While walking around the gayborhood, we decided to try U Bar. It's a non pretentious bar. We just went for one drink. The clientele was friendly, as was the bar tender. It's basically just one big bar. There were a couple of tables. I had a Chainbreaker white IPA. It was also really good. It was my first white IPA. I would definitely visit this place again for a chill place for a drink. They have some build your own sandwiches, but we didn't try them, but it concept sounded cool. read more

The daily day bartender is great. Along with a rotating 6$ lunch special. People always coming and going. Nice break from other lunch spots. read more

Sunday Funday at UBar! This place is packed on Sunday afternoons. Great crowd, pleasant and chatty groove to this bar. See some old familiar faces and it's also a nice place to make a new friend. Bartenders are friendly and drinks are just right. It's fun bar to tie one on with friends. read more

As for the gay bars in Center City this place is just "ok"--The people from Philadelphia think it's a "hotspot"--but if you travel a lot and see other clubs across America it's just, "ok." The crowd itself is marginal and mediocre. Yep that's the way all the clubs are in "cc" philly. Parking anywhere in the downtown Center City area it is a challenge! Cabs are hard to come by --SEPTA, and public transportation is unreliable. The Philadelphia parking Authority is ruthless! You can pretty much bet you're going to start out your night in this portion of Philadelphia paying a hefty price for parking! The large glass windows around Ubar kind of put you in a fishbowl environment. The crowds are extremely cliquish! If you are an "outsider" from outside the Philadelphia region, expect to be treated rudely. Philadelphia has a nasty reputation as a whole for being rude and having nasty attitudes. I was asked in U-Bar by three loval gay guys, "where are you from." I responded that "I'm from Los Angeles, live in Dallas, and work in Philadelphia." One of the three guys said, "so you're stupid and ignorant because you're from Texas; fake and plastic because you're from Los Angeles." This exchange occurred between total strangers who is only been talking for just a few minutes! They were unapologetic about their conduct! This level of discourtesy seems to be the hallmark of most clubs in Philadelphia and their Gayborhood! Expect to be bombarded with requests to parTy! Drugs seem to be all over the Center City area and gay community in Philadelphia! In the fall of 2013, Philadelphia made national headlines when two gay men were beaten savagely in there gay community by a gang of 12; one of the suspects was the daughter to a local police chief--The Philadelphia district attorney was only able to file criminal charges on three of the 12 suspects involved! PA, at the time have no hate crime laws on the book for the state of Pennsylvania! This clearly tells you how far behind the times Philadelphia is! Your personal safety in the Center City area of Philadelphia is a real concern whenever you go into the gayborhood around Ubar! If you've never done Philadelphia's gay community and bars; it's okay to do once or twice--then save your money and go to the Raven in New Hope, PA or NYC! If you do U-bar; you won't see much variation in this crowd--the crowd is the same at Woody's, iCandy, and the other bars in the area. You see the all the same faces; all the time; with no variation! read more

Hard to believe I've been imbibing here for twenty years. It is a small space which sometimes is very crowded - the recent remodel with the large windows overlooking Camac St. helps open the space up. The large windows also add table space so there isn't a fight for drink space on the bar. The drinks are reasonably priced and quite strong. Martinis come in a nice sized glass. Draft beer is available but I am not a beer drinker. I tend to stop in on weekday nights after 21.00 Hrs. when Steve, Jamey or Tony are. I have stopped a few times for Happy Hour with Donnie and once on a Friday afternoon when Ian was on - no complaints with any of them. The crowd tends to be older, I'm marching up in age as well, but an interesting mix happens from time to time. I've never had a hard time joining a conversation or being left alone, if that is what I want. Ubar can be a bit noisy when crowded on the weekends but during the week it is easy to listen to the person next to you. The remodeled "Uncles" restroom may be off putting to those who suffer shyness, the urinals remind me of those from my grade school. read more

U Bar is one of the ultimate local pub type places in Philadelphia. Each time that I've wandered in, I'm greeted by the bartender and can quickly strike up conversation with one of the many locals sitting at the bar. Lively and entertaining bunch of guys! The crowd tends to be a bit older, and even though this is a place that friends meet up, they are also welcoming to strangers and out of towners. U Bar is in a great location in a really fun part of town. If you are looking for a place to start off the nigh and find out a bit more about Philadelphia from the local perspective, you can't go wrong by stopping in here for a beer or two. read more

Cute bar in a busy neighborhood. Lots of different people there and everyone got along. They were out of the first few drinks we ordered but the bartender was apologetic instead of huffy about it. We were all about to find drinks to make us happy. Love the signs on the bathrooms! For a Friday night, it wasn't exactly hopping but looked to be more of a "norm" crowd. read more

Loved how welcoming it is here! My sister in law and I were here waiting for a friend to go for dinner. I would highly recommend it! I just pray that all have open mind. My husband and I have always felt that you are what you are! We love all;we don't see differences. ‍ read more

Was there most recently Saturday, September 10th, 2016. This bar doesn't get enough credit. The crowd is always diverse (in age, race, and body type), the drinks are always strong, and the staff is always friendly. In size and ambiance it can be a bit much when it gets crowded, but this is one of my favorite places to start the evening before the masses come in. If you aren't looking for a twinky dance space - U Bar is a great choice! read more

Philly girls trip!!! Loved the drinks. Good pours. Would be 5 stars if it was bigger.

Stopped here briefly for a drink while visiting Philly. All the usual characters are here, the drinks were good (a little pricey) and they were friendly enough. Perhaps if we were regulars we would have felt a tad more welcome. read more

Formerly known as Uncles (what seemed to be more oriented towards older guys, back in the day), this is a modern update to a cute cozy space in the Gayborhood. Now that the Westbury is gone, U-Bar is the place to grab a drink when you want to chill at a more neighborhood, down-to-earth space without club queens or women or tourists. Prices are reasonable, the draft menu has some unique, more locally-sourced drinks on it. Being a smaller space, it seems more clique-ish; so you may feel out of place if you go there solo. Bartenders are always friendly and quick. But again, it's a cute space for a reasonable priced drink to chill out in. read more

I was here with my girlfriend and about 10-15 teammates (in for the Liberty Bell softball tournament) for Memorial Day Weekend. They offered discounts due to the tournament, but I opted for the amazing craft beers they had. Decent prices for great beer. Also, I loved being able to drink and almost literally sit/stand out of the window and get a view of the block party on Camac. Definitely a cool spot. read more

Plays new wave and synth pop during happy hour and more modern pop as the evening progresses. Loved the friendliness and neighborhood feel.

Great drinks! Believe it or not, REALLY good food. Their Cuban sandwich is unreal; the pork is well seasoned. YUM!!! Their cheese steak eggrolls are also pretty freakin' bomb!!! Love Tony, Danny, Jaime, and Stephen!!! read more

The name "U Bar" is an homage to Uncles, the legendary gay bar that used to occupy this scenic corner of Locust & Camac streets. (Maybe Uncles wasn't really that legendary, but it was definitely there for many years and turned a lot of people into alcoholics in that time, so there's that.) But now Uncles is gone, but its legacy lives on in the form of the letter U. In my mind, though, it will be called R Bar, where the R stands for "rectangle". Because that's all it is. A rectangular bar. You walk in, there are four sides to sit down at...and that's it. No nooks or crannies to explore, no real ambiance other than the windows overlooking the streetscape. Just a minimalist place to drink. And that's fine with me. What I care about is the quality of the Old Fashioned, and U Bar makes a mean Old Fashioned. I'm not too fussy, but when it comes to Old Fashioneds, I don't want them too sweet or too boozy, and U Bar strikes just the right balance. The locals are surprisingly friendly and are eager to chat up strangers, especially on an off night when the fraction of people who are there to S&M (stand & model) is at a minimum. So drink up! read more

The bartender rocks!! Not a grumpy old man, he's awesome! Made a super strong tequila sunrise and gave me more OJ when I asked. YOU ROCK!

Of all the gay bars I've visited in recent years while visiting Philly, this is my fave. Center City, including it's gay community, has become this bastion of clones. I've wandered from venue after venue in search of diversity, coming up short oh so many times. Because as a visitor, who happens to be a man of color, one just may tire of "sticking out" every time you want to simply unwind. U Bar offers the most diversity I've experienced in Philly in my last 5 or so visits (unless you count the men of color who serve as bouncers at the other joints). The staff is very friendly, even when it's busy, and the lack of pretentiousness is refreshing. For sure, this will be my go-to gay spot whenever I'm next in the City of Brotherly Love. Cheers! read more

WTF! I don't get it! The cologne wafting through this place is unbelievable. Seriously?! You're putting on cologne to go to the bar???? Stop it ! read more

As far as Philly gay bars go, I like this one. Doesn't get filled with air-headed, drama queen twinks, which is a nice change of pace. Definitely a more mature crowd and much more enjoyable than places like iCandy. read more

When somebody spills a full drink it's usually customary for the bar to replace it. Boo!

Great Stoli Honey Martinis. It was my bday and the tender gave me and my friend a shot. Loved the open air alcove. Great for people-watching. read more

The bar renovation is a great improvement over the old Uncle's; however, they now employ a Saturday night doorman who is incredibly rude and obnoxious. Too many other great places in Philly to have to put up with the rudeness of this employee! read more

I make it to Philadelphia a few times a year, usually to hit up a rock show at Union Transfer, The Electric Factory, or the Mann Center. All of my friends in the Philly area are straight, so we usually end up at any of a number of awesome beer bars and/or dives, which is just fine by me. However, I always like to find a spot where I can have a nightcap and at least look at other boykissing boys...and maybe on the rare occasion, to find one I can at least have a normal conversation with (if not invite back to my hotel for a different sort of nightcapping). Unfortunately, most of the gay bars in Center City are at least as obnoxiously, stereotypically mediocre as the ones in NYC, and I end up wearing my iPod headphones to avoid the insanely loud (and dreadful) thump-thump dance music and slapping away the groping hands of muscle queens, dancing divas, and salacious creeps. I never thought a city could have as many awful, same-ish gay bars as NYC, but Philly most certainly fits the bill. On my most recent visit, someone suggested a handful of places I should check out. Place number one: a "sports" bar with violently loud house music and shirtless bartenders. No thanks. Place number two: an overcrowded mess of clones in too-tight t-shirts and shaved heads, along with slightly less loud but just as awful house music. Again, not even worth approaching the bar to place an order. Like Goldilocks trying out ursine options, place number three was just right: U Bar! I had actually stumbled upon this spot a couple of years ago when colleagues and I were on a business trip, and we enjoyed a chill happy hour at the open front windows without even realizing it was a gay bar until it started to fill up with some of its usual clientele. My favorite kind of gay bar is one that doesn't scream "GAY" in your face the moment you walk in, so I told myself I'd have to come back...and then I summarily forgot where the joint was. I'm so glad I was referred back, because both nights I went in (Friday and Saturday) were kind of full, but also pretty friendly. I struck up conversations with strangers without feeling like I was being judged as a "trick," the bartenders and bouncers were pleasant, and--a true blessing--there's a jukebox on which I was able to play Bad Religion, NOFX, and lots of other stuff that nobody fussed about, but which I'm pretty sure would have gotten me chased out of the queenier establishments I'd tiptoed into (and straight out of) on my way there. I shall return whenever I'm in town, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for an alternative to the meth-soaked dance club vibe that is sadly the norm for gay establishments! read more

Nice place. The drinks were strong! I felt a little out of place being the only women there but I think it was my own personal insecurity.

This place is so simple and bare, yet the layout and intimacy of it made me an instant fan! It's a great place to fall into conversation with people, not to mention it offers some fun people-watching read more

Nicely renovated space. Friendly and diverse crowd. Cheap drinks.

"Unprentious gay bar" ? All I can say is me and two girlfriends walked in after a day of shopping and were not even acknowledged by the bartender. We sat at a high top table thought it was self served so went up to the bar. As we were standing at the bar, not one bartender looked at us to serve us..... read more

A more mature crowd who wants to sit around and drink and play the jukebox among comfortable strangers. I don't understand the name change, it is still Uncle's and should have kept that name, it was more appropriate to the vibe of the establishment. The crowd is friendly and the staff get overtly familiar in a heartbeat. You really feel welcome and encouraged to be yourself without being sexually harassed without permission. Drinks are fairly priced and strong and the music is always randomly fun. Girls aren't frowned upon but aren't the priority. read more

A great bar that is always a lot of fun. The place gets crowded and noisy at times. The drinks are strong.

Stopped in after wandering around the city while sight seeing. Food was amazing and the staff(only one bartender was there ) was so friendly and attentive. read more

Been going here for years and was really taken aback by the security guard literally removing every item from my backpack and questioning me about it! Will not be going back there again! read more

I went here with a group of 6 people and had a blast! Good music, good drinks, great staff! Just overall a great time!

Since the closing of the Westbury Bar 2 years ago, this is the best alternative. It's friendly, has a mix of ages, good beers, great bar food, relatively good service. Most of the bartenders are wonderful. Occasionally it's too noisy for my old ears, but that's ok... There are times that I can go there when it's quiet and relaxing. Stephen, the owner, and Howard, the manager are truly invested in making their businesses the best. They also give BACK to the community which is a reason I'll give them my business!!! read more

I was out of town and stopped by. We got seats by the open window. Nice until the same 4 people went to smoke right outside of the window. The same 4 people went out within 1 hour 4 times. There was an ashtray right by the window. I think it is against Philadelphia ordinance that it is so close. It was gross. All the smoke came right into the window. What could have been a nice night was awful. it was obvious they were regular and no one cared to say anything. read more

The worst experience I have ever had at a bar in my life. My friend and I walked into the bar, looked at the specials board and then walked over to the corner of the bar. When the bartender (Tod) came over, we asked if it was still Happy Hour, to which he said "No, Happy Hour is from 4 to 6" Ok no problem. I was driving so I said, "I will just have an ice water." The bartender got very aggressive and said "you have to order something if you want to stay." I was taken aback as no bartender has ever said this to me, so I explained that "my friend is drinking and I am not." In the next breath my friend ordered a Vodka Cranberry and then I supposing that he had gotten his way and could feel like an alpha male again, said "I would like an ice water." He took a haughty breath and quite loudly said "You need to order something or you can leave" My friend ordered another drink to appease this individual (much to my chagrin as I would have preferred to leave). This bartender's behavior was a display of appalling customer service. I do so wish 0 stars was an option because to be blunt, even Starbucks will give free ice water. Wouldn't go back to Ubar, and will definitely share this story. Thanks Tod! read more

Went here on a Sunday night. The skinny tall guy behind the bar had serious attitude. Spilled some of the bottled beer he served and didn't offer to replace it. Visiting from NYC. They say there's attitude there but not nearly as much as U Bar. read more