You might think of wine bars as places with overpriced charcuterie boards and wine menus with words like “mouthfeel” and “co-fermentation.” Maybe you remember the spot where you went on a date with someone who lectured you about grape varietals. Fortunately, wine bars don’t have to be sad, pretentious, scary places. There’s a whole crop of spots with great wine, friendly service, and food options worth getting excited about. Whether you’re meeting a date for drinks, hanging out at the bar solo, or looking for a place to grab a glass of wine before dinner, here are some of our favorite wine bars (and restaurants) in the city.
The Spots
Of course Superfolie is chic—it comes from the team behind Good King Tavern and Le Caveau—but it’s also a wine nerd’s dream come true. The Rittenhouse bar is designed for long stints of sipping and snacking, and carries over 70 bottles of wine from around the world. The servers are exceptionally knowledgeable, and can help you choose the perfect glass or bottle to pair with the French-leaning small plates.
Tria is the OG Philadelphia wine bar. It’s been around since the early aughts and has a location in Rittenhouse and Washington Square. The wine list works for everyone from somm-level drinkers to those more comfortable with boxed wine, and they have a rotating selection of beer and cider. The servers are as knowledgeable as they are friendly—happy to help you pair your zippy, luscious, or sociable glass with a selection of cheeses or bruschetta.
Sign up for our newsletter.
Be the first to get expert restaurant recommendations for every situation right in your inbox.
Bloomsday is a natural wine bar in Headhouse Square, and it was one of the first places in Philly to focus on interesting, local wine producers after the alcohol laws were changed. Their bottles range from a dry rosé made from grapes grown in Pennsylvania to a Txakolina from Spain that one waiter described as “the margarita of wine.” If you don’t have any idea what you want to drink, their staff is really good at helping you choose something—even if you have to try a bunch of samples.
If your main reason for coming to Fountain Porter is the $5 burger and cheap tap beers, you’re not alone. But this East Passyunk dive bar quietly has one of the best reasonably-priced wine lists in the city. It’s filled with a rotating list of funky natural stuff, and none of it's over $13 a glass. They also sell wine and craft beer to go, so bring something home when you finish the burger.
Sally in Fitler Square is an excellent neighborhood pizzeria, but it also has a fantastic wine list and accompanying shop. It's the kind of place you come with people you really like (or for a first date), on a night when you don’t need to rush and want to try some funky wines you’ve never heard of. It’s comfortable, it’s charming, and it’s reasonably priced enough that you won’t be horrified by your three-hour bill (or the bottles you grab to go).
Le Caveau is the wine bar you’ve always wanted in your neighborhood—it’s somewhere you can walk in unannounced on a Thursday night with a date and immediately impress them just by knowing it exists. The dark, moody spot sits right above another of our favorite places, The Good King Tavern, and their wine list is primarily made up of natural bottles, divided between “France” and “Not France.” There’s also a short menu of bar snacks like a hot dog wrapped in a baguette and salted chocolate mousse, but you should come here for a glass of wine when you want to feel like you’re cooler than you actually are.
Fishtown Social, a wine bar on Frankford Avenue, has a ton of interesting sustainable and organic wine on the menu, as well as a couple of things to eat like an enormous meat and cheese board. There’s also a hidden bottle shop behind the bar that’s easy to miss—you can purchase bottles of everything that’s on their menu plus a rotating selection of wines that you won’t find anywhere else in the city.
When Pizzeria Beddia first opened, we were mostly looking forward to their world-famous pies. It quickly became clear that the wine list is just as much of a highlight as the pizza. The options range from $12 glasses of on-tap natural wine to an $130 bottle of champagne that’s the most expensive thing on the list. Maybe the best part, though, is that every bottle on the menu seems to pair perfectly with at least one of their pies—and all of the hoagies.
Lunar Inn might look like your average dive, but this Port Richmond bar has an excellent selection of mostly natural wine. They also play a bunch of vinyl, and host local DJ sets a few nights a week. But maybe the coolest thing about Lunar Inn is their onsite wine store, Tiny’s Bottle Shop. It’s right behind the bar in a space that’s essentially a garage, and they sell bottles of everything on Lunar Inn’s wine list, plus additional options depending on the season.
Vedge is the best vegan restaurant in Philly—but it's also one of the coziest places for drinking wine. The fine-dining spot in Midtown Village has been around since 2011, and they’ve been championing natural and organic wine since they opened. While the menu is on the pricey side, you don’t have to spend your entire tax return on a bottle here. Glasses start at $14, and there are a significant number of bottles for around $70 and $80, so grab a spot at the marble bar and enjoy.
The wine list at A.bar in Rittenhouse is one of the most extensive ones in the city. That means that it’s basically picking out something from a wine store at your table, but it also can be tough to make a choice. Luckily, the servers are crazy knowledgeable, and more than happy to give you tastes of anything—especially the new bottles they’re particularly excited about.
