The Plough & the Stars
Old City's grown-up Irish pub — the sit-down alternative on St Paddy's.
The Plough & the Stars — named for the Sean O'Casey play — occupies a soaring former bank building on Chestnut Street. Marble columns, high ceilings, exposed brick. It looks less like an Irish pub and more like a gastropub, which is exactly what it is.
The food goes well beyond the standard corned beef: shepherd's pie made with braised lamb, house-cured salmon, a genuinely good burger. The Guinness pour is one of the best in Philadelphia.
This is where you go on St Patrick's Day if you actually want to sit down and eat a proper meal between pints. Reservations recommended for the holiday.
Book a table for a proper sit-down parade day dinner. Order the shepherd's pie and a Guinness. Head to Lucy's in Rittenhouse for the late-night crawl.
Philadelphia's longest-running St Patrick's Day bar crawl. 30+ bars, free cover, free t-shirts.