Today, the blue building is punctuated by a massive mural over the front door, running the full height of the structure’s second story. Multi-color lights bring a bit of the classic dive bar interior vibe to the sidewalk just outside the front door, a strand or two of holiday lights wrapped around the pole on the corner of the structure. Inside, a pair of slender spaces flank either side of a centrally positioned bar area, exposed brick walls bisecting the area, marking off the once separated floorplan. Colorful lights of all variety surround this central area, adding a nice dive bar hue to the El Bar interior, especially at night.
Stool seating lines the bar counter, a pool table the predominant feature in one half of the space, a long wooden bench the marquee attraction on the opposite side. The bench provides the backdrop for the classic dive bar sticker collage, all of it under a small collection of odds and ends indicative of the décor throughout El Bar ranging from current live music posters for upcoming acts to old 40-ounce beer bottles and tin signs. An ancient piano can be found in the rear of the space, used here as another ledge to display random knickknacks and another string of holiday lights.
Because of the layout of El Bar’s space, the Philadelphia dive bar can get crowded quickly on busy evenings, making navigating the two skinny rooms a challenge. Such is the crowd drawn to El Bar that the bar has reported itself as one of the top outlets of PBR in the country. Thankfully, the back patio offers overflow seating when the weather allows, the large space populated with a non-trivial amount of plastic mannequin body parts to extend the divey El Bar appeal outside. Metal patio furniture and umbrellas dot the outdoor area that can also get crowded on nice Philadelphia days.