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Owner story · Northern Liberties, Philadelphia

Familiar but exciting, incorporating local ingredients, and staying inclusive to all diners.

The Bourbon & Branch team · 705 N 2nd St, Philadelphia

Chef Brooke Alan in the Bourbon & Branch kitchen
Cajun fried crab balls on picks, with a wedge of lemon, in the afternoon sun at Bourbon & Branch

2nd and Fairmount, since 2014

Cajun bar fare and whiskey in a Northern Liberties standby.

For nearly 30 years, 705 N 2nd St was Liberties, a taproom near Fairmount Avenue. In February 2014 it became Bourbon & Branch, named for the drink: in the South, branch means water. The bar itself is an altar, salvaged from a decommissioned church at 10th and Green, and the second floor became a music room for more than 100 people. In October 2026 chef Brooke Alan joined the kitchen after ten years in Philadelphia restaurants, bringing her version of Cajun bar fare: family recipes, modern technique and local ingredients.

Green leather banquettes along an exposed brick wall at Bourbon & Branch, with the stage at the far end

The menu

Bar snacks, small plates and large(er) ones.

Gumbo with andouille, crawfish and shrimp comes by the bowl or rolled into an eggroll with lemon aioli. There’s crab mac n cheese with lump crab, a crab cake sando with Cajun remoulade, braised beef shank in a plum bourbon glaze over sweet corn grits, and smothered pork ribs in low country gravy, with collards, grits and black-eyed peas on the side.

Collards, absinthe brown butter and parmesan

Bar snacks

Roasted oystersCollards, absinthe brown butter and parmesan
With lime panade, two to an order

Bar snacks

Jumbo fried shrimpWith lime panade, two to an order
Biscuits and gravy with eggs and potatoes

Weekend brunch

Biscuits & gravyBiscuits and gravy with eggs and potatoes
A plate of Cajun fried crab balls by a sunny window at Bourbon & Branch

Pinkbot at Bourbon & Branch

Pinkbot brings Bourbon & Branch to the door.

  • Since March 2026Pinkbot has carried Bourbon & Branch’s orders from 2nd and Fairmount to customers’ doors.
  • Pick any threeThe bar snack trio takes any three, from fried pickles and deviled eggs to BBQ ribs and roasted oysters.
  • A plate for every dinerVegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes are marked across the menu, and the wings come in seitan too.
  • Brunch on weekendsEggs benny with andouille, shrimp and grits, and chicken and waffles, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 to 3.

Visit Bourbon & Branch

Gumbo, oysters and a whiskey list on 2nd Street.

705 N 2nd StPhiladelphia, PA 19123
See the menus@bourbonandbranch
The music room at Bourbon & Branch: a small stage with a microphone, tall windows and an arched mirror
Live jazz every Thursday night.Music Quizzo on Tuesdays, brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, and a second floor for private events.

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Keep more of every order.