Uptown Beer Garden

Uptown Beer Garden is the quintessential pop up beer garden. It opened July 1^st but was ordered to shut down after a week by the Department of Licenses and Inspections. It reopened July 15th and initially had a lot of success, especially on Wednesdays when it participates in Center City Sips.

I went to this beer garden around 5:30pm on a Monday and the place was completely empty. It was late in the season but this beer garden boasted a great happy hour and popularity after work. My friends and I ordered beers at the bar and then found a table since there was no waiter or waitress working that day. There was not a very large selection but most of the drinks were specialty beers and were reasonably priced at $5 or $6 for draft beers. The bartender recommended an Ommegang Hennepin and I was hooked. I try to make it a rule to not order things that I cannot pronounce but I took a chance and it definitely paid off. The Ommegang Hennepin was very tasty but still light and perfect for summer.

This beer garden was the most basic beer garden I visited of the summer. The décor was very standard, with picnic tables and some trees for shade. There was only one corn hole board set up and only four other people there the entire time my friends and I were at the beer garden. The location of Uptown Beer Garden is in between buildings and directly across from the Comcast Center in Center City. I was expecting this to be the most crowded location I would visit and was put off by there being no one else there.

Of all of the beer gardens I visited this summer, I found my favorite drink at Uptown Beer Garden. But I was the most disappointed with my experience there out of every place I went to this season. Hopefully next year Uptown Beer Garden will redesign and have a better decorative vision.

Morgan's Pier

Morgan’s Pier is a very popular nightlife destination during the summer. I went to Morgan’s Pier with a few friends on a Monday around 7pm. It was not very crowded but there was a good amount of people sitting at the picnic tables having a few drinks and eating. Having been to Morgan’s Pier before on a weekend night, this was a very drastic change. The normal scene is completely crowded with a line to get inside and no shortage of fraternity brothers in pastel button downs and equally bright shorts. The Monday night crowd was much calmer, most people were dressed in work clothes or even had their children with them. 

Morgan’s Pier offers beautiful views of the waterfront and of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. There are many places to sit and everything is spaced out leaving a lot of standing room for when it does get crowded. During my time there, my friends and I chose a table located on the second upper deck. This deck is located above the main area and is completely covered by an awning. Having this higher table gave us great views of the marina, bridge, and the beer garden itself.

The draft beers at Morgan’s Pier were pretty standard for all of the beer gardens and offered seasonally appropriate selections such as the Victory Summer Ale. The food is surprisingly delicious and there are many unexpected choices that one would not think would be offered at a beer garden, such as a smashed local squash appetizer and grilled rainbow trout large plate. They also offer a small list of specialty drinks that are summer themed and very tasty. I recommend trying the Elderflower Fizz pictured in the center below, it contains champagne, elderflower liquor and orange bitters.

Morgan’s Pier surprised me a lot as a beer garden. The late night bar scene does not adequately show off everything that is offered here. Experiencing Morgan’s Pier in the daylight and when it was not crowded is definitely the best way to be able to try all of the fantastic food and drink options that are offered. Morgan's Pier is open until 2am seven days a week from April 30th until Halloween.

Spruce Street Harbor Park

Spruce Street Harbor Park has become a must see destination in Philadelphia the past two summers. Located on the Delaware River, SSHP is picturesque and a place for the whole family to enjoy. Whether you want to play a game of giant chess, lounge in a hammock, or try some delicious food, SSHP has it all.

Spruce Street Harbor Park is definitely the most entertainment driven beer garden I have been to. It is a fun place to bring the kids during the day because there are so many activities. The giant chess and checkerboards, arcade game trailers, and swan boats are only a few of the fun activities the kids will enjoy. For the adults, there is a full bar area that is located on a giant U-shaped dock in the harbor. There are picnic chairs located all along the dock and even floor hammocks that are suspended over the water. There are also many large hammocks hanging from the trees away from the dock with colors changing lights hanging above to really create a romantic date night setting at night. There is also a boardwalk over the river where one can look at the ships docked in the harbor that are surrounding Spruce Street Harbor Park.

The food and drinks are a bit pricey and you are definitely paying for the location and the experience. Along with all of the aforementioned activities there are also certain nights throughout the season when live music is performed near the hammocks under the color changing lights. There are also Art Star Pop Up Markets and Punk Rock Flea Markets set up during the day every Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Spruce Street Harbor Park is open seven days a week and is open from Memorial Day Weekend until September 27^th. Please visit www.delawareriverwaterfront.com for more information about specific hours and events taking place every day.

Frankford Hall

I have a very loving relationship with Frankford Hall, located off of Girard Ave on Frankford Ave in Fishtown. Frankford Hall was the first bar I went to in Philadelphia and I loved it from the moment I went inside. It is a German themed beer garden that boasts many craft beers and delicious authentic food.

Frankford Hall is open all year round, there is an inside section with tables and a bar but the most popular place is outside in the courtyard. The courtyard is covered with long picnic tables and benches and decorated with trees and twinkling lights. There is plenty of room to sit and relax and it is a great place to bring a large group of people.

My friends and I started out the night ordering some specialty beers, try the Schöfferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizen it is sweet and delicious. The draft beers come in two sizes, half liter and liter. They will run as low as $5.50 for a half liter and as high as $14 for a liter.

            We moved to a picnic table outside and sat under one of the many large umbrellas. The place was shaded very well and despite it being 85 degrees, it was actually enjoyable to sit outside. We ordered some food and the German theme really shines through. The main food options include Risenpretzel, or giant pretzel, and six types of sausages. The service was quick and responsive. We were there on a Monday night around 7pm and the place was not crowded but there were more people there than one would expect on a random Monday night.

           

After eating our food we discovered that Frankford Hall was now offering alcoholic milkshakes so we decided we had to check them out. The flavor options were Jack N’ S’mores, Honey Graham, Orange Creamsicle, and Lemon Meringue. The shakes were fantastic. They were fun and summery and something different to try. The shakes did not completely keep with the theme of the beer garden but they were so good that they became a welcome edition.

Independence Beer Garden

I arrived at Independence Beer Garden with three friends and found a parking spot right out front. Parking can be somewhat difficult in and around this area so carpooling, biking, or public transportation would definitely be the best bet. This beer garden, located directly across from the Liberty Bell on 6^th street is a pop up beer garden that has a very rustic and outdoorsy feel. It opened April 30^th in 2015 and will be open until at least Labor Day 2015.

We arrived around 7pm on a Monday night; there was a comfortable amount of people inside. We found an area to sit very easily, opting for individual chairs around tree stump tables instead of the long benches and picnic tables also offered.

Independence BG is family friendly during the day and offers many forms of entertainment. There are shuffleboards, ping pong tables, a giant projection TV and many table games, including Jenga and Connect 4. At night, bouncers stand near the entrances and check IDs. If you are under 21, you are welcome to play some shuffleboard but only while it is still light out.

Once seated, we ordered two pitchers of beer and dinner from our waiter. There are drink and food lists everywhere throughout the beer garden. There are 20 beers on tap and many different food options. We opted for one pitcher of the Shiner Prickly Pear and one picture of the Evil Genius I Love Lamp. There are lots of fun and different beers to try, as demonstrated by the Evil Genius, which has a pineapple flavor to it. The pitchers run from $15-$24 each and hold four beers each.

This beer garden has a fantastic location and is a great summer spot if you and your friends want to hang out outside and still get a nice cold beer.