U Bar sits on the corner of 13th and Locust, wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows that make it the best people-watching perch in the Gayborhood. It is a neighborhood bar rather than a nightclub, and it functions as the place people meet before the night starts or land when they want to hear each other talk.
The space. A center bar ringed with stools sits in the middle of the room, with standalone tables and a jukebox toward the front and rear. The windows are the defining feature: from most seats you are watching 13th Street go by, and the room is bright in a way most gay bars are not. It is closer to Cheers than to anything with a dance floor.
Who runs it. U Bar is part of the same group as Tavern on Camac and 254, run by Stephen Carlino and Randal Mrazik. It operated for years under a previous name, Uncle’s, and plenty of longtime Philadelphians still call it that.
What to expect. Regulars, conversation, and a reliably unpretentious room. This is a good first stop on a Gayborhood night and a good landing spot for anyone who wants a gay bar without a DJ. If you are after dancing, Woody’s and Voyeur are both minutes away.
Getting there. Locust Street at South Camac, one block from Walnut-Locust on the Broad Street Line, in the middle of the Gayborhood.
What’s on at U Bar? Upcoming events at this venue are listed below, pulled live from the PGC calendar.
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