Cool place but damn, cash only with no atm? That's a crime.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Devon Cogswell
Came here for their goth industrial night and had a blast, great service and awesome music.
Tee D.
I've been, at times reluctantly, coming to Ulana's for over 20 years. It's been a staple of the goth/industrial scene in Philly. We haven't always had a lot of options for our community, so you sometimes take what you can get. It's a dive bar with a dance floor and an adjacent room better for sitting and socializing. The entirety of the space has various elements that hint at what was likely the last time it had any serious amount of attention paid to it: circa 1979. This is what bugs the hell out of me. In all the years I've been coming here, Ulana has invested nothing into what is an interesting venue with a lot of potential. And that is just beyond my comprehension. Like, not even some new furniture? The chairs and benches that line the perimeter of the dance floor have been there for over 20 years. And they look, feel, and probably smell like it. When you sit on them you can feel the grime. Get a small business loan or have a fund raiser and get some new seating, maybe a coat of paint here and there (nothing bright, please), and for the love of all that's goth, clean up the mildew that riddles this space. If you can smell it means there are spores in the air. And if you leave and your hair smells like a moldy wig, then honestly you really need to do something before your patrons get very sick. I'm not being snobby here. I can appreciate, even prefer, bars and clubs that are rough around the edges, but this is beyond "cool dive" or even "OK but kind of gross", it's at "definitely a health hazard". I don't know how it passes inspections. Still, I appreciate it exists, and will continue to go back, which is why I'm not giving it one star. I just wish Ulana appreciated those who have been patronizing her venue for all these years and gave us something back. I'd even be okay paying a higher cover if it meant it would go into giving the space the love it so desperately deserves.
Roy Robson
Loved it, saw some dark techno.
Celebi Swift
Loved it, saw some dark techno.
Mary S.
If these walls could talk... they would say: "help! I've seen too much, please just END it!" previous reviews were correct when saying there was a distinct smell. Ulana's smells of hopelessness, defeat, and mildew. The vodka waters made me feel euphoric, while the frigid bathroom made me feel nostalgic, like I was camping in the poconos with my family. Were on our way to another bar, morale is low and we are still searching for enlightenment. Looking forward to the future, because anything HAS to be better than cardboard walls and poles, limited bar selection, and an overwhelming stench.
Andrea F.
Visited for the first (and probably only) time a few weekends ago and I imagine it's entirely contingent on what's going on here at any given time. This particular Saturday night was a grungy DJ night (Zillas on Acid) and it was...interesting. I always walked by this place and thought it was an abandoned church, but it's very much open and in service, even though it feels kind of minimalist/under construction on the inside. $5 cover isn't bad, but also not ideal for essentially being an empty free space with a dance floor and lights. Either way, I was willing to pay to dance to some good non-top 40s music. Bar felt kind of makeshift. My BF ordered my whiskey ginger and said when he ordered it, they: (i) poured the ginger ale from a two-liter of soda, rather than an actual soda gun; and (ii) asked "do you want more ice or more liquor?" when there was still room in the plastic cup. Umm, which do you think? Anyway, the music WAS dope and the light show/bubbles above the crowd was a nice touch. It was definitely smelly AF in there, stagnant and hot. I'm glad I didn't use the restrooms. Overall, a fun one-and-done type of place, but maybe I'd come back if it pulled more talented DJs like that.
Timothy Adams
I used to throw a monthly there ~ always good times...
Chris N.
Amazing. Showed up to this place outta the blue, three sheets... cover of dos bones was mad decent. Also, the eclectic mix of people there made me feel so much better than 99% of the clubs I've been to in my life.
This place is insane. Nothing else like it in the city. Sci fi wormhole in a seventies tomewarp.
Kirstin Cotellese
Well, if you really like the smell of must and mildew then this is your place to be.. Honestly it could have been much worse. However, this place is still real sketch..
Music was
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 4
Cool place but damn, cash only with no atm? That's a crime.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Came here for their goth industrial night and had a blast, great service and awesome music.
I've been, at times reluctantly, coming to Ulana's for over 20 years. It's been a staple of the goth/industrial scene in Philly. We haven't always had a lot of options for our community, so you sometimes take what you can get. It's a dive bar with a dance floor and an adjacent room better for sitting and socializing. The entirety of the space has various elements that hint at what was likely the last time it had any serious amount of attention paid to it: circa 1979. This is what bugs the hell out of me. In all the years I've been coming here, Ulana has invested nothing into what is an interesting venue with a lot of potential. And that is just beyond my comprehension. Like, not even some new furniture? The chairs and benches that line the perimeter of the dance floor have been there for over 20 years. And they look, feel, and probably smell like it. When you sit on them you can feel the grime. Get a small business loan or have a fund raiser and get some new seating, maybe a coat of paint here and there (nothing bright, please), and for the love of all that's goth, clean up the mildew that riddles this space. If you can smell it means there are spores in the air. And if you leave and your hair smells like a moldy wig, then honestly you really need to do something before your patrons get very sick. I'm not being snobby here. I can appreciate, even prefer, bars and clubs that are rough around the edges, but this is beyond "cool dive" or even "OK but kind of gross", it's at "definitely a health hazard". I don't know how it passes inspections. Still, I appreciate it exists, and will continue to go back, which is why I'm not giving it one star. I just wish Ulana appreciated those who have been patronizing her venue for all these years and gave us something back. I'd even be okay paying a higher cover if it meant it would go into giving the space the love it so desperately deserves.
Loved it, saw some dark techno.
Loved it, saw some dark techno.
If these walls could talk... they would say: "help! I've seen too much, please just END it!" previous reviews were correct when saying there was a distinct smell. Ulana's smells of hopelessness, defeat, and mildew. The vodka waters made me feel euphoric, while the frigid bathroom made me feel nostalgic, like I was camping in the poconos with my family. Were on our way to another bar, morale is low and we are still searching for enlightenment. Looking forward to the future, because anything HAS to be better than cardboard walls and poles, limited bar selection, and an overwhelming stench.
Visited for the first (and probably only) time a few weekends ago and I imagine it's entirely contingent on what's going on here at any given time. This particular Saturday night was a grungy DJ night (Zillas on Acid) and it was...interesting. I always walked by this place and thought it was an abandoned church, but it's very much open and in service, even though it feels kind of minimalist/under construction on the inside. $5 cover isn't bad, but also not ideal for essentially being an empty free space with a dance floor and lights. Either way, I was willing to pay to dance to some good non-top 40s music. Bar felt kind of makeshift. My BF ordered my whiskey ginger and said when he ordered it, they: (i) poured the ginger ale from a two-liter of soda, rather than an actual soda gun; and (ii) asked "do you want more ice or more liquor?" when there was still room in the plastic cup. Umm, which do you think? Anyway, the music WAS dope and the light show/bubbles above the crowd was a nice touch. It was definitely smelly AF in there, stagnant and hot. I'm glad I didn't use the restrooms. Overall, a fun one-and-done type of place, but maybe I'd come back if it pulled more talented DJs like that.
I used to throw a monthly there ~ always good times...
Amazing. Showed up to this place outta the blue, three sheets... cover of dos bones was mad decent. Also, the eclectic mix of people there made me feel so much better than 99% of the clubs I've been to in my life.
Restaurantji Recommends
This place is insane. Nothing else like it in the city. Sci fi wormhole in a seventies tomewarp.
Well, if you really like the smell of must and mildew then this is your place to be.. Honestly it could have been much worse. However, this place is still real sketch..