Summary
- Paddy's Pub in Philadelphia, seen in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," does not actually exist in the city.
- The exterior shots of Paddy's Pub are filmed at the Nate Starkman & Son Building in Los Angeles.
- The cast of the show, Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson, own a real bar in Philadelphia called Mac's Tavern, which features nods to the sitcom.
Despite It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia largely taking place at the bar that the main characters own, there is no real Paddy's Pub in Philadelphia. Paddy’s was bought by Dennis, Mac, and Charlie while they contemplated buying a roller rink, with Dee employed as a bartender with merchandising rights so that they wouldn’t have to pay her minimum wage. Frank took over the bar when it was threatened with a buyout, making it an enterprise the whole gang is a part of. Paddy’s is less a functioning business, though, and more the epicenter of the gang’s outrageous antics.
With its hostile staff, unhygienic premises, and frequent violent occurrences, Paddy’s isn’t the kind of establishment that real customers would flock to. However, given its central role in the long-running sitcom, the place has still managed to become iconic. As a result, it is likely many real-life fans have gotten the idea to visit the famous pub in Philadelphia, but they would only be disappointed with the fact that the bar seen in the show does not actually exist in the titular city.
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The Bar Seen In The Show Is Actually In Los Angeles
The Building Used For The Exterior Shots Isn't Even A Pub
In It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Paddy’s Pub is said to be located in South Philly. At different times, its location has been named as the corner of 2nd and Dickinson Streets and the corner of 3rd and Dickinson. However, the building that appears in the show is actually nowhere near Dickinson Street; it’s not even in Philadelphia. The shooting location used for the exterior of Paddy’s Pub is in Los Angeles (via Dirt). Since most actors, crew , and production companies are based in L.A., most TV series are shot there.
When it doesn’t have a Paddy’s Pub sign hanging from it for the purposes of shooting a new season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, this building is known as the Nate Starkman & Son Building — or just the “Starkman Building” for short. It was named after a record label that used to be based there in the 1980s. The building that stands in for Paddy’s Pub can be found at 544 Mateo Street in the Arts District of downtown L.A. It was originally built as a factory for the Brinstool Paint Company in 1908.
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The Cast Does Have A Real Bar In Philadelphia
The Real-Life Bar Features Nods To The Sitcom
While Paddy’s Pub is a fictional invention of the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creators, two of its cast have owned a real bar in Philly since 2010 (via Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson, a real-life married couple better known as It's Always Sunny characters Mac and Dee, are the proprietors of Mac’s Tavern, a sports bar on 226 Market Street.
The bar is full of memorabilia related to the series. It has artwork of the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia cast hanging on the walls, as well as a signed Chase Utley jersey — a nod to Mac’s infatuation with Utley on the show. The menu also features an item called Mac's Mac and Cheese which is famously the only dish Mac can make on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
