Dive bar report: Locust Bar
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
We like to call it Pint Sighs.
Caroline Russock
LOCUST BAR | 235 S. 10th St., 215-925-2191
Smoking: Yes Jukebox/Entertainment: TouchTunes, video poker and a Golden Tee machine Bathrooms: Squeaky clean with a no-touch faucet Head Count/Tab: Four people, $62 before tip: Two pitchers of Kenzinger, four Jägermeisters, four B-52s.
Walking into Locust Bar on a late December Sunday afternoon, I spotted plenty of holiday cheer. The well-worn, wood-panelled bar was decked out in sparkly Christmas regalia, but what really struck me was a poinsettia plant perched atop a booth that had dropped all but one of its red petals.
Locust Bar is something of a Center City anomaly, a place where well-used ashtrays and cheap beer prevail in a part of town where craft beer and carefully composed cocktails are the norm. When I placed my initial drink order for two Kenzingers, the pleather-clad, feather-haired bartender was quick to tell me that I should just get a pitcher — it’s a better deal. A mini pitcher and two frosted mugs in hand, I settled back into a booth and my date broke out his recently downloaded TouchTunes app to cue up Toto’s “Africa” on the jukebox.
Post Jäger shots and halfway through our second pitcher, we noticed karaoke equipment being assembled near the back door. The MC, an older gentleman wearing an Eagles jersey, got the night started with a heartbreaking rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire.” Because layered shots are always a good idea, my date headed to the bar and ordered a round of B-52s for the table. “You’re high maintenance!” the bartender told him while breaking out martini glasses, the Baileys, Kahlúa and triple sec.
After downing the B-52s, the rest of the evening was a mesmerizing blur of karaoke watching. A regular with a Samuel L. Jackson fashion sensibility and a predilection for Billy Joel was among the highlights.
