The Olde Bar

All old favorite of ours for happy hour. Always get the oysters and swoon. Delicious cocktails served in beautiful environs. Incredibly friendly and attentive staff. We’ve been going for years and it has stayed amazingly consistent. Highly recommended.

Old school revolutionary charm meets modern day brunch and brews… definitely a winner!

In town on business and stopped in after a morning of touring some of the nearby monuments and historical markers. I loved the concept of an “olde bar” renovated to serve seafood and mimosas.

Good news, the bar looked the part! Classy and classic, full of fun decor with the puffed red chairs and bar stools, framed by wooden shelves and shelves, with subtle Americana art all over. It was a great setting.

As far as service goes, it was excellent. Food was a little tougher to actually get ahold of since most of the seafood on the menu was out by lunch time on a Sunday. That was a little less great. But I was able to order a delicious lobster bisque which turned out to be a perfect light bite.

So I’d come back. Hopefully on a day with more menu options!

Pro move - make a reservation. This was a realllly busy spot and I just got lucky finding a open stool at the bar.

What a great experience. Me and two friends rolled in for a Sunday drink and snacks and came away very satisfied. Service was good, cocktails exceptional, and the seafood tower was delicious. Really loved the combination of east and west coast oysters alongside briny clams. Definitely will be back!

Went there for Happy Hour. They are generous with their pours of beer. Food was quite delicious. Recommend the shrimp fries (savoury gravy was amazing), buffalo cauliflower (pickled celery was divine) and oysters (2 bux a shuck during Happy Hour). Server with the full-sleeve tatoo and long hair (sorry, did not catch his name) was friendly. Good start to the new year!

Chris was magician with my cocktail I couldn’t believe how good it was he’s got the magic touch… Steve was speedy on service delivered a 5 star experience would come back any day of the week just to see these gem! Just wow how great is this dynamic duo

I selected this restaurant based on it’s Restaurant Week menu and it did not disappoint.

It’s the formerly known Bookbinders restaurant so it took me a second to realize I was in the right place.

Upon entering the restaurant I was welcomed with a hello and a smile and thanks to the note included in my Open Table restaurant, the hostess said Happy Birthday! I wasn’t the birthday lady but I’m happy that the message came through.

I was quickly seated to a table as I waited for my sister who was celebrating her 50th birthday to arrive.

Our waitress was nice and pleasant so no complaints. The food was delicious from the appetizer to the entree to the dessert.

The portions of the food were just right but the size of my $16 cocktail threw me off. It was a small glass that I had never seen in a restaurant before but the cosmo was delicious nonetheless. Next time I will stick to water.

A manager or supervisor came to the table to check on us and to say happy birthday. We absolutely appreciated that extra touch.

Overall I was very pleased with the service, food, ambiance, and prices.

I will return.

Amazing experience, atmosphere, and the food was delicious. I’m in town for work and found this wonderful place. I ordered the east coast oysters and tamarind lobster and I can’t recommend enough! They accommodated my dairy, gluten and egg allergies. I also don’t drink and the bar tender, Steve made me an incredible mocktail! Highly recommend.

Best Happy Hour I know of! I live 2 hours away and I wish I lived closer I would eat here all the time. The manager was super accommodating and sat us down at an available table even though the high top we booked was still being used.
we got 3 drinks, 3 dozen oysters, lobster croquettes, buffalo cauliflower, crab fingers, and smoked salmon spread with sour dough. Everything was delicious and our bill came out to $88. what a steal.

We had a delicious dinner here! Drinks and food came out slower than anticipated but overall we were satisfied. Absolutely get the crab fingers, we didn't order them, but they were given to us as courtesy when our food came out slow and WOW did they more than make up for it! All in all we were very satisfied with our meal.

Took mom and dad to Bookbinder's in Philly. They made it a part of road trip to celebrate their life. Their both 80+ years old. The food was exceptional and the service by Margaux was fantastic. Leah, was awesome too. The dessert was so very delicious. Everything came together for a perfect evening.

Had a great visit start to finish. Evan waited on our table of two and was attentive, funny, personable, and knowledgeable of the menu. The food was really really good. I had the stuffed lobster and babe had the pot pie; both were good. The bartender was amazing! I didn’t get his name but he we were able to watch him work from our seats which was really entertaining. I had the fish bowl drink (rum) and it was great. I would definitely recommend.

Update: went back twice this week to celebrate our anniversary and not much has changed. We did much of the happy hour menu today and liked everything except the tuna tartare which was surprising. It’s more of a texture preference than a taste issue. Ribbon, Rae, and the new staff Kaitlin (I think that was her name) were all super friendly, welcoming, and pleasant. Several managers visited us to check in while we dined and even gave complimentary champagne flutes to celebrate our day. Olde Bar continues to be one of our favorites.

If you are near the waterfront this is a great place for lunch whether you are eating solo, as a couple or a group. There is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Our server was amazing and super attentive. I ordered the lobster roll and it was delicious! My friend had the crab cake and she raved about that also. I will definitely come back!

Our server was knowledgeable and polite. A real pleasure. The food was excellent!!! By sheer luck we had made a reservations at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday not realizing happy hour ran 7 days a week. Which meant appetizers are 1/3 of the cost. We wound up ordering every appetizer and the oysters we ate were unbelievable. The variety of dipping sauces they served with them were excellent. We enjoyed them so much we had three orders. Especially afterwards.😉 It has now became our regular restaurant!!!

Customer service was great! Oysters were fresh and flavourful. I ordered both east coast/ west coast. My hubs steak/eggs and fries were super delish!! Can't wait to come back for Happy Hour.

I was pleasantly surprised by the lively atmosphere and excellent service. But the food is what really "wowed" me. We started with cocktails and two starters to share. The salad was good but the Buffalo Cauliflower bites were remarkable! In fact they were so good, I forgot to take a photo. The order size was generous and it came out hot. Piping hot.
We were so full after the starters, we just ordered desert and another cocktail.
Already looking forward to the next visit!

This place was recommended by staff from Independence Park Hotel as a great place for seafood. We had crab fingers, warm lobster salad, steak fries, and pork chops. Delicious with perfectly sized portions.

Great food and service. Warm atmosphere inside. The bar fries were fresh, hot, and delicious. With a creamy sauce, and sweet lump crab meat. The lobster roll was buttery and full of mayo flavor, with tons of fresh lobster. It was beautifully topped with a claw. And the chocolate caramel cake was decadent, melting in your mouth, so creamy and delicious. We couldn't finish it after everything else we ate.

I dined on 3/21/21 to try their daily (7 days a week) happy hour from 4-6pm. It was awesome. The $1 oysters, olde fries and crab fingers were delicious! However next time, I’m going to pass on $5 shrimp or lobster nugget sandwichy but to each their own. If you’re in old city I def recommend booking a res to avoid a waiting in line.

Great place! Very good quality oysters during happy hour and good drinks. Our servers were great and we were well taken care of. I loved the dining space and the bar looked lively. For food, the fries and crab fingers are a must besides oysters. I can't wait to come back and check out the brunch menu as well.

Loved it! Great atmosphere. Great menu choices. I went during Philadelphia’s Restaurant Week, but was enticed by the menu choices to order from their regular menu because it look so awesome.