TV Restaurants

What Happened to Downey's Irish Pub After Bar Rescue? (Philadelphia, PA)

Closed verified

As of September 2026, Downey's Irish Pub has closed — confirmed via phillyvoice.com, July 26, 2021.

Primary source
phillyvoice.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: PhillyVoice reported the bar's liquor license was put into safekeeping in November 2015 and the business closed for good in 2016 owing over $80,000 in back taxes; a demolition permit for the vacant building was issued in July 2021.

  • Season / episode Season 1, Episode 2
  • Original air date
  • Address 526 S Front St, Philadelphia, PA 19147

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What happened after Bar Rescue?

Downey's Irish Pub had been a fixture at the corner of South and Front streets in Philadelphia's Society Hill neighborhood since 1976. Original owner Jack Downey sold the business to his chef in 2003, and the new ownership was already dealing with serious financial strain by the time Bar Rescue filmed its second episode. The pub had been temporarily shut down over food-safety problems before the crew arrived, and the episode's rescue effort focused on cleaning up food-safety practices and rebuilding basic operational discipline in the kitchen and behind the bar. The episode's title, "Downey's and Out" (aired July 24, 2011), previewed the outcome: despite the on-camera cleanup, the fixes proved unable to overcome the deeper financial hole the business was already in by the time producers arrived.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, as cited by PhillyVoice, the bar's liquor license was placed into safekeeping on November 1, 2015, meaning it could no longer legally serve alcohol, and the business closed for good in 2016 in the face of a sheriff's sale, with the operator owing the city $80,712.43 in accumulated taxes and interest. The Front and South streets building then sat vacant for years. The property sold at a sheriff's sale for $1.15 million in 2017, and in July 2021 city records show a permit was issued for the site's full demolition, clearing the way for a proposed mixed-use redevelopment with ground-floor commercial space and residential units above. Local real estate figures have since pointed to a broader decline in the surrounding commercial corridor, noting that the block lacked the foot traffic needed to support new businesses without a significant anchor tenant, per PhillyVoice's coverage of the redevelopment plans. As of the most recent coverage, the original Downey's building had not been replaced, and no successor bar or restaurant has operated at the address since the pub's 2016 closure.

Featured on Bar Rescue

Season / episode
Season 1, Episode 2
Original air date
Episode title
Downey's and Out
What was featured
health-code shutdown and liquor-license collapse at a longtime Irish pub
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Downey's Irish Pub

Frequently asked questions

Is Downey's Irish Pub still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Downey's Irish Pub has closed — confirmed via phillyvoice.com, July 26, 2021.

What happened to Downey's Irish Pub after Bar Rescue?

Downey's Irish Pub had been a fixture at the corner of South and Front streets in Philadelphia's Society Hill neighborhood since 1976. As of September 2026, Downey's Irish Pub has closed — confirmed via phillyvoice.com, July 26, 2021.

Is Downey's Irish Pub permanently closed?

As of September 2026, Downey's Irish Pub has closed — confirmed via phillyvoice.com, July 26, 2021. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

Where is Downey's Irish Pub located?

526 S Front St, Philadelphia, PA 19147. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Bar Rescue featured Downey's Irish Pub?

Season 1, Episode 2 of Bar Rescue, first aired July 24, 2011. The episode is titled “Downey's and Out”.

Did the makeover last at Downey's Irish Pub?

The episode first aired July 24, 2011. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 15 years later —: As of September 2026, Downey's Irish Pub has closed — confirmed via phillyvoice.com, July 26, 2021.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
526 S Front St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Venue type
bar
Official website
None found

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Sources

  • phillyvoice.com — https://www.phillyvoice.com/downeys-irish-pub-demolition-philadelphia-bars/

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