Sorry, but I am a big fan of lists (and a big fan of bars), so I”m gonna harp on this a little bit longer. Here are ten bars I think shoulda been on the list, and for the sake of being impartial, I won’t include the ones where I work.

• Cantina. Shocking that this didn’t make the cut. Great food, great margaritas.
• Nick’s Roast Beef. An oasis of calm in a sea of d-baggery, Nick’s has good cheap food, solid bartenders who know their sports, and that great roast beef sandwich. I love the Nick’s in South Philly as well.
• Jose Pistollas. Great beer selection and one of their two bars has no TVs which I am a big proponent of.
• Plough and the Stars. On the weekend, this place turns into toolbag central, but during the week it is a beautiful bar with good food and a gorgeous fireplace.
• Dirty Frank’s. How did Dirty Frank’s not make the list? This place is legendary, and I hear they have great fights on quizzo night.
• Speaking of legends, Doobie’s has great bartenders, a great jukebox, and a solid late night menu.
• Brigid’s. This is one of the city’s great first date spots. The food is great but not expensive, the ambience is cozy, and they have a lot of interesting beers.
• Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar. Only been a couple of times, but it’s a great South Philly spot with tons of character.
• The Khyber. Like the Cantina, I was shocked that this funky dive didn’t make it. An Old City institution.
• XIX. Who says a classy bar can’t make the list? Gorgeous bar, great service, and happy hour specials that make drinks here almost cheap enough for you and me.

Who do you think got the shaft?

I was hanging out with a beer owner, a brewer, two industry folks, and a local beer whiz last night, and we were discussing PW’s best bars issue. After a while we decided to put together a list of the worst bars in the city. Here’s what we came up with:

1. Fox and the Hound. A few years ago, Art and I made the mistake of watching a game there. They had country music playing instead of the game audio. We asked the bartender if they could turn the game volume on. The waitress said, “Oh we can never do anything like that without discussing it with corporate.” I’ve never been back. Terrible, terrible place to watch the game.
2. Kildare’s. Soul sucking faux bar for Jerseyites and Manayunkers on a big trip to the city. Then again, I hear they have a great quizzo.
3. Glam. I’ve never actually been in Glam, but I am 100% sure it is one of the worst bars in the city. I mean, it’s named Glam.
4. Fat Tuesday’s. Too bad Katrina didn’t wipe this place out.
5. Tiki Bob’s. When Jerseyites and Manayunkers wanna dance after a few Irish car bombs at Kildare’s, they hop in their Hummers and head here.

What places am I missing out on?

Well, I’m still smarting from PW’s slight, but I must be a bigger man (however, if I have not received a formal apology from PW in 24 hours, I will be exacting my revenge) and get past it. Each of the contributers (myself included) were asked to list 10 of our favorite bars. Here was my list (in no particular order):

• North Third
• Bards
• Oscar’s
• Good Dog
• Fish Bar at FriSatSun
• Locust Rendezvous
• Jose Pistollas
• Black Sheep
• O’Neals
• Standard Tap

Make of that what you will. In hindsight, I might have subbed the Cantina for Fish Bar, though Fish Bar is a great place for a date, on the off chance I ever have one. Still, I am shocked that Cantina did not make the cut. That was a huge oversight. Last summer, we did a poll of best bars in Philly and it resulted in the Cantina losing by two measly votes to the Standard Tap. I’ll have a list of the other bars that shoulda made the cut, those that shouldn’t have been on the list, and the worst bars in Philly later on today.