12 Steps Down LLC   

Despite its name, which would suggest either an angry retort to the Alcoholics Anonymous methodology, or a somewhat disconcerting evocation of Dante, 12 Steps is warm and welcoming, solid and unpretentious. A giant projection screen TV fills up one of the walls with larger-than-life-size sporting events -- it need not be said that the South Philly crowd is relentlessly partisan -- and a venerable pool table provides plenty of alternative action for those in a more participatory frame of mind. But the joint is more than just a sports bar: hipster locals have discovered its many charms, including its relative inexpensiveness, decent food and eclectic jukebox. The menu offers many standard bar items including burgers, fries, onion rings, but also a few veggie and vegan options (the hummus, for one, is surprisingly fresh and garlicky) to please all comers. Once you get past the whole drinking-in-a-basement thing, youll be ship shape.