Philadelphia has a well-earned reputation as a dive bar city, and the deals inside these unassuming corners are genuinely hard to beat. A ranking of the city's best beer-focused dives turned up a dozen standouts, but a few show exactly why this scene rewards the curious.

The rules of the game are simple and worth knowing before you go. Most Philly dives close by 2 a.m., many are cash-only, and cheap eats — think Hot Pockets, ramen, Slim Jims — are often on the menu alongside a serious beer list.

For sheer volume, 2nd Street Brew House in Pennsport stocks more than 85 bottled beers plus 14 rotating taps, many from Pennsylvania breweries, in a room the size of a rowhouse basement. Bella Vista's 12 Steps Down, hidden down a literal dozen steps since 2002, keeps 50 bottles and 10 taps on hand, with food sourced from the nearby Italian Market — gochujang wings are a highlight. Also in Bella Vista, The Dive Bar on South Street pours all drafts at $3 during happy hour, and owner John Klein's microbrewery background shows in the rotating craft list.

History and character run deep here too. Bob and Barbara's Lounge in Graduate Hospital, open since 1969, is credited with inventing the Citywide — Philadelphia's iconic order of a PBR can and a shot of Jim Beam — for just $5. Dirty Frank's in Center City has been pouring since 1933 and offers $2 cans during happy hour alongside a curated 70-plus bottle list; note the 25-and-over door policy. El Bar in Fishtown, dating to 1965, operated for decades without a sign, is one of America's biggest PBR sellers, and sells its own Citywide for $6 — with genuinely interesting craft options on top.

A few quirks add to the hunt. Atlantis: The Lost Bar in Kensington, a cash-only spot operating since 1875 behind a plain black facade, sits a block from Philadelphia Brewing Company and encourages you to bring your own food. Druid's Keep in Northern Liberties, tucked into a former rowhouse, pours over 50 bottles (Tetley's, Unibroue, Lindemans lambic among them), sells six-packs to go, and has a dog-friendly patio, pool room, and foosball table.

For travellers, this is one of the cheapest great nights out in any major American city. A crawl through Fishtown, Bella Vista, or South Street can cover three or four of these spots for the price of two cocktails elsewhere, and every one doubles as a genuine neighbourhood hangout rather than a tourist stop.