Photo by Drink Philly

Welcome to Cocktails Quarterly—Drink Philly's newest segment showcasing the best bars (new and old) where you should be getting a drink. Every season will feature a new line up of bars so be sure to keep a look out for our next batch of recommendations.

We’ve felt non-stop excitement across Philly this summer between the return of outdoor drinking, hosting iconic World Cup matches, and visiting highly anticipated openings. In this edition, we spotlight revived restaurant bars inside historic hotels, expanded neighborhood joints, and day-to-night cafe bars. Here are seven places to pull up a seat this summer.

Photo by Drink Philly

Known Associates
The mid-week buzz has returned to the former Varga Bar space in Washington Square West thanks to Known Associates, the new cocktail bar from Forsythia chef Christopher Kearse led by Beverage Director Chris Harrop. While the food menu and decor have Kearse and PS & Daughters’ quintessential French touches, drinks are singular and sophisticated. Take Harrop’s Bittered in Bond — a 30-day small batch housemade mezcal amaro served tableside in its own branded mini bottle or the Ode to Morning carajillo made with Cafe Bustelo, French aperitif, and Tequila garnished with a candy cigarette. Other favorites include Between Harvest, a Martinez that swaps vermouth for amaro and the green-and-pink Shiso High Daiquiri highball riff with shiso-infused rum, tonic, strawberry syrup, Fernet, and citrus.
(941 Spruce St)

Photo via Mr. Edison

Mr. Edison
This glamorous bi-level Center City supper club-style restaurant is where Thomas Edison-era experimentation meets a 150-seat theatrical room that hums with live music inside The Bellevue Hotel. The contemporary cocktail program showcases technique-driven, whimsically-reimagined classics: The Clover Club (invented in the Bellevue Hotel) amped up with Triple Sec and raspberry “air,” Filament No. 6 blue cheese martini with a pickled tomato garnish, and premium tableside Negroni’s for two (we love the white Negroni “Wizard” and industry nod “Mary Had A Little Lamb” with Jäger and Fernet Branca). Plan your reservation, put on your going-out clothes, and expect to stay for the full arc of dinner, drinks, and show.
(200 S Broad St and 1400 Walnut St)

Photo via Casa Oui

Casa Oui
Casa Oui's bar in Queen Village leans on co-owner Israel Nocelo’s deep agave and mixology background—including consulting at Tequilas and La Llorona—to create an all-day drink program anchored by street-style tacos and crudos. Expect cocktails that can ride both sides: bright, spicy, citrusy profiles that nod to Mexico (draft Palomas and salty watermelon Margaritas and the Serrano) and more restrained, European-leaning aperitifs (Americano with Campari, Fell to Earth sweet vermouth, soda water, orange). Also new to the menu are the Salmoncito, a bittersweet gin and tonic with Condesa gin, Campari, and fresh grapefruit juice; Rancho Humilde tepache cocktail (house fermented pineapple water) with Tequila, ginger, coriander syrup, tamarind cordial, and citrus; and a botanical Farmers Market highball with gin, grapefruit, cucumber, and club soda.
(705 S 5th St)

Photo via ilu

ilu
ilu, short for Iluminada—the name of co-owner Patrick Iselin’s Spanish grandmother and pronounced “ee-loo”—fills a much-needed gap as a mid-tier, everyday contemporary Madrid-style neighborhood bar. Run by longtime Fishtown-Kensington operators Scott Coudriet (Lloyd Whiskey Bar, Cormorant) and Iselin (Starbolt, Cormorant), it’s a place where happy-hour snacking and day-drinking often stretch into dinner or a late-night industry hang with great big windows that swing open to the street. ilu’s cocktails lean bright, sherry- and vermouth-driven, and unapologetically summery, often including Philadelphia Craft Ice. The mezcal, amaro and passion fruit Fire Drill over pebble ice is already “a runaway hit” says Coudriet, while low-ABV options like the Second Serve (Amaro Montenegro, sherry, lime, soda) and a vermouth-on-tap Middle Americano with Mahou beer stay refreshing and crushable. A simple but beloved Booze and Juice—fresh-pressed Granny Smith apple with your choice of bonded bourbon, mezcal, or gin—and a classic Tinto de Verano (Tempranillo, vermouth, lemon) round out a list that takes Spanish aperitivo culture seriously without ever feeling precious.
(2118 E Dauphin St)

Photo by Alex McDonnell

Luna at the Luxe
Longtime East Kensington brunch staple Luna at the Luxe (fka Luna Cafe) has expanded into an intimate day-to-night café with a 40-seat courtyard and a full bar with seasonal cocktails, still anchored by its regulars. In addition to its seven-day-a-week brunch, Luna now offers dinner service on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, plus an all-day bar led by Chandler Wescovixh (previously at Walnut Street Cafe, Liberty Grounds, and The Mulberry) that goes from daytime mimosas and Bloody Marys to sunset drinks. Local ingredients are featured in the Blueberry Basil Refresher, a whiskey smash with blueberry and basil, and the Lem Lav Love highball with gin, St. Germain, ginger beer, lemon, and lavender cold foam, designed to sit alongside artisan pizzas and salads.
(1705 N American St)

Photo via Soufiane at the Morris

Soufiane at the Morris
Located inside a Washington Square West building dating back to 1787, Soufiane pairs Philly history with French-Moroccan flavors. Co-owners Soufiane Boutliliss and Christophe Mathon of nearby Sofi Corner tapped bartender Kevin Castro-Villalba, a VinePair Best New Bartender 2026 honoree to lead the cocktail program. The opening menu ranges from a signature Moroccan Tea with French mint liqueur and vermouth served cold in a traditional tea set; a cardamom-, rosemary-, and clove-smoked Casablanca Old Fashioned with Old Forester bourbon and Nonino Amaro; to a Cognac-based Majorelle Mai Tai with spiced banana oat orgeat, apricot, and orange blossom. Floral infusions shine in drinks like a rose-petal Cosmopolitan riff and a lavender-hued French 75. Grab one of the 12 bar seats or the patio during happy hour (Tuesday–Friday, 4:30–6:30 p.m.) for spritzes and elevated bar bites.
(225 S 8th St)

Photo by Tati Salazar

Lillian's
Former Fitler Club barmates Samantha Ahern and Avdo Babic have debuted Lillian’s, a Mediterranean-leaning neighborhood bistro and bar in Southwest Philly. The menu leans into Adriatic flavors and herbs partly tied to Babic’s forage-loving family in Bosnia, with playful remixes between kitchen and bar—like the Prima Donna vodka martini, whose tomato infusion gets cooked down into a jam for brioche toast and chicken salad. Summer standouts include Forever Young, a melon-popsicle vodka soda grounded with a saffron-and-Adriatic-herb tincture, and the La Molina pisco sour with fig leaf lime cordial and dried algae tincture, inspired by Babic’s frequent travels to Peru and his love of grape spirits like pisco, grappa, and brandies. With just six bar stools and Saturday chef residencies, be sure to arrive early.
(1900 S 19th St)