The legendary and legendarily smoky Philadelphia dive bar’s last day is Friday.
Philadelphia dive bar lovers have a reason to mourn: McGlinchey’s is closing its doors forever on Friday.
A source inside McGlinchey’s, who asked to remain anonymous, gave us the bad news late Sunday afternoon. And the bartender on duty on Sunday confirmed the closure, saying, “Our last day is this Friday, so tell everybody to come in when they still can.” The reason for the closing of McGlinchey’s is reportedly simple enough: There’s just not enough business to sustain it.
In 2013, Philly Mag named McGlinchey’s “the best dive bar of them all.” Back then, drinks were cheap, service sometimes leaned into the surly, the bathrooms were covered in graffiti and more than a little scary to newcomers both for their perceived filth and their claustrophobic nature, the jukebox was louder than it had to be, hot dogs were for sale, and McGlinchey’s was about as smoky as could be imagined. In 2025, well, not much about any of that has changed. And I’m pretty sure there are no other bars in Center City, other than private clubs, where you can still smoke. (If I’m wrong about that, let me know!)…