The Barbary

I had a few drinks and danced my a** off on both dance floors!
Great vibes and surprisingly diverse crowd that night for a place known for hipsters
The floor on top had some funky music and met some really cool people
Cant wait to burn that floor again

Best bar: club in fishtown!!! Consistently throw great parties every week. The DJs and bands that play here are all very talented. Staff is super friendly and drink prices are affordable.

I. LOVE. THE. BARBARY!
Absolutely no frills about this bar, just a big, sweaty, beautiful dance party. There’s a different themed party every night of the week, and there’s definitely something for everyone. My favorites are the Tiger Beats (indie dance party) on Monday nights and the recurring Emo Nights.
I’ve brought countless friends to the Barbary during visits to Philadelphia and they all ask to go back the next time they’re in town. It’s one of my «must see» spots in the city!

Everything an emo man-​child could ask for. Went for their recurring emo night, and it was heaven-​sent. Seriously, tell all your friends, it’s where you want to be, even if your heart is in Ohio. I will be going back until the day I die, because this place is my only one. I was always such a sucker for that. I’ve got a twenty dollar bill, which is good enough for almost unlimited pbr at a dime a dozen. $ 3 cover. I’d walk across the United states, all alone, so I could see my breath. Up the stairs is the station where the act becomes the art of growing up. I came out swinging from a south Philly basement, caked in stale beer and sweat under half-​lit fluorescents. And though you swear that you are true, I’d still pick my Barbary over you. Die young and save yourselves, folks.

Happy New Years! Last night was the second time that my friends and I have spent our new years at the Barbary (2014 and 2016). We’ve also been there for at least 12 Saturdays over the last three years, but I might have blacked out a few others. The Barbary is THE spot to end a Fishtown barhop, after becoming so drunk that someone suggests, «Let’s go dancing at the Barbary!» The doors open at 10pm, but it’s usually dead until about midnight.
The Barbary is located in a spot that screams, «Finish the night here.» If Fishtown was a video game, it is the final level that is physically located at the end any Fishtown bar crawl route. The bouncers have always been pleasant, one asks for your ID and the other asks for the cover. Other reviewers have stated that the amount of the cover depends on your group, so since our covers are mostly $ 10, I assume we’re a mix between the beasts and beautiful people! We’ve also had several nights with $ 5 covers for the group, but both New Year’s Eve nights have been $ 20 — which isn’t awful considering the competition on that night.
Now when you walk through the doors of the Barbary, you’re welcomed to darkness, dancing, and sick beats. The ambiance of the venue is that of an abandoned warehouse, which separates it from the vibes of other dance halls. There’s a coat check downstairs, which cost me $ 2 the one time I used it; now I know to never bring a coat to the Barbary — leave it in someone’s car. Which brings me to another thing about the Barbary — it gets HOT inside; with the dancing and the crowds it could be another polar vortex outside and you’d be sweating in boxers and a T-​Shirt.
The Barbary has three unique dancefloors, although I have only seen the third dancefloor opened one time, which had a reggae DJ and the smell of the dankest weed in the air (not kidding). The other two dancefloors usually have completely different music from each other. The first floor has been 50s night, 80s night, and a few techno /​trance mixes. The second floor has been Top-​40 hits and more techno /​trance mixes. Everyone is dancing, and only 50% of the people actually know what they’re doing. If you brought a dance partner, you’re golden. if you don’t, just move back and forth and pretend like you’re part of that 50%.
Drinks are cheap here, but they used to be even cheaper. You can get a PBR for $ 3 or class it up with a $ 4 High Life. A year ago, this used to be a $ 2 PBR and a $ 3 High Life, but I guess having a new venue right across the street makes you raise prices? (It should actually do the opposite). You can also get the Philly special for $ 5, which is a PBR and a shot of bottom shelf whisky. It’s the cheapest way to get shitfaced quickly in most bars across Philly! This should go without saying, but there isn’t a food menu at the Barbary — they’re not trying to give their patrons more ammo to puke up. There are tables upstairs for your friends to sit at to take a break or to maybe talk to some new people. Also, the Barbary is cash only, so hit up an ATM beforehand or use the downstairs one with the massive fee.
The bathrooms are usually a shit show, at least for guys. The lucky ones will get the stall, while the two unlucky guys will go asscheek to asscheeck while pissing in the neighborly urinals. The downstairs bathroom has one stall and a urinal designed by Andre the Giant that is so high up that anyone under 5’9 will have to stand on their tippie toes just to pee. I’ve ran to the Barcade a few times to avoid waiting in a line to go through the stated experience of the Barbary bathrooms.
Overall, the Barbary is a unique experience for people to test the waters about dancehalls and clubs. It’s dark, so if you don’t know what you’re doing, few people will notice. Drinks are cheap, but the cover offsets that if you’re just looking for a bar experience. Good for groups and great for couples!

Just tried to go in the bar with a group of 15 and they wouldn’t allow anyone with red on or a Santa hat. No thank you. Plenty of other bars in the city to patronize. Even the bouncer said to try down the street. Wouldn’t spend a dime in this establishment!

Went for an 80’s night. It was dark, small and lots of dancing occurred, other than that I am not sure what else to say.
There was nowhere to put a coat if you bring one.
Kind of like a dive bar in it’s appearance.

The Barbary is my favorite nightlife spot in all of Philly. Been going for years. Reasonable cover and always some cheap drink specials. Check out the first Friday of every month. My favorite club night in the whole city. The Barbary always fills in and everyone is always dancing the night away.

Wildly inconsistent covers (from none to $ 10 depending on night or your company), smoke that causes your lungs to itch the whole next day, a strange smell… those are the things you put up with to get to the good stuff: cheap beer + shot specials ($ 5-​cash obly), great music (go on a Monday!!), lots of dancing in an open dark room, tons of fun and good looking borderline — hipster folks.
This place is great. Hit it up. Mind you it’s dead until almost midnight…

These guys are serious fucking assholes.. No seriously. They turn you away and treat you like trash, even after you paid $ 5. Honestly, I implore you not to patronize this business. They will make you wish you’d spent that special night out literally anywhere else.

This place sucks. You pay to get in and then they keep you from getting around when it gets too crowded. Sexist shit head bouncers on the stairs call you «honey» despite being told to stop several times by other dudes who also paid to be there. Get the fuck over yourself Barbary the next club who respects women and their money is seconds from opening down the street. Never again.

If you’re looking for a well-​lit place where you can get dressed up and mingle with some fancy social climbers, The Barbary is not the club for you.
If you want to work up a nasty sweat after dancing for hours and down city wides like it was your job, you’ve found your new home.
The Barbary isn’t for everybody, but I personally have only had fun nights here. If you like the dive aesthetic, cheap drinks, and loud music you’ll love it. Themes and music are always changing, so be sure to check their monthly calendar on their Facebook page to make sure that you’re going on a good night for your tastes.

I’m gonna start off by saying this place reminds me of a frat house with a real bar and a mixed crowd. The crowd ranges from early twenties to mid thirties. This is definitely somewhere you would want to go after popping an e or molly. Really mesmerizing house/​techno music, and becomes even more mesmerizing after a couple of their cheap drinks. Citywide $ 5: pabst can and a shot, can’t beat that. Mixed drinks also pretty cheap. The only thing I didn’t like about it is the fact that it can get pretty crowded.

If you don’t mind smelling like a mixture of piss, PBR, and sweat than this is the place for you. Good for a fun, drunk night out that you only remember 30% of the next day. Don’t dress up because not only will you stick out like a sore thumb, but you’ll be soaked about a ½ hour after being inside. They play good music downstairs but I enjoy upstairs more as it’s less crowded and you actually can see people’s faces. Cash only.

Lame! They have lines queued up to get in now. Plus when you do, ain’t nothing special. This place used to be dope. It sold its soul to the local neoliberal «clean up» scheme.

I have only been here once or twice, but I had tons of fun here. The upstairs plays Top 40, while the downstairs plays alternative/​indie music remixes. I went on Monday night, which was TigerBeats, and that was pretty amazing. There is nothing fancy about this club. In fact, a lot of it seems kind of ghetto, but that’s not the point. It’s just about having fun.
I remember the cover was only $ 3, and they had $ 1 PBR, so basically you can be broke and go here.
It’s funny how the bottom and top floors aren’t just dividing the music, but also dividing the types of people who dance there. Downstairs will have hipster guys who lean against the bar and just stare at girls rather than asking them to dance, whereas upstairs feels a little more like a normal club.
Overall the people are hot kids in their 20’s. It can be a good place to hook up, but not a very good place to talk or get to know someone at all. The music is wayyy too loud. If you actually hit it off with someone, you could actually go down the street to Barcade to talk, or go outside.
Mondays have the photo booth, which is fun if you go with friends. (Someone mentioned that the photo booth was gone, but you can check their Facebook ahead of time to check, if that’s something you really care about.)
Go in groups, especially if you’re a girl. We drove there, and we parked in an alley behind the building. It seemed like a really nice, safe area, and yet a random guy was knocking on our window, trying to ask for money or sell us drugs or something. It was really scary. But then again, a guy I met that night rode his bike there, and I saw tons of people riding bikes there, if they lived in the area. Just be smart and watch your back.

I was a little disappointed when I arrived at the Barbary on Monday night and the photobooth wasn’t there again. The music was good but up stairs was closed due to electrical issues and therefor there wasn’t as much variety. Overall I still had a really great time and agree that it is the best spot in philly on a Monday night

I love the different types of music and themed dance parties here. It’s a cool show venue as well. The drinks are cheap, the crowd is young and the dress is casual. It’s definitely a hipster spot and the bathrooms freak me out. For a broke 20something trying to avoid the big fancy delware ave club scene, it’s cool.
I’m editing this review because the more I go here the more idiots seem to take over. Getting stepped on, my friends getting groped & kicked and the spilled drinks everywhere is getting worse and old. I’m definitely leaning towards not coming back because KFN is much better!
I will say the bartenders are nice and quick and it’s pretty big.

A fun place to just let loose and dance with them hipsters.
The night I was there, There was a $ 5 cover charge, which wasn’t bad.
The place is kinda small. There’s two floor with different genre of music.
When I was there, The music that the dj was playing on the 1^st floor was very different from the type of music I listen to. Honestly, 90% of the songs that were played, i have never heard of. However, that didn’t stop me from having fun! I have only one dance move, which I think is the universal dance move for all the genres out there. HAHAHAHA
For the 2^nd floor, The Dj played a mixture of everything. Overall, I thought it was pretty good collection of music.
Here the rest of my thought in regard to the place:
Drinks were cheap.
Bathroom was clean!!!
No dress code.

«hell is real and I am in it» — my first night in the barbary.
some ppl are lookin’ for that. more power to them.