The Spot: Philly's Sports Bar & Grill, 1826 N. Scottsdale Rd., Tempe, 480-946-6666 http://phillyssportsgrill.com/
The Hours: Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 pm, with reverse happy hour deals Sunday through Thursday from 11 pm to close. Some pretty killer drink deals are available all day, every day though.
The Details: Domestic drafts and bottles are priced at $2.50, with well, wine, and Cuervo 'ritas for just $3. All appetizers on the menu will run you $3.95 (excluding the sampler platter, natch). Drink deals available at any time of the day or night include $5 vodka Redbull, $4 Long Islands, and $3.50 Pilsner Urquell, while 2 bucks and change will buy you a pint of High Life or Modelo.
(the happy hour break down after the jump)
The Interior: Philly's is a sports fanatic's dream, with the soft glow of televisions illuminating nearly every inch of this bar. We counted no less that four different types of sports on the tele, although the World Series was naturally getting the most play. In terms of seating, there was plenty of room on the abandoned wrap-around patio, the bar area packed to capacity with regulars, or in the dining room with a bunch of 9 to 5-ers kicking back after a long day at work.
The Cost: A feast of three appetizers and four ice cold drinks came to a mere 23 bucks before tax and tip.
The Conclusion: Philly's may not be sleekest bar in town, but it's far from a skeezy dive. The service was spot on, the beer was ice cold, and your feet don't stick to the floor. What else are you looking for?
The drink deals are plenty generous on or off happy hour, with a variety of well, wine and beer priced between 2 and 3 bucks. They even have a couple of cheap mixed drinks on the menu like old dependable, the Cuervo margarita ($3), or the beloved brick-to-the-face, Long Island iced tea ($4).
Drinks and general awesome sports bar vibe aside, the food was what really made this happy hour great. Even though the appetizer menu is composed of good old fashioned deep fried and battered bar food, they don't skimp on the quality of their grub. The fried shrimp was fresh with the perfect crisp batter to sea bug ratio. The hot wing drumsticks looked like they belonged to mutant chickens with better leg tone than we can boast. And the bacon cheese fries were doused with real cheddar cheese and real bacon. Despite just being a platter of fries, they were wolfed down in record speed.
Overall Grade: Solid A
