The Olde Bar

3.5 (1524)

$31 to $50

Seafood

125 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106

About this restaurant

Charming
Great for creative cocktails
Neighborhood gem

A contemporary oyster saloon that pays homage to the original tradition.

The Olde Bar, located in Philadelphia’s landmark Old Original Bookbinder’s, is a contemporary oyster bar and cocktail lounge steeped in the city’s nautical and culinary traditions. Serving oysters on the half shell, alongside a smart menu of modern re-imaginings of traditional bar snacks and a comprehensive cocktail and spirit list, The Olde Bar is at once a tribute to the city’s storied past and an updated version of one of our most beloved dining spaces.

For Reservations over 4, please contact the restaurant directly.

Permanently Closed

This restaurant is permanently closed.

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Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Seafood, Contemporary American
Hours of operation
Dinner Tue–Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(215) 253-3777
Website
http://www.theoldebar.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Jose Garces
Private party facilities
Whether celebrating a special occasion with family and friends or hosting a corporate outing, The Olde Bar can accommodate all your special event needs. Email: pa.events@garcesgroup.com for details.

Location
125 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106
Neighborhood
Old City
Cross street
S. 2nd St.
Parking details
Philadelphia Parking Authority Garage located at 125 S 2nd Street, less than a block north and west of The Olde Bar. Private lots located within a few blocks, at 401 S Columbus Boulevard, 109 Chestnut St, 36 S 2nd Street and 299 S Columbus Boulevard.http://philapark.org/locator/ and enter our addressThe Olde Bar does not offer valet parking
Public transit
The Olde Bar is located just over two blocks south of the Market-Frankford EL stop at 2nd and Market Streets.
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Delivery, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

A Guide to the Best Date Spots in Philadelphia & New Jersey

Popular dishes

What 1,524 people are saying

The Olde Bar reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

3.5

3.5 based on recent ratings

3.8Food
3.4Service
4.1Ambience
3.5Value

Noise • Moderate

1,520 Reviews

J
John VIP
Philadelphia County34 reviews
3.0
Dined on November 9, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
We went there with gift cards for Garces restaurants. The Old Bar is listed on the gift card and their website as one of the restaurants that will honor the gift cards. We had drinks and food only to learn they do not honor the gift cards. It is similar to fraud, plain and simply. Two unhappy customers.
1 person found this helpful
J
Joel VIP
Dallas - Fort Worth25 reviews
5.0
Dined on November 6, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great food, great drinks. Sad to hear this location is closing
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J
Josh
Philadelphia County1 review
5.0
Dined on November 3, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Came into the olde bar for a late night dinner. Dom took great care of my boyfriend and I. The lobster bisque was phenomenal along with the west coast oysters. They tasted so fresh. Can’t wait to be back for their happy hour!
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J
Jessica
Philadelphia County1 review
5.0
Dined on November 1, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Came into the olde bar today and everything was so good! Staff was so kind and friendly and the food was delicious. The steak frites was cooked at a perfect temperature and the crab fries were to die for. I will be back!
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K
Katie VIP
Tulsa14 reviews
2.0
Dined on October 29, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 2
This place is in the old Bookbinders location, but it is most definitely NOT Bookbinders. Made reservation. They wanted $175.00 deposit to hold the reservation. Are you kidding? Reservation had to be modified. It was a catch 22. Open Table said for modifications, I had to call the restaurant. When I called, the recording said I needed to handle modifications through the Open Table app. ??? When we got there, the hostess who was also our server had no knowledge of the change. Server approached a table she sat after us to get their drink order after we had been sitting there for 20 minutes. It took 45+ minutes just to get drinks for six people. They were not crowded. If we had not ordered our food as soon as the server brought the drinks, who knows how long it would have taken to get food. We were all starving. It’s hard to screw up raw oysters, but the shrimp cocktail presentation was very odd. They managed to make it almost impossible to get to the cocktail sauce without digging through the whole cup it was in. Lobster rolls were good, but nothing special. Cod was very spicy—so much so that one could hardly taste the fish. For dessert, the chocolate cake was frozen solid. Description never mentioned that fact. The cherry sundae had some sort of compote on it that tasted very strange—definitely not like cherries. Total bill for the evening was just shy of $800. What a colossal waste of time and money. Dinner took all evening, which was never the intention. A credit card was left behind accidentally. When we tried to call about it, no one answered the phone. We got the same recording we got earlier in the day. We went back and knocked on the door since it was slightly after closing, but customers were still in there. We were let in and the search began. It took the staff several minutes to check all of their hiding places for the card. It was found right where it was left, in the folder that contained the bill. Bottom line: most definitely NOT Bookbinders.
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F
Frank VIP
Philadelphia County10 reviews
2.0
Dined on October 19, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 4
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 5
I appreciate that they are trying to keep the tradition of Bookbinders alive but this place has really gone downhill in my opinion. Menu selection is really sparse -- only six entrees offered, three of which are not seafood, and only two varieties of oysters. Food is good but significantly overpriced. Service on our recent visit was exceedingly slow. Waited thirty minutes for oysters at the outset and thirty minutes for dessert at the end -- took three hours to complete dinner. Will only visit the bar in the future.
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L
Laurie
Philadelphia County4 reviews
5.0
Dined on October 15, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Quaint , cozy, great food , great value and we were offered more bread for dipping into our Mussels if needed …..BEFORE we could have asked … we didn’t need more but it was nice to be offered
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T
Thomas
New York City1 review
2.0
Dined on October 12, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
Service ok but a bit clumsy (no cutlery). Food menue super short and a third not available. A crab cake served with few green leafs at $38 ridiculous. Will not return, weird place.
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M
Mark
Philadelphia County1 review
5.0
Dined on September 28, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Always a pleasant experience. Whether you’re at the bar, a high top table, or the study, the ambience is lovely. The food was excellent tho the portions a tad small, though that could’ve just been me being hungrier than usual. The tuna poke appetizer was wonderful. I highly recommend a booth or high top table seat in the bar. The trappings of that room in particular add to the chill yet lively ambience.
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A
Annieflo7 VIP
Philadelphia County10 reviews
1.0
Dined on September 7, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
Showed up to our reservation to find the usual door and hostess stand has been closed and now there is no hostess stand. You are left to enter a side door and awkwardly stand in the bar area waiting for someone to notice you. We then got placed outside of the bar (when this is where I booked our table) in a private room with no one else there and terrible ambience. We asked to move they said they couldn’t. So we left. This place has really gone downhill. Such a shame, this used to be a regular spot for us but the quality has been so lacking and clearly degrading, we won’t be back.
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FAQs

The Olde Bar does offer delivery in partnership with Uber Eats. The Olde Bar also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (215) 253-3777.

The Olde Bar is rated 3.5 stars by 1524 OpenTable diners.

Permanently Closed

This restaurant is permanently closed.

125 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106

Dining areas

Additional information

Cross street
S. 2nd St.
Neighborhood
Old City
Hours of operation
Dinner Tue–Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Seafood, Contemporary American
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Philadelphia Parking Authority Garage located at 125 S 2nd Street, less than a block north and west of The Olde Bar. Private lots located within a few blocks, at 401 S Columbus Boulevard, 109 Chestnut St, 36 S 2nd Street and 299 S Columbus Boulevard.http://philapark.org/locator/ and enter our addressThe Olde Bar does not offer valet parking
Public transit
The Olde Bar is located just over two blocks south of the Market-Frankford EL stop at 2nd and Market Streets.
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Jose Garces
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Delivery, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.theoldebar.com/
Phone number
(215) 253-3777
Private party facilities
Whether celebrating a special occasion with family and friends or hosting a corporate outing, The Olde Bar can accommodate all your special event needs. Email: pa.events@garcesgroup.com for details.

Featured in

A Guide to the Best Date Spots in Philadelphia & New Jersey

The Olde Bar

About this restaurant

Permanently Closed

There’s more to explore

Dining areas

Additional information

Featured in

A Guide to the Best Date Spots in Philadelphia & New Jersey

Popular dishes

West Coast Oysters

Lobster Pot Pie

Lobster Roll

Menu

What 1,524 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

Does The Olde Bar offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is The Olde Bar restaurant rated?

Permanently Closed

Dining areas

Additional information

Featured in

A Guide to the Best Date Spots in Philadelphia & New Jersey