Snapper Soup Is Back Where It Belongs as the Olde Bar Opens Its Doors

Tonight's the night for the official debut of the Olde Bar, the Garces Group's revitalization of Old Original Bookbinder's. The seafood restaurant and bar opens its doors at 4 p.m. tonight, January 9.

Previously, we've shared interior details and a preview of the concept and players. Now, a look at what you'll be eating and drinking there.

Happy hour runs from 4 to 6 p.m., seven days a week. Happy hour deals include a daily buck-a-shuck oyster selection, other oysters priced at three for $5, and a small menu of $5 snacks. There will also be $3 beer specials, $4 wines by the glass, and a $6 Fish House Punch.

The food menu is relatively concise, happily focusing on seafood house classics and nostalgic bar snacks, while the drinks menu is positively sprawling. Oyster shooters, one of the fanciest citywide specials you'll find (Cynar-spiked Ancho Reyes chile liqueur and a half pint of Dock Street Oyster Stout for $14), and several pages of nostalgic cocktails are just the start.

For the curious, we asked GM Chris Mann about a few Philly signatures. Mann told us that the snapper soup on the menu is based in the classic recipe, but is "somewhat updated." (Stay tuned for a closer look at the dish later this month.) The combo of fried oysters and chicken salad is not on the menu — "at least not yet," Mann added, leaving the door open. On the cocktail side, he pointed to the Clover Club as one to try: a gin-based cocktail shaken with an egg white, it originated in Philadelphia as early as 1896 at the old men's club of the same name at the Bellevue.

Here's the full menu, with both food and drinks included:

The Olde Bar menu

Grid View

• The Blackburn Room one of two private venues available for events.
• Probably not the actual POS.
• Artifacts line the hall to the bathrooms.