Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar

Ray’s is a quirky, old school, south Philly bar. Very charming in its own way. There’s a mediocre draft selection but a decent bottle selection and a fun, local crowd. I would really like it if not for the smoke filled air and ashes everywhere. I was there to see my boyfriend’s band and it was hard to make it through the night. I had to go outside for oxygen breaks. You will reek when you leave Ray’s. If you are a smoker you won’t notice or care. Anyone else is going to have some laundry to do. We immediately stripped and threw everything we had on in the washer. I’m glad it wasn’t cold enough to need my winter coat because I would have had to get it dry cleaned. Oh, and my purse stinks now. I guess it’s only fair that the smokers have one place where they can still puff away, but it would be nice to see Ray’s and the last few smokers left in the city get with the times. Quitting smoking is hard but it’s easier than telling your family you have cancer. In conclusion, smoke em if you got em at Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar. Anyone who doesn’t got em should pick a different bar.

If it weren’t for the smell that would fill our homes, the bloated jack-​o-​lantern of a bartender would be strung up in the center of town. He is the most putrid, joyless, unlikeable humanoid ever allowed to coexist with man. I’ve walked out of this bar without buying a drink more times than not due to the effortless shit-​talk that rides on this savage’s shit-​breath. There’s a reason why they only have this guy working on Tuesday nights, and that’s because everyone is at 12 Steps doing karaōke and actually enjoying themselves.

Yes, this is a smoking bar. I’m a non smoker and it gives me a bad headache if I don’t take anything. BUT considering there aren’t many smoking bars, I’ll survive. The karaōke is fun. It’s karaōke, it’s supposed to be fun. The crowd seemed to consist of locals and pretty chill people, no qualms there.
They got a good selection of beers. They got Guinness so I’m not complaining.
I AM going to be honest though, the only thing that makes this place a 4 ½ star bar, is the signed picture of Danny Cedrone, by one of his daughters. That’s mad respect right there. Danny Cedrone was a THE ORIGINAL Rock n Roll guitar badass. He kicked off the whole Rock n Roll guitar hero thing with the solo from Rock Around the Clock. He died before it came out and not a lot of people know him, but HE pretty much started it all. Chuck Berry wasn’t good enough to carry this guys guitar cable, and I’m willing to bet all those hotshots in Memphis started taking notes REAL fast. A lot of those early R&R singles really aped his work. He deserves monumental respect and this bar gives him some, so they’re okay by me.

Thick smoke. A bunch of cool guys in there. Too cool, it turns out.
It was pretty packed. There wasn’t much of a variety of beer. Bartenders seemed like they hated life.
There wasn’t a band or anything, I’d check it out again if there was something going on, but otherwise I don’t see the appeal.

I wanted to get a drink with my boy toy, so we saw rays, walked in and had a great experience. The bartender said his name was Matt and oh boy what a hunk. This guy was slinging drinks like Clint Eastwood slings western movies.
Great experience.
Great drinks.
Good hunks!

A great, unpretentious dive with cheap prices, a good atmosphere, and dedicated regulars. I love knocking back City Specials on Sunday afternoons here. As long as you don’t mind the smoking, this should be one of your absolute dive bar priorities in Philly.

Bring a bottle of Febreeze as you will need to spray yourself down when you leave. While we know it was a smoking establishment when we arrived, I was not prepared for the overwhelming smell of smoke. Now, I can handle a cigarette or two but this was over the top!
This place is obviously a favorite of the locals (which I prefer to hang at when traveling) and the saving grace was that the bartender made a pretty good Bloody Mary. So if go if you dare but be prepared…

Best bar in philly!
Lou and rose are the best hosts and their concerts and comedy specials are great!
Good old south Philadelphian feel and authentic culture… Definitely a can’t miss bar for any bar hoppers!

Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar… at best it is «A-​OK». It’s not the best bar around, and it certainly isn’t a bar I would pick for a good night out. None the less I’ve been here a few times to grab drinks with friends.
The main lure is the lack of «no– smoking» signs. Since they don’t serve food, patrons are allowed to light up– cigarettes, cigars, vapes, whatever you can puff. Personally — I find this to be a put off. Your lungs, eyes, clothes, hair, and anything you touch after leaving Ray’s will be filled with stale smoke. Good luck getting that smell out.
Aside from the smoking the bar is okay– it’s your typical hipster dive bar. Unless you’re a regular, the bartenders don’t really have an interested in being nice to you.
Additionally some of their specials are «cash only” — there is a ATM with a $ 3 fee located in the bar. If you decided to celebrate your birthday here– you’ll get a free birthday cake flavored shot.
There is a long bar and a few tables when you first enter. The back room has more tables and is set up for Karaōke.
If you’ve got smokers in your group, this will be their short list of «cool» Philly bars– but if you aren’t interested in sucking down second hand smoke all night– skip Rays.

OoOoOh yea there are definitely some nights when Ray’s is smokey. And there are other nights when Ray’s is ridiculously smokey. I went again last night and got the same type of crowd. Good people looking to have a good time, and obviously geared more to the hipster lifestyle. It just seemed like a lot more people were smoking A LOT more cigarettes last night. Maybe it was the stress of the holiday season. Either way, I woke up to a full day’s worth of laundry. My clothes, my girlfriend’s clothes, my sheets and blankets. I also made the mistake of hanging up my coat and contaminating all of my roommates’ coats. My credit cards and my cash even smelled like cigarette smoke (?!)
But hey, it wasn’t like I didn’t expect it. Still had a great time. Still keeping that 3-​star rating.

The bartender was friendly enough, and the beer was cold. But I was choked by the second hand smoke. It’s pretty brutal.
I guess if you’re a local who happens to smoke this is a cool, laid back spot. For me, I’ll steer clear.
One more note-Ray’s is home to the smallest bathroom I’ve ever seen. So small, in fact, that you have to ask the bartender for a paper towel to dry your hands. Presumably, because there’s no ROOM FOR PAPER TOWELS?!

I went here with my fiancé since we were in the area for the night. Never again… or atleast when this Hipster douchenozzle isn’t working.
We walk in and don’t even get greeted. He gave me grief about about my ID. Yes, I know I look young and I have dupes because I’m forgetful & careless sometimes. –_​– I can assure you I graduated high school almost 5 years ago, though. We have one beer and I still continue to notice he really doesn’t even check on patrons. He just seems like an unpleasant dude in general.
So we go to order our 2^nd round… and he decides he’s second guessing himself and makes us leave. Even though I said I had other proof from the get-​go. You just lost business anytime time you’re on-​call, Buster Brown.
Two stars for the overall atmosphere (indoor smoking is a plus) and their $ 4 Citywide (beer and a shot of Windsor).

It really depends what bartender you have that makes the experience either pleasant or infuriating. We came in on a Sunday night for an Eagles game and got lucky with a great bartender who was kind and actually seemed like our very existence wasn’t irritating him. We got some drinks, found a table, and actually enjoyed our time there for the first time in awhile. The mean bartender is a super tall guy with a medium build and always seems pissed to see any new face, so keep your eyes out for him.

If you like dive bars that sell 40s and let you smoke you will love this place. I unfortunately was on driving duty so I did not drink, but did like their low low prices. I don’t smoke, but its nice to know if I’m in the area and feel like smoking and a 40 I now know where to go.

Dive bar!!!
You first get hit by the cigarette smoke as you open the doors. Which surprised me because I thought that was all done in the city, but they must have been grandfathered in.
This is a cool stop to say you’ve been there and talk to some patrons they all have some sort of crazy story. The bartender was a fill in the day I was there and he did a great job. He told me that the bar has been there since 1938. Not sure if that’s right, but in any case it is pretty cool to be sitting in an old establishment.
I will return.

This place is bizarre to say the least. Where in the United States do you find a bar that has not only a cigarette vending machine but you can also smoke inside??? Like what? It felt like we went in a time machine back to the 90s. They also have a jukebox that led to me and all of my friends (or maybe it was just me) belting out that Billy Joel song «and we will all go down together!»
It’s the definition of dive bar. Apparently they give a free drink on your birthday however when we went out for my birthday it was not my actual birthday (it was two days before) and they would not give me my free drink. This would not have tainted the experience except for the fact that the bartender was a total butthead about it.
I do recommend trying this place at least once especially for your free birthday drink (again, only on your actual birthday) however I was so drunk mad that I probably won’t go back until my birthday next year just to get my free drink then peace out.

I’m mixed on this place.
They’ve got cheap drinks and a cigarette vending machine, which is cool. You can smoke inside, too, which can’t possibly be legal, but I’m not one to question. The atmosphere is strange and I kinda like that.
But the crowd is strange, too, and I didn’t love the attitude of the bartenders. It was 2 days after my girlfriend’s birthday and they wouldn’t give her a birthday shot. It’s the effing «birthday bar» and a serious dive … you’re really going to get all high and mighty about the exact day? C’mon, dude…

Oh man, I guess I’m one of those folks who just goes in for the birthday shot and leaves. That was totally not the intention of my group last Friday night though. We were out for my friend’s birthday and wanted to sing karaōke so Ray’s seemed like the perfect choice.
It wasn’t too crowded by the bar so we decided to start off with shots before moving into the back room for karaōke. Unfortunately we could barely fit through the doorway of the room, let alone find a good spot to hang out. There was no point of sticking around the smoke filled bar to not sing karaōke, or even watch others perform, so we bailed.
As a nonsmoker who is sensitive to smoke, I couldn’t see myself going back for more than a shot. I guess those other smoke free bars have just spoiled me senseless.

The best part about this place is going here for a free shot on your (or a friend’s) birthday. The bartenders serve up a mean flaming shot of birthday cake, and it can be a really fun experience as a stop on a birthday bar crawl.
I don’t think I’d ever come here for any other reason than a birthday. The place is old, musty, and very smoky. I can’t stand being in a place where my eyes are watering, I’m gagging, and I leave smelling like an ash tray.
I don’t have any comments on the other food/​drinks here because I’ve never stayed long enough to order much but a shot or can of beer.

DON’T:
go with a large group of people
dance in the bar
talk back to the bartender
be offended by smoke
play rap music on the jukebox
DO:
have a decent amount of cash in pocket
bring a pack of cigarettes
wear clothes you’re okay having smell like smoke
order ‘specials’
tip & talk to the bartenders