I am in the process of moving to what I guess is the Spring Garden neighborhood (16th and Mt. Vernon) from Fishtown. I haven't really spent much time in this neighborhood in the three years I have lived in Philly. I liked some of the bars in Fishtown/Kensington, like Atlantis, Memphis Taproom, the El Bar, etc. I've noticed that most of the bars west of my new aparment at 16th and Mr. Vernon seem to cater a little more to a more upscale crowd. Are there any bars in the area that are little more low-key and more similar to bars in Fishtown? Also, are there any bars in the area the feature live music other than the North Star? I like the area and I am hoping to find a decent watering hole to frequent maybe once a week.

None with live music. But more dive, less "gastro-pub" type places

Green Room (20th & Green)
KelliAnne's (16th & Spring Garden)
Bishop's Collar (23rd & Fairmount)
Urban Saloon...divey service and food, gastro-pub wanna be, but lots of TVs...(next to Jack's Firehouse on Fairmount)

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Kellianne's still even has the old school (non-functional) trough and drain in the floor up against the bar.

st. stephen's green has an ok bar - lots of windows and atmosphere - good beers on tap usually. i prefer sitting at the bar because some of the waitresses/hostesses are a bit goofy. this is at 17th and green.

kite and key on callowhill isn't bad. still working out kinks but the owners are friendly and it is still very new. only a little over a month old!

i like belgian cafe for the bar in the winter time. all those belgian beers give a "holiday" feel for me for some reason.

i WISH there was some live music somewhere close. even a troubador sitting in a corner in one of these places would be perfect. we're into the local live music scene and north star is a great place to see a band close by. definitely a cool spot.

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Slainte!

I don't think anything like the El Bar exists around here, Kelliann's is the closest. Kite and Key & Bishop's Collar would be a lot like Memphis Taproom, nice-looking bar but with pretty cheap food and good beers. St. Stephen's beers and bar area are kind of the same as Memphis too, but the food is a little nicer.

In addition to the above, I'd add the following:

McKenna's (24th and Brown)
Its has a little of everything, depending on the night from divey sports bar to packed every Thursday for Quizzo. Sometimes karaoke on weekends but I've never seen live music. Drafts are $2.

E.R.A. Bar (28th and Poplar)
North Star is great for live music, but this place is 1 more block down Poplar and sometimes has music as well.

Agreed - i look for life in a bar as opposed to polo shirts and sandals with socks. (Sarcasm) St. Stephens is a nice place to eat and drink Bud light pounders for a decent price (lol) but there menu is measily...

Have had plenty of fun nights at GR since i moved here and they have a good bar food/ and beer menu (wings are def a favorite. McCrossens is a nice place to hide out as well. At KelliAnnes you can get good food for low prices. I forget the bar near 25th and aspen area but it has a decent happy hour.

I am still in the middle of discovering new places that are close by but i make the trek into CC or NLibs as well.

To each his own - i would like to see the list populate.

If you like grown-up sorts of bars/restaurants, Bridget's and Aspen. Their food has been better recently too. Had a really good meal at Aspen a couple weeks ago, and it's been a while since I'd say that.

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Jay's 17th St Spot (17th and Fairmount) is a decent bar. Some people on here may disagree, but Jay's is a cool place. It's cheap, they have a pool table, and most of the people are friendly. At times, this bar can be confusing due to the mix of patrons, but everyone seems to get along. Xenophobes tend to avoid this spot.

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Live music in Fairmount is not strong. North Star's bookings have been marginal-to-awful for the past few years (thanks, Heyday) and nobody else has stepped up to at least add a folkie on a stool.

As for "good" bars, i think they've all been mentioned already.