Dark Horse Pub

Nice place but I must say the people who work there are some what a problem. I was here for a party one night when one of the bartenders brothers had come into the bar and decided to start an argument with one of the ladies who attended the party. He was drunk out of his mind but she was told as well as few others including myself to leave. A huge argument started from there when one of the bouncers had come up to check the problem.
He and myself managed to calm everything down and easily started to get everyone out when all of the sudden the bouncer working the door decided to come upstairs and throw his weight around screaming in everyones face telling everyone «to get the F out of his bar». When I tried to tell him to calm down that we have everything handled and everyone was leaving somewhat happy, he looked me right in the eye and screamed in my face that he didn’t give a $hit and that I better get out of his F – ing bar. I highly doubt he owned the bar but this was a horrible experience and I will never go to this place again.
Your treated like crap even after spending a ton of money and apparently they can throw you out when someone related or knows someone who works there decides to start with the other people

You make it so very hard to love this
Bar…I really really want to. The concept is great. I want to be able to watch football (soccer) at 9am, have a nice authentic Irish breakfast and a morning bloody Mary or vodka and oj… as I sit at your bar writing this, I am told the kitchen MIGHT open at 11ish… You stare at my empty bottle and wait for me to ask for a beer? It’s sitting on the ledge, unless you just began bartending and have never been in a bar a day in your life YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS… I WANT to spend my money, HERE in this economy, WHY DON’T YOU WANT ME TOO? We used to goto tir na nog, but they don’t want me to love then either. Please let me know a good soccer bar with a AWESOME staff who takes pride in their work, are personable and WANT TO TAKE MY MONEY

My go to spot in Society Hill.
I tend to hang out on the first floor. Jim the bartender on the first floor bar is one of the best! A truly genuine and nice guy.
The local patrons that frequent this establishment also make the place special. Lots of great personalities!
Great staples on tap as well as a great whiskey/​bourbon selection!

I love pubs, I really do. Dark Horse Pub could really have been something too, amazing design in the sense that there are winding stairs, and rooms everywhere for everyone to feel private. But here is the thing, its too small. The rooms feel too cramped, and people are just not as connected to each other as it should feel like in a pub.
However, the drink specials are phenomenon which would be the reason I gave it 3 stars instead of 2 or 1.

Sadly, I must update my review:
After returning 2 – 3 times after my initial review and enjoying the chickpea burger each time, my boyfriend and I stopped in at Dark Horse this past Friday for dinner. I ordered the usual and was SOOOO disappointed to find that they no longer make their chickpea burger. They have not updated the menu to indicate any sort of change, but what I got when my plate came out looked and tasted like a frozen veggie burger patty. I asked the bartender if this veggie burger was made in-​house and he didn’t know, but he did acknowledge that it’s not the same patty that they used to make. There were definitely no chickpeas in that patty that I got on Friday. It was bland and depressing.
Gossip from the two people behind the bar is that the head chef was fired (?). I don’t know, but whatever the case may be, they have ruined the only vegetarian dinner item on the menu.
There are other reasons for the decrease in rating, but I’ve ranted long enough. Suffice it to say that I won’t be back for dinner any time soon.
Sadface :-(

I can’t quite decide how to rate this place. Came here to meet some people, and when we came in we were initially impressed. Lots of rooms with different vibes, which was cool. What wasn’t cool was that a lot of the rooms were closed to private parties. And this was on a Saturday. Weird.
Went into the Whiskey Bar and was excited about their scotch selections. Then we received the worst service ever. The bartender disappeared for awhile while we were waiting to order, and when he came back it’s like he didn’t even speak English. I had to explain my order 3 times. When he CAREFULLY poured my scotch into a jigger, my friend drew the line and switched to our beer. And then we got the tab… $ 19 for our drinks. We just laughed at the absurdity compared to what we had paid at similar bars earlier.
If they charged reasonable prices and opened up all the rooms, this place would be 4 or possibly even 5 stars!

We were looking for a place to watch Sunday football that wasn’t packed with fans, and Dark Horse Pub fit the bill. As we passed the empty first floor and walked up the staircase to the second floor we started wondering about this place, but upstairs one bar was open and half-​filled with middle aged singles and couples watching the game on four TVs. This is what we were looking for.
Their draft selection wasn’t very impressive, and the bartender didn’t really make any suggestions. After I settled on a Philadelphia Pale Ale we were left to watch the game without any chatting from the staff, but maybe this is to be expected. This seems like a laid back place that attracts regulars, is what it is, and isn’t necessarily out to impress.
Overall I could see how at night when all the different bars are open this could be a very cool place, and I bet we’ll be back, but just based on the mediocre draft selection we’ll probably keep searching for other places in old city to watch the game.

Dark Horse Pub is the kind of place I’d never pick out to go to on my own. I rolled up on a Saturday night after walking down the disaster that is South Street to see some really drunk bros tripping over themselves on their way out and got nervous. BUT, I’m glad I went because it was a blast!
The bar is old, wooden and cozy. I feel like if my dad had a house in the mountains it would be like the inside of the dark horse. Once you go upstairs there’s a dining room then a bunch of other little rooms with their own bars. Each one had it’s own thing going on. I like having the option to pick my scene. We ended up in the first room on the right– the whiskey room. Small but lots of seating. It never got too crowded. The bartender was pleasant and the wait time for a beer wasn’t bad.
The music selection here was the best– got some metric, dr. dog and the like. I was pleasantly surprised. I was able to hold a conversation with my friend without screaming, aka it wasn’t blaring.
Negatives: not a big beer selection. Get liquor here. Also, I sat at a table near the darts. I was kind of terrified that a dart was going to impale me. Small quarters.
I’d go back if I were in the area and not be afraid to check it out during prime weekend bar hours.

A nice dark, woody pub. Five pubs in one, in fact. I like the one upstairs. Take a right at the top of the stairs, and walk straight back to the back. I’ve drawn you a map.
At Dark Horse you can watch some soccer… or…football, as you may have heard it called. I like the stuff a lot. Not a huge beer list here, but what you’ll find here, and what I tend to enjoy, is a well-​poured Guinness or an icy icy Magners.
I have a particular hankering for this exact snack– An icy icy Magners and a shared plate of curry fries. These fries are dope: Hand cut, perfectly crispy, salty. Then there’s the drizzling of that curry-​like-​gravy, or gravy-​like-​curry, depending on your personal gravy and curry outlooks. My official statement is: They’re gravy-​like curry fries and I dig em. That’s what I do.

I enjoyed this place post-​Yelp event a while back. It was quiz night.
Nothing spectacular, but cozy and crowded. Thankfully, the place is suitably dark for its name. Don’t remember any stand out beers, but a good crowd and fun layout upstairs.
Quiz nights do freak me out a bit, so this is saying a lot.

You guys have got the Dark Horse covered as far as reviews go… so I will just say two words… Curry Fries…
Do it!

I understand that rodents are a part of the food industry. But when I see one AWESOMELY BRAVE mouse scurry out in the dining room not once BUT TWICE after I just ordered food then I will not be coming back for dinner.
Quiet pub for drinks. I would not order food here again.

Upgrade!
Ok, I’ve now been back several times, both for private parties and Monday night quizzo. It looks like I’m becoming a regular.
Monday night quizzo is by far my favorite. The team grabs a table and we do our best to win enough money to cover our tab.
Last night I tried both the grilled portobello salad and the smoked salmon salad. Wow. The grilled portobello salad had figs, gorgonzola, arugula and a freakin fanstastic dressing. The smoked salmon salad, also over arugula was equally as delicious.
Oh and their fries are amazing. I was told you can get a side of yellow curry if you ask nicely.

So I’m walking down the street with my brother on the way to the Dark Horse to meet up with other Unilocalers for our first attempt at quizzo and we run into Rebecca S. Laughing and joking, we open the door of the bar and go in with my loud ass leading the way. As I step through the door, my voice apparently and unbelievably immediately drops to a whisper, which I only discover when both Rebecca and Emmett laugh and whisper back simultaneously, «you’re not in church.» Oh, but I was… it was just a church of drinking… the next week, I laughed for about fifteen minutes when I returned and followed in a boisterous trio of young guys only to hear them, too, unconsciously drop their voices to a whisper the instant they crossed the threshold…
The Dark Horse is a fantastic example of a colonial Philadelphia bar and as you wend your way up and back to the bar where Quizzo is held, you (or at least I) can only be awed by the luscious woods and labyrinthine beauty of the place. Each time I have been there, the downstairs is silent as a tomb regardless of the number of patrons inside. Disappointingly, the dining room and the Whiskey Bar have also been closed and I have been unable to explore to my satisfaction. The Quizzo bar, however, has consistently been hopping and I gotta say it’s a cleverly done and competitive night with a fun and wide range of question types and categories.
Beers are not cheap– face it, you’re still downtown, and lately Yuengling has been pushing their Light Lager so hard that they are making it impossible for the bar to do anything but run light specials (says the bartender who wears the soccer jersey). bleck. $ 4 lagers are a little much for me, but are really just the average price down here, so I can’t really complain. The food was bar food, but good. Solid and fresh chicken fingers, crispy and salty fries (and a lot of them, too). Though I didn’t eat it myself, I watched two people eat the hummus for over an hour, with just about everything anyone ordered at the table as the dipping utensil, as well as forcing the ever-​attentive busboys to leave the plate of hummus there until every last morsel was devoured, so it’s gotta be delicious, right?
I am actually a huge fan of the Dark Horse and, regardless of Unilocal Quizzo, am pretty sure I will be frequenting it whenever I’m in the neighborhood (and yay! I have a cousin at 5^th and south, so it could be pretty often!)…

The upstairs sports bar is an awesome venue to watch soccer. They haul out tons of extra chairs in front of the projection screen and have pretty good beer specials (although Sam Adams Light? Really?) For the most part, the crowd is very enthusiastic and respectful of everyone watching the game. I was a little disappointed in the number of girls who were seated upstairs who were very vocal about their dislike of soccer and questioning the «point of it.» With several other bar areas in the pub, please go elsewhere!

–The Dark Horse, in a nutshell–
First, the Dark Horse is a perfect compliment to Head House square and really has that quintessential pub appeal. The historic building is beautifully presented and on the inside it presents just what you’d hope for, that nice Philly gritty pub feel. They have seating outside when the weather’s nice so that is a big plus. It’s refreshing to enjoy a cold pint of Guinness in the evening before movie night Wednesday at HHS.
When you step inside, you’ll find a Whiskey bar which typically is the calmest of all the bars (excluding the restaurant). It has a very easy going feel with quieter music, a dart board is up, and the mood is light. As you stroll up the stairs, you’ll find a large restaurant to your left and more unexplored territory on your right.
Starting at your left, the restaurant isn’t always open, but it’s nice for families when it is — it is also very large and can hold a good sized party. I had one for 50 people in there once and we still had a lot of space. You could probably put 75 in there. There is a dart board (every room has at least one). For the explorers, there is a secret back room behind the restaurant called the «Pickwick» room that has almost a Colonial dining feel. A long table looks like it could house maybe 15 people. This is a reservation only room.
Moving to your right from the top of the stairs you’ll find the Sports bar first, which is larger, has a big TV and several dart boards. This opens to either private parties or becomes the overflow bar when the main bar is packed. I’d guess this bar comfortably holds 50. Continuing on, the Rigger bar is on your right and more of a close quarters «whole in the wall» kind of nook. It holds about 25 and does have a dart board but really is the quiet kid in the bunch for the upstairs bars.
Finally, the main bar is a hodgepodge of old metallic beer signs, custom art glass, tons of windows, a huge wooden bar and more TVs. The crowd is very tidal here and on some nights there will be a couple folks having a quick pint all the way to nudge room only and rowdy with 150 people. Quizzos are on Monday, they support all the sports teams and are Union partners (This place is insane during world cup!!!). Here is where you may spend most of your time if you’re the pub crawler looking for eats and drinks. Dart board here and you can catch the dart league playing some nights, I don’t recommend challenging them unless you enjoy a beating but I will say they are all very nice and I’ve played them a few times. If they notice you’re a rookie, they will pair up to make everything fair, which is pretty standard from Dark Horse regulars, they’re nice people.
Another secret passage leads out the back of the main bar down to a sort of balcony which overlooks overgrown wasteland from yesteryear. The view isn’t great but this is why it IS great — whenever there are fireworks at Penn’s landing, this is one of the best views in the city! I’ve spent a few 4^th of Julys and new years here and it’s great, you can drink before and right after and there is no waiting at the peer!
So why does Dark Horse get 5 stars from me? Is it because it is my favorite bar ever, no. Is it because I’ve gotten to know all the bartenders and think they’re great, no. How about because the fish and chips is just flat-​out badass, Guinness pints are perfect, half-​priced apps from 5 – 7 every weeknight during happy hour, no. How about that I’ve hosted about 5 events ranging from 30– 100 people and was totally taken care of by the great event planner and owner?
Why I give the DH 5 stars is because this perfect pub blend of renewing happiness brings me back here again and again. Sure, I’ve had nights where people were too loud near me or my food wasn’t A+ but I’ve never had a bad experience that would sour me and I’ve been coming here for almost 10 years. If you too enjoy stopping in and become a regular, you may start seeing the bar as more of a retreat away from home and just have to pit stop whenever you’re close, like me. It’s generally full of a mix of real people and doesn’t cater to any specific crowd, it’s just that cool. Stop by, get a pint and soak in the win.

A girlfriend and I went here for a drink to blow off some steam. The people were nice, and the bars were crowded. Apparently a great deal of soccer was being played. We didn’t get the memo.
At any rate, the bar had a great beer selection, there was good pub food, and we enjoyed ourselves. Even though we were the only two not watching the games, we were welcomed and had a good time. I wouldn’t mind going back for whatever they have on tap the next time I’m in Philly.

Note: This review is for the downstairs bar/​outside seating area.
This is my favorite place to hang out in Old City. And much of the rest of the city.
I first entered the Horse randomly a couple years back after a social dance that was happening a couple doors down in the Society Hill Dance Academy. It was after 11 on a Thursday, and when we got in, it became apparent that everyone I was with, as well as the people inside, were regulars.
I was quickly introduced to the bartender, Jim (whom I call Jimmy). Now, this was a huge thing for me, but Jimmy managed to remember my name on the first try, and he never had to ask for it again. That’s not a huge deal, but you should realize that I’ve experienced 20-​something years of people butchering my name, with me caring less and less each time. This was just the first example of Jimmy’s awesomeness, which correspondingly has turned the Horse into my favorite pub.
Jimmy then proceeded to ask me about what I’m doing in the city. This is when awesome happened. At the time, I was still looking for work in a post-​college depression. Jimmy introduced me to a load of people who were in the bar that were either crazy smart, crazy connected, or just plain crazy helpful. The place is literally filled with some of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. These are people who have climbed mountains, literally and figuratively, and basically spend their lives kicking destiny in the crotch. Repeatedly. They enjoyed my douchebag charm and generally took my aspirations as a writer to heart, and so that’s how I became a regular at the Horse.
Enough with the introductions, though. I’m a regular at the Horse, usually going once a week. I’ll split this up into sections:
Beer:
Standard Irish pub selections with a good deal of bottles for what they may not have on tap. I have a habit of rating Guiness in every pub I go to, because I may be retarded, but the Guiness there is good. You won’t find the wide selection available at a Belgian tavern or a specialty place, but they have everything that I’d ever want. And I love me some good beer.
Spirits:
This is where this place shines. Jimmy makes a drink so strong the ice cubes don’t float. That, my friend, is a MAN drink. Doesn’t matter if you order a Sapphire tonic or a Stoli Cosmo. Jimmy’s version of either will kick your ass. They can make pretty much anything you can think of here. My suggestions are Sapphire tonic, Stoli white russian, Tanqueray Collin’s, or a good old Glenlivet neat.
If you’re feeling adventurous, ask Jimmy to make you a Maker’s Manhattan. And prepare for awesome.
Food:
Surprisingly good. I’ve had pub grub in other places, but whenever I get food here, I feel like the chef actually cares about making something worth ordering for the sake of ordering. You don’t have to be hungry to enjoy the food here. I suggest pretty much anything but the hummus (sorry guys, you can’t be good at everything).
WHATEVER YOU DO, get the fries. I should call them frites because they’re made and served Belgian style, with garlic mayo that you’d be retarded not to try. If you’re with me, Jimmy will give a double portion of garlic mayo. One for me, and one for my friends who aren’t as important or highly regarded. For three bucks a plate, you get a plate that in themselves make it worth coming into the place.
The Jimmy factor:
So much of my experience here relies on Jim that I would have to say his retirement would pretty much mean me losing my favorite pub in the entire city. Jimmy’s not just a bartender — he’s a valuable friend. A valuable friend who always knows what drink you need. And who gives you more garlic mayo than other people.
One last thing — the springtime is extra nice. Drinking outside right off of Headhouse Square is a great reminder that the horrendous Philly winter is over.

Dark Horse is a bunch of little bars within a bar. I love that Edward L. described the layout like that of a tree house, which is such a great analogy for the place. It seems that every time I have plans to hang out there, I arrive solo and have to locate my company. No one ever states which area they will be in, so it’s always a manhunt (not a problem when meeting friends; a tad awkward when meeting a blind date).
I can’t remember the last time I ate anything there (chicken fingers, maybe 2+ years ago?) but the stuff I see on my visits looks like standard pub grub. Also standard is the beer selection. In other words, there will not be a whole lot of deep thinking going on with regards to the menu, but sometimes that’s okay.
The pros are the different bar areas, the dartboards and the numerous flat screens. The cons include the bathrooms, which are always kind of gross and partially out of order, and the music selection, which on a recent night out with Yuri R. and friends, could only be described as 80s hair band-​esque. Really? One or two songs is funny, any more than that is annoying.
One final note, which could fit in either the pro or con category depending on the evening, is that there are always a ton of men in this bar… and they are not at all shy. Take that as you will but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

— overall rating: 3.5
— went for brunch
— recommend: eggs benedict
— pleasant staff, quiet enough, food took a while to get to us
— could stand to have a touch more AC during their summer months