No money, no problem. This isn’t Delaware Avenue and this isn’t Old City. This isn’t high society. This is low-down, brown-walled, dirty-floored kind of fun. This is where you want to be, but we’re not sure we want to tell you about it. This is Bob and Barbara’s.
Pabst Blue Ribbon memorabilia is everywhere. Bob or Barbara must have a serious obsession with Pabst. There are posters, magazine clips, and old advertisements, moving Pabst lamps, planes made out of Pabst cans, letters from Pabst and bartenders fitted in Pabst gear.
Bob and Barbara’s is famous for its special. One can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, one shot of Jim Beam whiskey, $3 – anytime. The special is why you are reading about it in The Temple News; as hard as it is spreading the word, we know how it is to be strapped for cash.
The appeal doesn’t end with cheap drinks. Bob and Barbara’s will entertain on any night. Tuesday is ping-pong night – serious ping-pong. Wednesday is a double shot, customer appreciation and game night. Thursday (our favorite night) features Philly’s drag queens. Friday, Saturday and Monday go and see our city’s most entertaining jazz triplet, Nate Wiley and the Crowd Pleasers.
Eat before you get there, you don’t want to eat a hot dog cooked in Pabst – trust me. Wear your comfy Hush Puppies, you might be standing a while and if you’re planning on dancing, comfort should be your highest priority anyway. If you’re looking to impress or be impressed – this probably isn’t the place for you.
Sorry if that sounded like a disclaimer – but aren’t you tired of the same old scene? Can you truly stomach night after night of paying $10 cover charges to places that just don’t return the favor? Paying a cover should result in great music, easy access to refreshments and at very least a righteous time. You don’t deserve to have old, sweaty cheese-ball types rubbing up against you all night, especially after you spent hours getting ready just so the bouncer will let you into that Delaware Avenue spot.
Skip the cab fare to Old City – jump on the Orange Line, head down Broad Street to the Lombard-South stop and you’re almost there. There is no cover charge, plenty of cheap drinks and an old-fashioned good time at Bob and Barbara’s.
Located at 1509 South St. – there are plenty of ‘plan B’s’ around. For good live music head right across the street to Tritone, and for the famous South Street, head seven or eight blocks down – where you can party with the tourists.
Famous among drag queens and Philadelphia’s gay community, Bob and Barbara’s also caters to hipsters, teachers, students, executives and bums. Everyone is welcome at this bar, so don’t be nervous – it’s just not that kind of place.
Joe Baker can be reached at jbaker76@temple.edu.
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