Where to listen

The Rooms.

32 venues,

18 neighborhoods,

six categories.

Every room in the bandstand index, grouped by neighborhood. The vibe line is the most honest thing we can tell you without you being there.

→ See them all on the map

Bella Vista

The Good King Tavern

614 S 7th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147

French neighborhood bistro with a wine bar downstairs (Le Caveau) where the late-night soundtrack tilts jazz and soul. Curated, not auto-generated.

Bistro upstairs, listening cave downstairs. · Restaurant + bar pricing.

Jazz on system

Brewerytown

Brewerytown Beats

1551 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19130

Record store and listening space. Soul, funk, jazz, Philly International deep cuts. Hosts occasional in-store sets and listening parties.

Store hours plus event nights. Crate-dig friendly. · Free for in-store, ticketed for events.

Vinyl barListening roomDJ sets

Callowhill

Trestle Inn

339 N 11th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Soul-funk DJ bar with a real jukebox sensibility. Weeknights for the spinners, weekends for the dance floor. Funk-jazz vinyl lands here.

Dance bar, dim, narrow. Whiskey list does the heavy lifting. · Cover after 10p on weekends.

DJ setsVinyl bar

Center City

Chris' Jazz Cafe

1421 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19102

The downtown jazz room. Two sets a night, real food, real sound system, the place touring rhythm sections come through.

Tables, dim lights, a real stage. People listen. · Ticketed, two-set nights, varies by act.

Live jazzJam sessionListening room

Kimmel Cultural Campus (Jazz Series)

300 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19102

Big-room jazz when a marquee act comes through. Verizon Hall or Perelman, depending on the date.

Concert hall. Suits and sneakers both. · Ticketed, full concert-hall pricing.

Live jazzListening room

Time

1315 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Upstairs whiskey bar with a piano, a stage, and a late-night Monday tradition. Smaller room, closer to the band.

Whiskey bar with a tight stage. Walk-in. · Mostly free or low cover.

Live jazz

Chinatown

Hop Sing Laundromat

1029 Race St, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Unlisted-door cocktail speakeasy with a hard rule on phones and a long love affair with jazz vinyl on the system.

No photos, no phones, no walk-ins after the line. · Drink minimum, no music cover.

Jazz on systemListening room

East Passyunk

Garage Passyunk

1231 E Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Skee-Ball and pinball bar with a serious DJ program in the back room. Soul, hip-hop, funk, occasional jazz selectors.

Arcade in front, dance floor in the back. · Free, sometimes cover for special nights.

DJ setsVinyl bar

Fishtown

Front Street Cafe

1253 N Front St, Philadelphia, PA 19122

All-day Fishtown cafe with regular acoustic jazz nights in the back room. Walk-in friendly, low cover when there's a band.

Coffee-shop by day, listening corner by night. · Free or low cover.

Live jazzJazz on system

Suraya

1528 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19125

Levantine cafe, market, and bar that takes its music programming seriously. Regular DJ nights, real jazz and Arabic soul on the cafe system.

All-day cafe by light, music room by night. · Restaurant pricing, occasional ticketed nights.

Jazz on systemDJ sets

North Broad

South Jazz Kitchen

600 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19130

Supper-club room from the Warmdaddy's family. Southern menu, full bar, the band's right in front of you.

Dinner-show seating, dress nice-ish. · Cover + minimum, varies by show.

Live jazzJam session

The Met Philadelphia

858 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19130

Restored 1908 opera house turned mid-size concert hall. Jazz acts land here when they're touring with a big band or a string section.

Real opera house, gilded balconies, big sound. · Ticketed, mid-to-large.

Live jazzListening room

Northern Liberties

Café La Maude

816 N 4th St, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Lebanese-French cafe with brunch-into-evening hours and a soft, jazz-leaning soundtrack that actually picks records, not algorithms.

Cafe by day, low-light dinner by night. · Cafe pricing.

Jazz on system

Heritage

914 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Neighborhood bar that turned its back room into one of the city's most consistent jazz programs. Where the jams happen.

Loud bar in front, listening room in back. · Mostly free, tips for the band.

Live jazzJam session

Ortlieb's

847 N 3rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Lounge in the old Ortlieb's brewery footprint. Jazz lands here on occasional weeknights, mixed with indie booking the rest of the time.

Rock-club geometry, jazz nights are seated. · Cover varies, see calendar.

Live jazz

Old City

Khyber Pass Pub

56 S 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Cajun-Creole bar with the city's most punk back bar. Occasional jazz, brass-band, and soul-DJ nights mixed into the rest of the booking.

Loud bar in front, music in the back. · Cover varies.

Live jazzDJ sets

Royal Boucherie

52 S 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106

French brasserie with a curated music program — actual jazz, soul, and funk records on the system. Not airline-magazine ambient.

Dinner-and-cocktails room with music you'd notice. · Restaurant pricing, no music cover.

Jazz on system

Olney

La Rose Jazz Club

5531 N 5th St, Philadelphia, PA 19120

North Philly institution. Locals' room, deep history, runs jams and weekend shows that go late.

Neighborhood lounge, regulars know each other. · Cover varies, cash often.

Live jazzJam session

Rittenhouse

Friday Saturday Sunday

261 S 21st St, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Marbled-bar bistro with one of the most thoughtful soundtracks in the city. Real jazz, real soul, played at human volume.

Bar seats are the best seats. Quiet enough to actually hear the music. · Restaurant + bar pricing.

Jazz on system

Vernick Food & Drink

2031 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103

American dining room where the kitchen and the playlist both feel deliberate. Jazz and soul on the system, served at conversation level.

Restaurant first, but the music isn't filler. · Restaurant pricing, no music cover.

Jazz on system

South Broad

Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts

738 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19146

Black-led jazz institution founded by Local 274 members. Concerts, workshops, jam nights, and the building itself.

Listening-room mode for ticketed nights, community mode for jams. · Ticketed shows, free community events.

Live jazzJam sessionListening room

Solar Myth

1131 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Ars Nova Workshop's listening room. Avant, free, contemporary jazz, plus the more interesting touring acts. Programming lives on Ars Nova's What's On calendar.

Seated listening room, no chatter during sets. · Ticketed, prices vary.

Listening roomLive jazz

The Dolphin Tavern

1539 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Late-night dance bar with a DJ-driven booking policy. Soul, funk, disco, broken-beat. Where DJs go after their set somewhere else.

Late, sweaty, loud. · Cover after midnight.

DJ setsVinyl bar

South Philly

Bok Bar

800 Mifflin St, Philadelphia, PA 19148

Rooftop on top of the old Bok vocational school. Seasonal, DJ-heavy programming through summer with regular soul/funk/disco nights.

Open-air, sunset crowd, DJs over real speakers. · Free for early, lines later.

DJ setsVinyl bar

Connie's Ric Rac

1132 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Tiny South Philly listening room. Genre-agnostic but jazz, latin, soul, and experimental land here often. Standing-room intimate.

Storefront stage, 50 people max. · Low cover, cash at the door.

Live jazzListening room

Strawberry Mansion

Lou + Choo's Lounge

2101 W Lehigh Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19132

Decades-deep North Philly lounge. Live bands, soul-jazz residencies, late jams. The kind of place where the regulars run the room.

Lounge geometry, dim lights, dress is grown. · Cover varies, call ahead.

Live jazzJam session

The Yard on John Coltrane St.

1500 N 33rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19121

Outdoor programming space on the block where John Coltrane lived. Home of Ars Nova Workshop's 'Spirits Up' mindfulness + music series.

Outdoor, daytime, listening-led. · Mostly free, see Ars Nova listings.

Live jazzListening room

University City

Annenberg Center

3680 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Penn's presenting house. Programs a smart jazz line every season alongside dance and theater.

Theater seats, lights down, full attention. · Ticketed.

Live jazzListening room

World Cafe Live

3025 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Larger venue downstairs, smaller upstairs lounge. Jazz dates land here when a touring act needs a real PA.

Downstairs is a proper concert room. Upstairs is loose. · Ticketed, set times posted on the calendar.

Live jazz

West Fairmount

Mann Center for the Performing Arts

5201 Parkside Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19131

Outdoor amphitheater in Fairmount Park. Summer jazz series, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the destination when a marquee jazz act needs a big room.

Lawn seats, pavilion seats, picnic culture. · Ticketed, range from cheap lawn to expensive pavilion.

Live jazzListening room

West Philly

Booker's Restaurant + Bar

5132 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19139

Cedar Park spot from chef Saquan Black. Soul food + cocktails, real jazz on the system, occasional live nights and jam-leaning Sunday brunches.

Neighborhood dining room. Comfortable, deliberate. · Restaurant pricing.

Jazz on systemLive jazz

The Rotunda

4014 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Penn-affiliated community arts space. Presents jazz, experimental, world music, and West Philly community programming, free and ticketed.

Listening room, theater seats, all-ages. · Mostly free, occasional ticketed shows.

Live jazzListening room