Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar, located just 40 steps from Geno’s on East Passyunk Avenue, knows how to treat people right. The first drink is free on one’s birthday, but Ray’s $2-$6 price range and weekly entertainment at no cover charge makes it a perfect spot to go to on a date or for a night of booze and cheesesteaks year-round.

Weekend warriors will be delighted at Ray’s schedule of activities from Thursday through Sunday. Some of the best jazz musicians in the Philadelphia jam at Ray’s every Thursday, and anyone who can hang is welcome to join. Friday is Karaoke night, Saturday has live acts, and one can recover on Sunday by sipping on Ray’s Margarita specials.

But it is the atmosphere that puts Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar in a league of its own. The ladies entrance and depression-era spittoon at the foot of the bar are conversation pieces today, but the wisps of cigarette smoke, coupled with photos of patrons, performers and Rat Pack members of past and present that blanket the walls are a reminder that Ray’s will always embody old-school south Philly.

Be sure to talk to Ray’s owner, Lou Capp, who looks like Tony Bennett and has a penchant for telling jokes. He’s a charmer.

Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar
200 E Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19147