The Barbary & Barberella Club in Fishtown Philadelphia
The Barbary in Fishtown, once a tiny, hipster and off -beat dancer enclosed, sweaty (and thus smelly) music ‘venue’ and dive bar was a place that I only occupied if a friend begged and if we were able to make it before 11 pm when the already cheap drinks were free. However, due to its very impressive growth over the past year, I am now confident in saying that as a Philly music venue/ restaurant/ dive bar (uh, yeah, it’s all three), The Barbary is a definite contender.
The Barbary, sitting at the corner of Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, is conveniently situated across from the infamous SugarHouse Casino. So if you are a night owl like myself and a 2 am closing time just doesn’t cut it for you, you can venture over to join the other vigil zombies in spending the last of your PBR money on penny slots.
The new structure of the Barbary in Fishtown: Let’s take it from ‘the top’ shall we?
About a year and a half ago they opened up the second floor, (aptly named Barberella) which boasts colorful walls, a rather large bar, plenty of seating, full menu, and a DJ booth. The menu, though I haven’t tried it, seems like typical bar food awesomely priced $4-$7 and they have $1 ‘Taco Tuesdays’ (YUM!). From my experience, this seems to be where the less sweaty, nicer dressed clientele seem to congregate. It is most definitely a nice addition to ‘The Barbary’ and I am sure they agree, seeing that it is almost always packed on the nights I have been there (mostly weekends).
The Barbary, which is on the first floor, has just recently experienced it’s own makeover. They have removed the coat check (pro-tip: secret coat stash is on top of the photo booth), which gives the once cramped U-shaped downstairs a much nicer flow and much needed extra dancing room. They also added a mirror wall where the projected skate videos and other miscellaneous vids used to fall. As we all know from HGTV, this is an excellent way to give an appearance of openness and space. The addition of a small, permanent $2 PBR and cheap booze bar (read Jack Daniels not Jameson) on the other side of the mirror wall really tops the place off and saves one from pushing through the sweaty crowd to get re-hydrated.
The sounds: Tag team tunes.
I always enjoy having an option of two or more musical choices in one spot and they have some of Philly’s funkiest DJ’s spinning top and bottom every night of the week. The Barbary has a pretty great sound system, so DJ’s always rock and it has a very large stage downstairs for live entertainment. I have yet to see anything live there, so I’ll have to save my witty banter on that for next time. Though the schedule is ever changing, here are some steadfast DJ weeklies and monthlies fit for all types.
- First Friday of every month: The Bounce with DJ’s Eymnd and Bo Bliz – Playing club anthems and bangers.
- Every Sunday: Karaoke Night with Ellei, Brian and Eddie A – Dollar drinks till 11.
- Every Monday: Tiger Beats – Indie Dance Party.
- Last Thursday of every month: MMP! – Michael Madonna Prince with DJ DeeJay.
The Barbary Club in Fishtown Philadelphia has all of the aesthetic and spatial additions that definitely make for an enjoyable evening since one now has options as opposed to just sweat, stink and dance. I no longer have to be dragged by my toenails to attend. All in all, whether you are new to Philly, a long time resident looking for a new watering / dance / taco hole, or just passing through… I can (now) confidently say you will enjoy your time at The Barbary. Well, unless an off-beat dancer accidentally spills a free cranberry and vodka on your new white shirt. That might suck.
Location
951 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown
Philadelphia, PA 19125
Hours
Monday – Sunday | 6 pm – 2 am
Web Site
View Larger Map
About Jennifer Herman
Follow Us!