Philadelphia, United States

Wm Mulherin's Sons

Price per night from$258.50

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD258.50), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Whiskey business

Setting

Right side of the tracks

Named after the Irish family that ran the former whiskey blending and bottling factory housed here in the late 19th-century, boutique hotel Wm Mulherin's Sons is now an on-trend Italian restaurant with rooms. This red-brick stay has retained many of its period details, from arched windows and wood flooring to lift shafts (converted into skylights) and the original vault (that now houses a claw-footed bath tub). With only four industrial-chic rooms, this boutique stay is just the ticket to living like a Fishtown local; the best Italian eatery in the neighbourhood is just downstairs, and other local restaurants, bars and indie music venues are a short stroll away.

Smith Extra

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A cocktail each in the restaurant

Facilities

Photos Wm Mulherin's Sons facilities

Need to know

Rooms

Four.

Check–Out

11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 4pm.

Prices

Double rooms from £234.75 ($299), including tax at 15.5 per cent.

More details

Rates exclude breakfast.

Also

In its previous life, Wm Mulherin’s Sons was a whiskey blending and bottling facility.

At the hotel

Free WiFi throughout, restaurant. In rooms: flatscreen Apple TV, curated vinyl collection and record player, fully-equipped kitchen, Bonavita coffee maker, and Aesop bath products.

Our favourite rooms

All of the rooms retain original features of the former whiskey factory, in the form of exposed ducts, pipes, barrel-weighing scales and pulley systems. We especially like the lift-shaft-turned-skylight in spacious Room Three.

Poolside

Packing tips

Bring an appetite for local tunes and Italian dishes.

Also

Light sleepers take note: elevated Market-Frankford trains occasionally pass overhead.

Children

While children are welcome at the hotel, there are no extra beds or cots available, and the neighbourhood is geared more towards hipster-ish live music than pint-sized musician play time.

Food and Drink

Photos Wm Mulherin's Sons food and drink

Top Table

Cosy up close to the fireplace in winter, or sit up at the bar to watch the mixologists in action.

Dress Code

Keep things effortlessly cool – channel a laid-back Brooklyn vibe – to blend in with the locals.

Hotel restaurant

The restaurant – which came before the rooms above – is split into three sections: a fireside dining space, a wood-fired pizza parlour and a buzzy bar. Exposed brickwork and original details – large arched windows, wood panelling and exposed pipes – lend an industrial edge to the style, while fireside seating, a colourful Stacey Rozich mural and inviting booths keep things cosy. This mod-Italian eatery is helmed by seasoned chef Chris Painter; wood-fired pizzas and comfort-food pasta dishes are the name of the game. Try the Massinesi pasta with sweet Italian sausage ragu and ricotta, the half-brick chicken with escarole and cipollini onion, or the spicy Jawn pizza – named after Philadelphia’s all-purpose noun – which is topped with pepperoni, hot coppa, caciocavallo, and sharp provolone.

Hotel bar

Pull up a seat at the bar for finely crafted cocktails; whiskey-based drinks are a house favourite, but bourbon and amaro numbers are vying for top rank too. Try the rye, walnut liqueur and maple-laced Mister Francis, or order a bottle of wine and cosy up by the fireplace.

Last orders

The restaurant is open for dinner from 5pm to 11pm (midnight on Fridays and Saturdays) and weekend brunch from 10.30am to 2pm. The bar’s open daily from 5pm to 1am (2am on Fridays and Saturdays).

Room service

None, but you’ve got a fully-equipped kitchen in your room, complete with a Bonavita coffee machine for luxurious leisurely cups of joe.

Location

Photos Wm Mulherin's Sons location
Address
Wm Mulherin's Sons
1355 N Front St
Philadelphia
19122
United States

Wm. Mulherin's Sons is in Philadelphia’s on-trend Fishtown neighbourhood, known for its restaurants, art galleries and low-key music venues.

Planes

Direct flights from across the US and from major European hubs, including London, Paris, Frankfurt and Madrid, land at Philadelphia International Airport, which is just under half-an-hour away by car. Have our Smith24 team arrange your flights and transfers.

Trains

Philadelphia’s regional Septa trains pull into Girard Station, a two minute’s drive from the hotel.

Automobiles

Although you won’t need a car for getting around Fishtown, there’s paid public parking across the street from the hotel for $25-$35 a day if you’ve breezed in on your own set of wheels.

Worth getting out of bed for

On Saturdays and Sundays, the siren call of brunch, served downstairs, should be enough to lure you out of bed, and the restaurant’s whiskey cocktails will likely keep you from turning in too early most nights. Stroll around Fishtown, dropping into cafés, live music performances, and quirky boutiques; of the latter, Jinxed is a good bet for vintage shopping. Take a gentle stroll through Penn Treaty Park and see what's on show in the modern Crane Arts gallery, then take a boozy crawl through three neighbouring breweries and cideries: the Punch Buggy Brewing Company, Kurant Brew & Brew and Evil Genius Beer Company. If you're still standing after, head to the Fillmore to catch some live music.

Local restaurants

Set in a refurbished warehouse, on-trend eatery Kensington Quarters features mod-American dishes, including brioche bun pulled-pork sandwiches at lunchtime and duck breast with delicata squash and pecans in the evenings. Don’t ditch on dessert; sourdough apple fritters with cinnamon ice-cream and moreish brandy-caramel sauce await. The restaurant’s also open for brunches of pork Benedict on fluffy American biscuits and egg sandwiches with kimchi and spicy shaved beef; best paired with a coffee-infused breakfast cocktail, of course. Grab a picnic table at biergarten Frankford Hall, which serves German-style fare including sausages, mushroom strudel and potato pancakes. Go for the selection of Hefeweizens and the cheese Spätzle, and stay for the s’mores dessert pretzels and competitive ping-pong matches.

Local cafés

Coffee purveyors La Colombe have an 11,000sq ft flagship spot with a café, roasting facility, bakery, and tasting room, just down the street from the hotel. Our favourite bits might be the on-site distillery, where the coffee-infused rum is concocted, and the live music space, where bands take to the stage around 5pm each day. Artisan ice-cream makers Weckerley’s whip up fresh batches of the frosty stuff five days a week. From April through October, flavours are crafted using ingredients from local farmers; from November through March, classic comfort foods influence the menu. Favourites include the Timmy Treat (vanilla and raspberry sorbet sandwiched between two crunchy cocoa cookies) and the Banana Fluffernutter (caramelized banana, home-made marshmallow fluff, malted ice cream and peanut butter icing sandwiched between two peanut butter cookies). 

Local bars

Cross under the tracks and over the street to legendary dive El Bar; the ‘El’ refers to the elevated Market-Frankford trains that pass overhead. This cash-only bar is famous for its live music and cost-effective drinks – PBR, anyone?; in warmer months, make a beeline to the pleasant courtyard once you’ve a cold drink in hand. Johnny Brenda’s serves all-draft beer from local brewers and and is the best spot in the neighbourhood for live music – you’ll need a ticket for gigs. The menu features fresh ingredients from area farmers and classic Philly fare; we recommend a side of cheddar and sausage croquettes to go with your fried catfish sandwich for an authentic experience.

Reviews

Photos Wm Mulherin's Sons reviews
Isabelle Kliger

Anonymous review

By Isabelle Kliger, Roaming writer

Mr Smith is lounging on our plush seven-seat velvet sofa, glass of rosé in one hand, Apple TV remote in the other. ‘Shall we just stay here and not bother seeing anything?’ he asks expectantly. Because WM Mulherin’s Sons is the kind of place where you’d almost be forgiven for checking in and secretly hoping for a weekend of torrential rain. 

Housed in a former 19th-century whiskey blending and bottling plant, the hotel features four exquisitely remodelled guest rooms and a superb nouveau Italian restaurant. 

The industrial shabby-chic rooms are a magnificent blend of historic detail and minimalist Nordic design, kitted out with every conceivable mod-con, including a 50” HD TV, a sophisticated speaker system and fully-equipped kitchen. Exposed brickwork, reclaimed hardwood floors, lift shafts transformed into skylights, bespoke furniture – the decor is on-point, too. But beyond the showy bits, there’s a snugness to Mulherin’s that will make you never want to leave. 

This isn’t a conventional hotel so don’t come here expecting an obliging bellboy to carry your bags or 24-hour reception service. Check-in and check-out consist of an exchange of keys handled by staff in the downstairs restaurant. However, if you value the privacy and freedom of an Airbnb, but also enjoy little luxuries like rainfall showers and indulgent Aesop toiletries, this is the place for you.

We got off the train from New York as the afternoon heat was beating down, smothering Philadelphia in a humid haze. A sticky Uber ride from the station later, we made a dishevelled appearance at WM Mulherin’s Sons’ restaurant. ‘Check-in isn’t until four,’ said the receptionist-cum-waiter, but noting my flushed face added ‘let me see if your room’s ready.’ Fortunately it was, and we only had to trudge up one flight of stairs before the glorious burst of the AC hit us as we unlocked the door to Room 2. 

After a much-needed shower, we were ready to explore our surroundings. We didn’t have to venture far. Named for its legacy as the centre of the city’s shad fishing industry, Philly’s Fishtown is joining the likes of New York’s Dumbo and London’s Shoreditch in a cultural, artistic and culinary renaissance, as its former factories and warehouses are converted into trendy bars, restaurants, creative spaces and loft-style apartments. What makes Fishtown so interesting is that its resurgence is just beginning and, for now, only spans a few blocks.

Within just a couple of hours of leaving our room, we had grabbed coffee at La Colombe coffee shop, played jenga over a pint in the Frankford Hall beer garden, booked a table for lunch the next day at Cheu Fishtown (the latest venture from local lads Ben Puchowitz and Shawn Darragh, who have already built quite a reputation for their unique, delicious brand of Asian-Jewish fusion cuisine at their Bing Bing Dim Sum and Cheu Noodle Bar) and relaxed over a cocktail and nibbles at the beautifully restored Kensington Quarters. What’s astonishing is that at no point had we ventured more than five minutes from where we began.

Despite being the fifth-largest city in the US in terms of population, Philly is not an obvious travel destination. Unless you are a die-hard foodie, that is…

Home, of course, to the Philly cheesesteak (a steak sandwich dripping with molten cheese that will make your cholesterol level spike just by watching someone eat it) the Philly food scene also features some excellent Italian, French, vegetarian and Asian fare. The cream of the crop is Zahav, the acclaimed Israeli restaurant by Michael Solomonov, winner of three James Beard awards, including the 2017 award for outstanding American chef. 

Zahav was our dining destination that night and it more than lived up to the hype. We devoured every morsel of the Tayim tasting menu, even though six salads, five starters, two grilled meat dishes and two desserts are a tall order even for a pair of notoriously robust appetites. Vowing never to eat again, we rolled back to Fishtown.

There is more to do in Philly than just eat, though. If you’re a history buff, the ‘Birthplace of American Democracy’ will keep you busy with its Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution were drafted and signed, and superb museums such as the Museum of the American Revolution, National Museum of American Jewish History and the African American Museum. 

But once we’d exhausted the wonders of historic Philly – and ourselves in the sweltering heat – what stuck with us was the food: the shameful cheesesteak at Geno’s, the moreish soup dumplings at Bing Bing Dim Sum, the indulgent pastrami bun at Cheu Fishtown, the smooth-as-silk hummus at Zahav and, not least, the decadent mushroom, truffle and burrata pizza at WM Mulherin’s Sons rather excellent restaurant. 

When I first mentioned my stay in Fishtown to a former Philadelphian, he looked horrified and told me to watch my back. And while its true that Philly gets bad rap for safety, it would appear his concern was off the mark. 

Fishtown is not up and coming. It is already up there and has most certainly arrived. For now, its gentrification is only getting started, but there is no telling how far it will spread. One thing’s for sure, Fishtown is one of the most exciting neighbourhoods to visit right now on the East Coast. My advice: go now while it still has some of its edge. You know where to check-in…

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Price per night from $258.50