Doobies

Very relaxed dive. The necessary Christmas lights all year round. A number of variations on the citywide, named after frequent patrons.
A place to hide from the world and play board games.

Doobies is your typical hole-​in-​the-​wall neighborhood dive. Cheap beer and a menu serving standard pub far, with a few vegetarian and vegan options. I tried the veggie pita pizza, but wasn’t too impressed (seemed liked something I’d make at home when to lazy to cook).
While it’s not my favorite hang out, I do like to support this place as the owners are huge animal lovers who collect donations for feral cats and even refused to play the Eagles games when Micheal Vick was on the team. Props to them.

Oh Doobies, how I LOVE you! I first fell in love with this bar, and it’s owner Patti, when I read on a Facebook post that they refused to show any Eagle’s games as long as Michael Vick was playing! As a HUGE pitbull advocate, I knew I just had to visit this bar when I was in Philly (at the time I was living in Los Angeles). I messaged Doobie’s and told them how much I appreciated what they were doing. A few months later I was visiting Philly and made it a point to stop by. I met Patti, who is just the sweetest woman ever, and had a great time. The bar is small, cozy, and very friendly. There are many regulars and has almost a Cheer’s like vibe.
I’ve recently moved to Philly and made another appearance at Doobie’s. I can tell you this is the place to go if you want a nice, stiff drink. The prices are great and the food is good too. I highly recommend stopping by. When you do, say hi to Patti for me! 5 STARS!

A bar with a conscience! Doobies has been on my bucket list ever since I first heard about the owner’s refusal to show Eagles games while Michael Vick was on the team. My wife and I are pit bull lovers living in North Carolina; we vowed that if we were ever in Philly, we would stop by Doobies and pay our respects.
So, on a recent vacation, we made the trek to Doobies. It’s a very nice little neighborhood bar. They had an interesting menu, but we were a bit early for dinner. We had a couple of drinks (including their bacon-​infused bourbon, very nice) and chatted with the bartender for a bit. He was a pleasant guy and was surprised to hear that we’d come up to visit Doobies based on our respect for their owner’s integrity and courage. The owner, Pat, was not in and wouldn’t be in until much later, but the bartender promised to pass our appreciation on to her.
If I lived in Philly, I would hang out at Doobies. It’s a great neighborhood watering hole and their clientele seem to be the kind of people I would enjoy talking to, not your typical sports bar crowd at all. And with an owner who’s not afraid to take a firm stand against the mistreatment of animals, Doobies is a no-​brainer for me.

Never going to this bar again. I’ve never met a staff that was so rude to their customers. The woman working there would get annoyed at my friends and I if we attempted to order food or beers. It’s almost like she went out of her way to make us feel uncomfortable.

Ok here’s the thing about my experience here… I showed up here with 3 of my friends last Friday night. We came here because we wanted to play their board games.
As my friend and I were buying beers at the bar, the bartender was speaking to another patron. She asked the patron «are you working this weekend?» «No» he said. Full of irony, the bartender replied «I know I am definitely working this weekend. I’ve got a $ 4000 vet bill to pay off. And the thing didn’t even survive!» My friend, picking up on the irony, harmlessly and un-​maliciously giggled. This slightly intimidating woman then turned to my friend, did a double take, went to black, and with utmost nastiness she said «Do you think that’s funny!?» «No, no, I’m sorry» he replied. «That’s terrible!» We all felt so uncomfortable after that.
The bartender then proceeded to spend the rest of the night being unbelievably rude to me and my friends. She neglected to bring my friend a drink as she was serving me and my girlfriend. She kept giving us the «evil eye» all night. And she needlessly bumped into my other friend on several different occasions. I actually wanted to stay but my one friend made sure she didn’t buy one drink more to make sure she didn’t patronize such a rude bartender any more than she had to. I gather the bartender is the owner of the place, given her rapport with many of the other patrons and the cat tattoo she had on her upper arm.
Look, I understand that what my friend did could be seen as insensitive. But to be completely honest, her statement to the other patron was smothered in irony, as ironic as saying «I spent $ 4000 on my car and the darn thing is still broken!» It was a mildly humorous thing to say. There was no sense of tragedy or mourning in how she said it and it certainly wasn’t worth her unbelievably rude response and behavior.
But way to make your customers feel unwelcome, intimidated, and uncomfortable! There’s no excuse for that kind of behavior, nor was their any excuse to spend the next few hours being absolutely rude to us!
The only reason this place doesn’t have one star was because the board games were actually pretty fun. If you’re looking for other fun Philly dive bars, there are plenty of other options. Stay far away from here!

Great beer selection on draft. Great selection of bottles and craft cans. Always something neat on cask.
Solid food menu, with interesting twists like «Trinidadian Doubles» (spicy chickpea pattys)… their shot and beer specials are the best in the city, and the juke is also great.
Be ready to wait a bit for service, there are only a few staffers; if you want everything tossed at you instantly, try TGIF’s or something.
Staff and owner are all «real people» and this bar makes you realize what a neighborhood bar should be. Final piece of the puzzle is the décor, a mixture of goofy Phillies trinkets, bric-​à-​brac, and real works by some well-​known artists. Not surprising when you realize owner Patty Brett’s background in art history and photography, and also how many artists use Doobies as a home base.

Doobies is my favorite local bar (aka dive bar with a lot of vibe) in our neighborhood in Graduate Hospital. In addition to the cheap drinks, friendly staff, and great board game selection, they have outdoor seating & are thus Dog friendly too ! It doesn’t get much better then this. They usually have fun drink specials, and also offer Quizzo and fundraisers for local charities (: If you’re looking for your go — to place for a brew with friends, and to make new ones in your area, look no further, Doobies is it.

I went to Doobies on a cold, wintry Friday night in February. It was about 8pm, and there were three of us wanting to warm up with a beer. It was NOT busy and we got a table right away under a space heater that was mounted in a window. That part was awesome because it was a bit drafty in the rest of the place. We were brought menus, but after that it was pretty much all downhill. There was a leak in the ceiling and the owner was dealing with that — totally understandable. I then went to the bar to place our order, but was looked at an ignored for some reason. The two bartenders were just chillin. No need to take my order apparently. I stood there for a good five minutes and then sat back down. Still nothing. Finally we ordered beers and they were fine. The draught list was decent, and they had a good bottle selection. The good — it was cheap. The bad– the service. I get it, not a high-​level of service here. But it was like no service, and then veered into bad service territory. We witnessed an argument at the bar between staff and customer about something someone misheard and then tried to pay for about 40 minutes before we left. It was just not good. The thing is, I will go back, because the price sure is right, and so is the location. Thank goodness for good company.

Oh Doobies, the strange land of good draft beer, cat fundraisers, dogs in (on?) the bar, and any board game your heart could desire. I can’t even classify this as a dive bar, though it is in it’s own right, I shall call it a «strange bar.» Very affectionately, mind you.
This is the type of place that I go to usually when I’m already drinking and/​or drunk. It’s not my place to go for a beer and to watch the game. You could try doing that, I guess, but the TV is usually tuned to game shows or the Food Network. That’s cool Doobies.
I agree with one reviewer that some of the servers can get surly. It’s kinda what they’re there for. Just being nasty and bringing you beer. I mean look how many drunk idiots they deal with regularly, right? On the other hand, I have met some of the kindest bartenders here as well, and the owner who is usually present it also very nice and easy to talk to.
I’ve learned a few things at Doobies: You can bring your dog and your child here at prime time on Friday night-​both are allowed to sit at the bar. You can come here alone and wallow sadly in a beer and no one will bother you. You can donate all your monies to cat/​animal fundraisers. And to top it off-​I cannot beat my boyfriend at Connect Four NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY! Damnit!

I have been at this bar over a half of dozen times, it is very nieghhood type place between South and Lombard on 22^nd street. They have a wide range of every beer you can think of and the food is actually very tasty.
The owner is a very nice woman who will help you with anything you need or want and the staff is very nice and never moody.
I would highly recommend this place.. . :)

A lot of Bowie on the juke box, would give 5 stars if I could buy «Life on Mars?». F-​it, I’m giving 5 stars anyways. Great bar. But help me get my Bowie fix? :) please?
Edit: Juke box rotates in an out! Thanks for the tunes!

There was a terribly rude and awful server tonight. I found her in shouting matches with at least two customers tonight and it made the environment very hostile and uncomfortable. I am in no rush to go back.

Wow… I have been wanting to check this place out for years and finally on a random night — me and a friend decided as we were driving from another location — let’s go here — so we did and boy one of our best decisions. Immediately you can tell it is a local spot and we loved that! When we saw the board games — I felt this is MY KINDA PLACE! We struck up a conversation with a few folks sitting at the bar — grabbed «Apples to Apples». It was a fun time.
Now, the draft list is good and they have a full bar too. It was a cool, laid back vibe overall — I wouldn’t call this a dive bar really — more hippy/​bohemian — just good energy.
Flash: Cash Only!
I’ll be back for sure and will definitely recommend.

I had bookmarked Doobie’s a few months back when searching for bars in Philly where I can showcase my Scrabble skills. This past weekend I finally went, but played Scattergories instead:)
My friends and I had been drinking in the rain most of the afternoon at Bloktoberfest and we then sought shelter at Doobie’s after looking for a laid back bar to hang out. I was pleasantly surprised and this is definitely a spot I want to return to many times.
Sometimes I think certain dive bars that have high ratings on Unilocal are an acquired taste, but Doobies definitely earns its 4 star rating. The owner was so nice, made sure we had all the materials to play our board game of choice, and the drinks are CHEAP. Draft list is solid, and I think they were having a fundraiser for cats when I was there? Definitely a plus in my book. The atmosphere is laid back and divey, yet cute and not dirty. Everyone else in the bar was super sweet, no wasted Saturday night bros here!
Like I said I will be back soon and when I return I will be playing Scrabble. Cya soon Doobies.

Discovered Doobie’s accidentally, came here on a visit to Philadelphia. Great owner and staff, awesome draught beers with a lot of variety. I’ll definitely mke this a stop whenever I come to town

Rediscovered this cool place two years ago during Philly Beer Week. I like to think of it as a «bohemian» bar as opposed to dive bar. Laid back atmosphere. Had some really great random conversations w/​total strangers. No pretense here.
Great selection of beers, games, and expect to see a dog or two about. Their city wide special includes a can of Sly Fox — much better than that PBR crap! Always something spectacular on tap! Cool music on the jukebox.
Pati the owner is a huge animal lover & advocate, and all around good soul. I met her this year. Last year I recommended this place to a friend from Australia who I hadn’t seen in 25 years. Probably was the last time I was here! He was staying nearby and I said you gotta check this place out. He loved it and formed an instant friendship w/​Pati.
Only downside is the Gent’s. Really tiny and the smell can be nauseating.

I’ve heard of bars with board games but I always thought they were all myths. Things you only hear of but never see nor run across. Well, I stand corrected!
This place had it all, Yahtzee, operation, monopoly and battleship’s
Grey goose, drafts, Jack Daniels, and Heineken’s!
Tis the end of our visit came to a flop,
When the last bit of belvedere reached its last drop.
We paid our tab and packed up the games,
But not before calling a cab and checking in for fame

Ed C & I went here, dressed alike without even trying (we spend a lot of time together), on Friday night. The service was friendly, but a little slow when we were trying to leave, but otherwise, a great experience. I love a good dive bar…& a good dive bar w/​good food, even better!
First of all, they have board games! We played Candyland (not as fun with just grownups) & Operation (they changed the game & made it easier, significantly less fun). I went to grab Clue, but our vegan nachos (!!!) were ready, so the game playing stopped.
And those vegan nachos… amazing. And so was the veggie burger… might even be one of the best I’ve ever had. I ordered it with cheddar (I think it was Teese), sauteed mushrooms, & sauerkraut! DELISH!
I would go here again… convenient walking distance from my apartment, vegan friendly, good beer selection, & again, GAMES! It would be fun with even more of my friends (Apples to Apples!) & it would be fun on a date too.
FYI, cash only.
P. S. Doggies are welcome!

Long overdue in giving Doobie’s some love as we have drank here a lot, and drank a lot here. It’s easy to do, it’s a comfortable dive. It’s a neighborhood spot; a wood paneled corner bar with friendly bartenders and conversational regulars.
On the latter note, I mean, I once had a lengthy conversation about the career of actress Kate Mulgrew. The randomness of that chat alone just warms the cockles of my wretched heart. I have many examples of that sort of thing here, but as you can tell I just wanted to bring up Kate Mulgrew. Mulgreeeew… OK, and on the very same night, I met a group of French students and so I sneakily played them a small selection of Edith Piaf tunes, because I am a walkin talkin example of cliché choices. «Hey, ya like that don’t ya, French people?!» Oh they did. Got some laughs, what can I tell you… Why am I bringing this hazy memory to your attention? Because they have Edith Piaf on the jukebox. That’s why!
They have a great ol jukebox full of such a great variety of eclectic choices and a lotta lotta David Bowie through the ages. It’s wonderful and I’m a fool for such wonderful jukeboxes, I tell you. Has to be one of the best in Philly. It always seems to keep us there longer than we planned, extra pitchers of beer included.