Tavern on Camac is STILL one of my favorite Philly bars after all these years. There's live piano many nights, and the performers are on-point. On the second floor, you'll usually find DJs. My recommendation? Swing by for a happy hour cocktail, and enjoy the music. Bring friends (I do!). Or meet some (I have!). No cover, so you've got money for booze. I salute the bartenders for keeping me happy - shout-out to Austin - and managing a crowd. Credit accepted. read more

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Food is acceptable for price. Service by waiters and bar tenders is superior! Ambiance of this truly wonderful piano bar with open mic night is an incredibly pleasurable experience.. read more

Celebrate my birthday there and the food as usual was awsome We shared the onion rings ( bear size of course ) and my meal was beef tips in a nice gravy and fries Out cocktails were the way they should be ... tasty and adult tasting I recommend this place to friends all the time and they appreciate it read more

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BrianB July 18, 2026 RUN don't walk to TOC Restaurant... They have updated the interior but more importantly have a new CHEF (from the one they opened with when they 1st re-opened) who has proven over & over again to be an extremely talented & creative chef who produces sumptuous meals to order. Both my partner & I have an allergy to garlic (it's a curse...Lol) and have some experiences where when the chef is told of our allergy (for instance @ Knock) & the response has been "the dish is made with garlic and I am not willing to change that." Not only has the chef @ TOC worked with us around this issue but on 2 occasions came to our table to suggest alternative seasonings so we could order that dish. We cannot say enough great things re: our 6 to 7 dinner we've had @ TOC in the past 2-3 months nor can the guests who have accompanied us. I would be hard-pressed to name a restaurant that offers the quality of their meals @ a reasonable price as TOC offers in the City !!! Haven't had the pleasure of recommending a restaurant in some time with the passion & energy I feel re: TOC & its' marvelous CHEF !!!! read more

Tavern on Camac was such a great experience. The bartender and service were excellent--welcoming, attentive, and knowledgeable. The ambiance felt polished and lively, which was a refreshing change from many of the gay bars I usually frequent. I tried the fried chicken sandwich with jalapeño-pickle slaw and gochujang aioli, and it was delicious--crispy, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. The bartender also let me know the space has three levels, with a piano bar upstairs that really brings the energy. Between the music, atmosphere, food, and service, this place is absolutely worth a visit. read more

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Amazing !!!! Restaurant was a little hard to find but was a true hidden gem. Landed on a Sunday in Philly late and had resigned myself to not much being opened late at night and what might be opened not being great. Saw this on Yelp...Thank you my fellow Yelpers. This restaurant is located below a Piano bar in a basement but don't let that fool you...I felt like I walked into a five star Michelin restaurant with upscale bar type eats. This would be a great date night restaurant . Staff were welcoming and wait staff checked in frequently. The food was absolutely amazing with complex flavor profiles. They took ordinary food like sliders and a chicken sandwich and raised it to another level. Looking forward to coming back soon. Helpful tip if you use Ride Share... they will drop you off by a narrow walkway. Restaurant is about halfway down the narrow road/walkway read more

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Such a cool LGBTQ+ bar, with awesome piano player singing various songs, including many Broadway show tunes, and others join in, karaoke style. Friendly bartender and patrons. And good, reasonably priced drinks. Will definitely be back! read more

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Just found this place. Great vibe. Great service. Good food and music. Will be back!!

Has something for everyone. Downstairs is a chill and classy piano bar where people can come up to the mic and sing. There are old gays and the girls singing all night. Upstairs is the club, which has no cover but often a line to get in. The dance floor is small but packed. The music is good, much better than most other clubs around. The drinks are typical gay bar strong, which makes me feel better about the slightly above average costs. I went on a hot night and the bartenders kept giving out cold water and worked super fast to get drinks out. read more

This is my favorite bar in the country. I travel a lot and I cannot express how much this place just feels like home. The piano bar is open for folks to step to the mic and they are open to folks of all talents. It truly feels like a wonderful place deep in the heart of the gayborhood. Be warned: this is a queer establishment. The drinks will be very very strong!! read more

Have been here a couple times and didn't realize I never rated. Very cool hangout spot no matter what you're looking for. Downstairs restaurant, middle floor piano bar and lounge, or the upstairs club for dancing. Bartenders are great on the piano bar level. The club music can be hit or miss depending on the DJ but it's fun regardless. Haven't yet been to the restaurant for food but have heard good things. read more

Tavern On Camac - a green drink with a lemon wedge - Dance Clubs Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I've been there a couple of times and I liked the atmosphere. Great vibes at the piano bar and fantastic music tunes played by the live DJ on the second level floor. A very diverse crowd dancing. The drinks are not watery and all the staff is respectful and friendly. Had lots of fun, it was a really great night!! read more

Tavern On Camac - the front of the building - Dance Clubs Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

What a dump, more like Toilet on Camac. What an unsafe environment, constantly smoke, leaking ceilings, people love to bring their airplane bottles in all the time, and whatever other drugs they can get past security. And what wishy washy management, it's as if they're accidentally in business the way they treat people. Multiple times I've had to clean up vomit cups off the drink rail next to mine. The managers do not care about you and cannot handle any kind of situation whatsoever without running around like headless chickens. Like do what do you even get paid to do? All of this being said, there's a reasons why Woodys has a cover it's to keep the Trash that goes to Toilet on Camac out. trash in only results in trash out. read more

Fun spot for live music. Definitely gets busy at night. Plenty of drink choices and not crazy expensive.

The piano bar is great during the week to hear musical theater and pop from anyone who walks up to sing. Don't go on weekends or you'll be mobbed by rude people who disrespect the piano players. read more

Love it here! Atmosphere is so fine vivacious. Drinks are great. Dance floor is amazing. Great staff.

Love this unique spot in downtown Philly. The piano player karaoke vibe is so fun to listen to. And if you're brave enough to join - feel free! read more

Had a great time at the piano bar. The piano player was charming. Sang two songs. And the upstairs club was very nice.

The bouncers are subcontracted through Mainline Security Services, they're not gay friendly and have a bad attitude towards the crowd. The Manager was rude and lacks professional skills. The drinks were watered down and not consistent. read more

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I have visited Tavern many times over the years..noticed I haven't checked in all those times - I am thinking this is because by the time I usually end up here - it is the destination after the night's bar crawl! Tavern is the destination you want to end your night on - for sure! It is always lively! The bar always has good bartenders and drinks and the music on both floors is awesome! The piano area is usually packed because the pianists and singers are great and the song selections inspire sing alongs and great fun! The upstairs area is a club vibe and the dancing keeps the party going all night long! How can you not enjoy your time at Tavern on Camac - Always a good time and for those who haven't been - do yourself a favor and have a fun night out! read more

This place has been on my radar for a while and finally my other half and I decided to pay Tavern a visit on a Friday night because frankly, I didn't feel like searching for another place. The restaurant portion of this establishment is downstairs from the actual bar and piano shindig. The door is incredibly difficult to open, resulting in embarrassment and shame when everyone inside is staring at you struggling to open the door. I'm chuckling at the recollection. We were seated at a two top in a slightly awkward location, I had the pleasure of the kitchen entrance in my direct line of vision. The dining room was decorated festively given the holiday season. The place was initially pretty empty upon our arrival at slightly past 7 however towards the end of our stay maybe like around 9, many more tables were occupied. The menu contains appetizers, small plates, sandwiches, and entrees. DEVILED EGGS is one of their apps and I absolutely love those little balls of eggy goodness. There's a tiny dollop of sriracha-esque sauce on top of each egg which adds a robust element of flavor. We ordered the cheese plate to share. There was a bleu (literally on every single cheese plate on earth, I dare you to find me one that does not include bleu), a brie-like soft cheese, and a very hard cheese I suspect is in the parmesan family. Accompaniments include a few marmalades, bread slices, I think something else that I cannot recall, and prosciutto. The brie was very good but I wasn't head-over-heels for the other two cheeses. The presentation was impressive, I did not waste any time slapping that shit on my insta. I ordered a wedge salad with an iceburg lettuce wedge covered in bleu cheese dressing (here we go again), bacon and WITHOUT the onions. Bae ordered one of their burgers and a side salad. Unfortunately, the salad came out absolutely covered in red mother fucking onions so I took them up on their offer to make another one for me. My fiance's burger sat slowly approaching room temperature while I waited. Our actual waiter came over and inquired as to where my meal was and when I told him about the onions he replied, "that's strange, I definitely asked for it without onions". Either way, it was annoying. Thankfully the wait wasn't too long and I was served the salad devoid of onions. The diced bacon was entwined with itty bitty pieces of sundried tomatoes which was a nice touch. I ordered 2 vodka diets, and tinasaurus ordered a vodka soda first and then a glass of champagne. The mixed drinks are in rocks glasses which is a major pet peeve. Our waiter had a strange attitude about him. Maybe it's just a version of RBF? I didn't get a warm and fuzzy feeling. My experience was intermediate. I'm not one for conclusions. read more

Waited in line for 30 mins on a weekend to get into the upstairs dance club with my friends. No problem, as they were at capacity. Got in, the bar upstairs was crowded, so I went downstairs. I bought my drink, and tried to go back upstairs. The security at the steps informed me I was not allowed back up. I explained I was just grabbing a drink and that all my friends were still upstairs. He said he didn't care, what I was trying to do was not allowed, and I needed to leave, go back outside, and wait in line again, which was now even longer. Completely ruined the night as I was not about to wait in line for another 30+ minutes by myself. Security wouldn't budge no matter what I said. Tavern, if you don't want people upstairs going downstairs to get a drink, that's fine, but you need to make it clear to the guests. Put up a sign. Have the security inform people as they come down. Anything. Maybe locals know this strange rule, but visitors don't. Security acted like I was a criminal for simply walking to a less crowded area of the club and trying to return. read more

My bartender was extremely rude and had such an attitude. I paid in cash and was in the process of digging through my purse to find smaller change for a tip when he scoffed at me for not giving him a tip. My bill was $20 so i paid with $20 and then was searching for smaller change in my purse when he rudely assumed i wasn't tipping him. Him saying "So you're really not going to tip me?" Made me and my friends uncomfortable. This place was recommended by ad friend and we were looking forward to it however the tall bartender with a mullet needs to chill out. read more

Came here again recently and the food was incredible, much much better overall experience than last time. Can't wait to return.

Fun fun fun Great piano bar. Went there twice in the same weekend What a bunch of nice talented people. read more

This goes out to that obnoxious piano player we had last Friday at 10 PM, some dude named Michael or whatever. Seriously, the guy's singing was atrocious, and don't even get me started on his attitude. I saw how he snapped back at customers asking for songs or just making remarks. His snarky comebacks were just plain rude. Why is someone this grouchy and unpleasant even allowed to play in a classy joint? Zero patience for grumpy piano players. Note, this is not the same person on TOC website scheduled on Fridays 10PM named Jeffrey. read more

Used to love Tavern but the security is running a scam. Was upstairs with a group of friends, two went down to use the bathroom, two of us followed. When we tried to go up, we were told we had to "Go back around to the front". Obeyed and the security guy in front said he'd let us back up if we paid him. Scam. So we went back to see the first security guard letting certain people up, so tried to go back and he physically accosted me and started screaming. Our other two friends got out the bathroom and he was letting them up until they were like "these are our friends" and he still didn't let two of us back upstairs, then got his scammer security friend to try to kick us out because we called him out for his bullshit. They get away with this because they're one of the few gay bars in Philly, but no ugly ass security guard should put his hands on someone else because he's running a scam. read more

I was out with a group of about 7 friends one of which was celebrating his birthday. we had all walked over from knock where we each had A drink and dinner and we were all waiting in line to be carded at the door when out of nowhere the owner steps in and points at our token straight Asian guy friend and tells the bouncer "his not allowed in " and just walks off no explanation and for no reason. Again we'd walked over from knock after dinner. Not even buzzed much less drunk and didn't stop any other place and are only one drink deep.and suddenly we can't go to the one place my friend wanted. So. DO NOT go to this bar. I have been before and never had a good time I was literally only going because my friend wanted to spend his birthday there I hate the place. I've had to many friends say they were drugged there, The staff is rude and the drinks suck and now the owner completely destroyed my friends birthday for no reason. Idk if the owner is racist. Or just doesn't like straight men read more

This is my second time to this place and unfortunately it's terrible it's the worst experience I've ever ever had in my entire life it seems that they don't like my name or my looks or my accent I have no idea but every time I go there I am treated like a piece of shit the bartender today was awful. She really needs lots and lots of training. I can tell she got the job because she knows somebody. I'm an HR professional and I won't ever consider someone like her in my team. But we all know how this works. Ugh.... It's sad that customers are not respected and a bartender argues in 2021 with us. Terrible. I'm going to dispute my transaction with my credit card provider because that terrible bartender doesn't deserve my generous 30% tip. It was that bad. read more

Nice staff, but I wish I could like the food. The veggie burger is an open face burger, so you are missing half of the bun. The deviled eggs were also served in 3 pieces. Why? If I'm going to pay for eggs, would like the whole egg not half an egg. You know what I'm saying? We went here for dinner and Trivia night. Although the Trivia was fun at first, it got harder and tedious. We started to lose interest. Also, although I'm not much of a drinker, they do have good beverage selections. I'd probably give them another chance, but I'd have to get dinner somewhere else first. read more

Tavern On Camac - Open face burger - Dance Clubs Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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I appreciate the queer atmosphere, drinks, and staff. However, the music here is always TRASH. I don't understand what dj's they hire, but they are never good. If they played better music, Tavern would be by far the best queer bar in philly, but until that point, your just happy you didn't have to pay to get in. PS please play more current gay bops read more

First things first: I love this bar, I really do. The security guard out front was kind and professional (and vigilantly weeding out fake vax cards! thank goodness!) and the pianists are incredible. I've had nothing but positive interactions with the customers. The drinks are good and very strong. I will probably return again. HOWEVER! Last night at the Sondheim memorial, I stood for about 30 minutes at the bar waiting patiently to be served. When I finally got the bartender's attention, I ordered 3 cocktails ($11 each, $33 total) and handed the bartender a $50 bill expecting to get change, and then use that change to tip her, generously. But not as generously as the bartender had in mind! She glanced at the bill, looked me in the eye and said "Thank you so much," in this super grateful, sincere tone. Then she dropped it into the register and went back to ignoring me. I was so stunned by her confidence and the boldness of her assumption, and so tired of struggling to get her attention, that I gave up and took my $50 cocktails back to our table. So awkward! So weird! Ultimately it's on me for not saying anything, but I'm a socially anxious guy and I try to avoid confrontation as much as possible. I truly don't think I did anything to suggest the $50 bill was 100% for her, and I don't think I behaved in any way that would have justified screwing me over. I did not rush her, I said please and thank you. The only thing I can think of is that it's because a) I was one of the only people wearing a mask and perhaps that irked her or b) I ordered manhattans, which are admittedly more complicated to make than just handing me a beer, but hey, it's a frickin' cocktail bar. I didn't catch the bartender's name, but she looked to be a white woman in her 40s with shoulder length wavy hair. Might have had some gray in it, but it was hard to tell in the low light. Is this the bartender many of the other reviewers are having issues with? If so, what the hell! read more

The place itself is great. There is a nice dining area downstairs and a low lit dining area/bar area upstairs with a piano player that sings and plays as well as a mic for the singers in the crowd who want to take a turn or two singing a tune. It's a sweet vibe... and as my good friend (who I was hanging out with) said, "This is the best place to go on a Monday night. Every other place is dull on a Monday but this is still vibrant." All true. Why not four stars? Had I stopped my order at cocktails, I would have rated a solid four. However, I ordered dinner. My mushroom veggie burger tasted raw. It was complete mush. The fries that accompanied it would have been decent but some of them weren't cooked long enough and a bit raw inside. If you go to drink and enjoy the piano...this is a stand out place. I can't at all recommend the veggie burger, though. read more

Tavern On Camac - Manhattan - Dance Clubs Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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I have been wanting to try this piano bar for such a long time. This year we were in an apartment right up the block. On a Thursday night before meeting friends for Christmas dinner, F and I stopped in for a cocktail. The scene was totally relaxed and cozy. CJ Steinway was playing a variety of tunes. Christmas, show tunes, etc. We absolutely loved it. So much so, we came back later and sat at the piano. It seems everyone knows each other, but we didn't feel left out. We came back on Friday night, but it was a different vibe...much more crowded (which is expected for a Friday night) and there was club music playing over the piano... So, we will DEFINITELY be back, but not on a Friday or Saturday night. read more

Tavern On Camac - Dance Clubs Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Bartender refused me water after buying one drink. He said I have to spend money at the bar, I can't just come in for water. Even though I had the drink in my hand I just just bought. Extremely rude, and eventually bargained to spend $15 on water, which is ridiculous. I understand bartenders can get a lot of rude people, but when someone asks for water after only having one drink (not drunk), refusing such a basic need is outrageous. read more

I normally don't give ratings, but my friend was playing the piano tonight which he is amazing but I'm sitting at the bar and got asked what would I have. With it being a work night I chose not to drink and just asked for a water as I'm trying not to drink soda and sparkling water doesn't do it for me. Then got proceeded to be told by the bartender tonight that I can't just hang around I have to buy a drink. Like SERIOUSLY!! If you want to hear good piano playing and singing on a Wednesday night you should come here but be prepared to be told you have to order a drink. read more

Tavern on Camac, commonly known as TOC, is one of those nifty gay alley bars harkening back to days of yore with a good general cross section of ages from the rather young to the senior citizens, a lesbian or two, and few straights (or so they said). TOC serves a great drink at reasonable prices and best of all is the piano. The night I was there, the piano player was really terrific. Next time I'm in Philly, I'll be back. read more

Tavern On Camac - View from the alley - Dance Clubs Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Do you like dancing? Do you like no cover charge? You'll love this place! Sure the dance floor is not very big and you have to go upstairs to get there, but it's still a lot of fun. It seems most people stay downstairs, where there is definitely more of a bar feel as opposed to a nightclub scene. This isn't a problem, since it means more room on the dance floor. The downstairs also has a dueling piano trope, so you're never without entertainment here. Drink prices and variety are typical for the area. My only real complaint is that the bathrooms are set up in an odd way so that any lines end up blocking the stairs and sometimes even winding down them. It's hard to explain, but let's just say it's annoying to try and break through a line of people to get to the bar. A decent place, I really like it here and plan on coming back. read more

What a GEM!! I just fell in love with this spot. So much fun, laid back and great people! Don't delay stopping by to have a great glass of wine and listen to some wonderful Piano music! I can't wait to go back. There are 3 different venues and we did two - the dining room downstairs and the piano bar upstairs. The food was very good and the wine pours are healthy!! No skimping on oz's here !! read more

Went to this bar this past weekend with some friends who came to visit philly. This was definitely on my list and was so happy I went. The drinks were reasonably priced and all of the service was so friendly (&fun). Love supporting local LGBTQIA+ bars. read more