Stir

We recently erroneously arrived to an event almost an hour early (thanks Brian T), and we needed to find a place for a cocktail. We were in Rittenhouse but I did not want to sit at some fancy shmancy bar. Unilocal steered us to this place although I didn’t expect to walk down some weird side street to get there.
It is a very small bar but we loved it! Drinks were stiff, yet well made. I am pretty sure I was a little tipsy off of my one drink. My husband and I were laughing a lot at the artsy gay programming and we were having a good time. We didn’t stay long but consider a must stop when in the neighborhood next time.

I would give it 0 stars if i could. Rude staff and if you ask for the owner, you get a drunk man posing as owner. All men and what they say goes. Do not advise and better off going to a straight bar where respect is given.

It was completely empty on Wednesday and there were more women than men. I asked a bar girl to mix me a cocktail on whiskey of her choice and she made me a f. cking jack and ginger ale.

It’s not overcrowded, it’s not overpriced, it’s not too loud, the drinks are good, the employees are great, and the customers are usually a decent mix. I just realized that what I’m basically saying is: It’s the exact opposite of Woody’s – and you can’t ask for much more than that!

This is a small, cozy gay bar in a small space off Rittenhouse that is a great place to go with 1 – 2 friends, especially if you want to talk and hear each other. The drinks are strong, the bartenders are nice and friendly, the music isn’t too loud, and it’s the kind of place where people jump into conversations and chat with each other. There is usually good mix of gay dudes and lesbians here, but there are other times when it is really quiet, and there is not a lot of scene there. I have seen it get a little crazy on Thursday night for Dollar Drink night, which brings out a mix of LGBT students. I like that this place has a storied past. The bar has been a gay bar since 1976, and while it was once a leather bar tucked down this little alley. These days it’s more of an inclusive place, but still hidden away, beloved, friendly and low-​key. I’ve seen people order takeout and have it delivered here, and I’ve seen impromptu birthdays and celebrations. I like that it is a women-​owned establishment, and my suspicion is that is one of the reasons why they’ve done such a great job of hiring friendly bartenders from the community.

After reading all the reviews on Will, I decided to give Stir a shot. The drinks he made are definitely worth more than $ 2 — with the concoction consisting of ¾ liquor and ¼ juice. However, at the end of the night, he started denying my orders. For everyone’s information, I only purchased two drinks and I was not even tipsy… The last straw was when he denied me for water… Which bartender denies someone for water? This is truly absurd!

Don’t go there on a Tuesday night. The bartender just won’t give you water. It’s unethical to be cut off from water at a bar.

This is a really cool bar in a smaller, closed off street. When my friend and I walked here, we thought we were coming through the back entrance. It’s a very small space with two small rooms. We came here a bit early, so the second room which is a dance floor, was pretty empty. Paid $ 10 for a well. Would really like to see this place when people are packing in, but it had a really nice casual feel before 9pm.

Always good — always friendly staff — always clean — always a good experience!

If you haven’t been in to see Will (Tues, Thurs, Sun) you’re missing out. Fair on the drinks — unfair on the flirt. ;-)

I am in the business and was excited to go out and catch up with an old friend tonight. We had an amazing dinner at Devon and had heard that Stir was a great time. To be honest, it turned out to be nothing of the sort. My friend asked for a rum and diet and the bartender asked her what kind of rum. She said house was fine. While I understand that this is a very common question, if you don’t suggest a more expensive liquor, why ask, ‘if I’m sure I want that,’ when I confirm that the well is ok. Despite the bartender’s pompous attitude, I understand everyone has a bad day so I still left him quite a gracious tip for the two drinks he poured. However, the real surprise came when he asked us to quiet down while we were catching up! He said the ONLY OTHER GUEST there was complaining. This is a bar, with extremely loud music. We were there around 10:30pm. There were no families, or any reason we could see, that we would be told to quiet down in a bar with music blaring. We finished our drinks quickly and left after that. Needless to say I will not be returning to Stir, especially not on a Tuesday night when the bartender yells at us for being to loud and I receive disdain for my guests drink choices. I’ll spend my hard earned money somewhere we are welcome!

It’s a relief to have a gay bar in Center City away from the Gayborhood. I go on Wednesdays for the a free, friendly poker game. The bartenders Anthony and Amanda are great, friendly, and always know what you want. They do have to put up with a lot of sh*t and despite that are the life of the party. They also just put in a juke box! Party time!

Awesome little hole in the wall place. Went with my girlfriend when we were just exploring the city. We walked in and the place was full of guys but it wasn’t awkward at all. The entrance may seem a little sketchy but once you step foot the large bar and lounge in the back make it all worthwhile.
Happy hour is Mon-​Fri from 5 – 7. And yes the drinks are strong! We will definitely be back in the next time we’re around.

Stir is, by far, my favorite gay/​mixed (i.e., everyone is welcome) bar in the city – and that includes the Gayborhood. The GH only wishes they had a place like Stir «for the rest of us.» You know, those of us who just want to chill, have a drink, make plans with some friends to meet there, or make new friends you might meet there in the future. The staff has always been super nice and friendly, as are the other patrons, for that matter. I like that it feels like it’s kind of a secret & hasn’t yet been discovered by the masses. (You guys are more than welcome to stay on your side of Broad.)
It’s also in a perfect location, obviously, for Rittenhouse residents; however, quite surprisingly, the attitude is minimal (just try finding that at Rogue, less than a block away). Stir isn’t too loud, and there’s no need to give yourself a sore throat in order to be heard by the person (s) sitting next to you.
Overall, a really nice place.

Stir is a hidden gem. It’s tucked down an alley, so when you approach you can pretend that you’re a spy heading to a clandestine meeting with another secret agent, or sneaking into a top secret fortress.
It really is just set up so well! There’s a rectangular bar in the middle, around which is plenty of seating and ample space to move behind people even when they’re seated without smacking them in the back of the head with your purse, which is pretty important. It’s dark so it feels intimate and mysterious, but welcoming at the same time. Then there’s another bar in the back that is sometimes open, and a dance floor area.
The drinks are strong, the people are friendly, and I highly recommend it!

Neat dive-​y gay bar down an alley in Rittenhouse. We went on a Wednesday, so it wasn’t crowded and we were served right away. The bartender was super nice and attentive, and the crowd was friendly and chill (and not pretentious, which can be an issue in Rittenhouse) — definite pluses.
They have a back room with a dance floor, but nothing was going on there since it was a weeknight. It looks like it’d be great on a weekend, though.

This great little bar was located literally right around the corner from the hotel that we stayed in. We started off here just for a few drinks.
Immediately walking in, you see the round seated bar and a quiet room in the back which we didn’t explore. We sat down and were promptly greeted by the bartender. The bartender was super nice and welcoming.
There are 2 flat screen televisions, one on each side featuring contemporary music videos.
Between the 4 of us, we ordered a house special cocktail, vodka and cranberry, gin and tonic and a beer. The cocktails were no joke. They ran about $ 7 – 12 but were basically all liquor. They were super strong. This bartender rocked. I wish we had gotten his name, but he was super nice and just really accommodating. That’s hard to find in most bars really. They are usually overwhelmed and a pain to get attention from.
We stayed for a bit, but only had one cocktail before heading on to our other spots. We made a couple new local friends at the bar and really enjoyed being here. The vibe is nice and the bar is laid back.

If you want the best Cosmo in the city come visit Angela and have her make you one !!! My friends and I frequent here and it is always a good time :)

We were in Philly for the weekend and I added this lounge to my list of places to check out, so glad we did! We went on a Saturday and it was pretty quiet, most likely because it was the weekend before Halloween and we saw a lot of people dresses up, most likely heading to parties. I appreciated the list of fall drinks and tried the apple martini, after some convincing from the very nice bartender, the drink was quite good and also quite strong. We snagged a little corner area and cozied up with our drinks, enjoyed the music and conversation.
I enjoyed visiting this bar and if I lived in Philly I’d probably be a regular.

James Bond may prefer his cocktails shaken, but he’s never been to Stir.
Stir is such a cool little bar that it might even make a convert out of 007 himself.
Located on a dark alleyway off of Rittenhouse Square, Stir is really two bars in one. In front is a darker, more rustic bar with lots of brick and TVs playing entertaining music videos. In back is a light and bright bar, with colorful walls and more of a party vibe. Are you a schizophrenic drinker? Then Stir is the right bar for you.
The drinks here are fine, though they don’t pack the wallop that they do at Woody’s or Tavern on Camac. My gin and soda was mostly soda. But this is Rittenhouse Square, after all — and everybody is on their best behavior on the west side of Broad St. (Pinkies up!)
The crowd mostly consists of locals who are very serious drinkers. Not a whole lot of mingling seems to happen at Stir. On the nights that I visited, Stir was jam-​packed with people, yet it was strangely quiet in there. I guess the boys of Stir don’t want anybody getting in between them, their cocktails, and their iPhones.
While the quiet may be off-​putting to some, Stir might be the right place for you if you’re looking to catch up with a friend with minimum chaos in the background.
I suppose the ambiance just adds to the mystery.
(I’m sure 007 would approve.)