McGillin’s Olde Ale House

Episode 26 – Originally Published 2017

This week I had the opportunity to meet a delightful man who owns Philadelphia’s oldest continuous operating ale house in the city – McGillin’s Olde Ale House.  If you’re not familiar with McGillin’s , it’s on Drury Lane between Juniper and 13th Streets. There’s an enormous old fashioned neon sign on the front of the building and it  looks very much the way it did almost 160 years ago.  Owner Chris Mullen and I talked about the history of McGillin’s, the impact the ale house has on the country’s perspective of Philly as a beer town, the great food and drink you can get there, and the ghosts of Ma and Pa McGillin.  Yes, McGillin’s is haunted!  Check out McGillin’s on their website – www.mcgillins.com, and be sure to visit for their very own McGillin’s craft beers, mile high meatloaf, an Eagle-tini and some fish and chips.  Plus you can keep an eye out for Ma McGillin’s ghost on the second floor between the bar and the TV.  Apparently she prefers conversation to the animated box. 

TwistedPhilly is researched, hosted, and produced by me, Deana Marie, and available biweekly wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow me on Tiktok and Instagram at twistedphilly To see many of the locations and histories I discuss in the show.