Philadelphia, and Brigantessa is among its finest. The osteria opened in
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Philadelphia proper at the end.
Plays for Philadelphia Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 176 cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Philadelphia? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.