Philadelphia recommendations

I'm heading to Philly at the end of the month for a job interview at UPenn. Any tips on great places to go? Both to get good local brews with meals, but also to pick some up to take home with me.

Any must tries? I'm also into cider so if there's any I should keep my eyes out for let me know.

Not so beer related, any hints on selling my non-beer drinking wife on the city?

Monk's Cafe if you like Belgian brews..Biggest selection anywhere. The food is pretty good too. My favorite bar in the city. Also I am lucky that I can take the train home........

It is a historic city so if you are into that there are plenty of things to see.

Eulogy

Hands down. I've found Monk's to have a little bit of an attitude some times but the people over at Eulogy are awesome and the beer selection is just as good if not better. Food is pretty good at both but I always try to make it down to Eulogy when I hit the city.

Thanks guys. I like the looks of eulogy's menu.

When you get to Philly, check out phillytapfinder.com. You can search by beer, beer style and bar.

+1 to Monk's and +1 to Eulogy... Love them both. Alla Spina is an interesting new Italian gastro pub that has a bunch of unusual taps. I also am a huge fan of Standard Tap (best pork sandwich ever!)

Also, as far as selling the wife is concerned, Philly has a great food scene these days. If she is a foodie, maybe you can sell her on eating at one of Jose Garces restaurants (Amada is great). There is pretty good shopping too. Great people watching and noshing at Rittenhouse Square cafes. Art Museum is good, plus the Barnes collection just opened and is arguably the best private art collection in the US.

I am not a guy from Philly, but visited last year. I'm about to duck from the objects thrown at me for this recommendation I'm sure, but I sure did like Bridgewater's in the train station. The HB logo was a welcome sign hanging outside the place, since I can't get good Munich beer where I am.

Sorry for OT, here--has anyone else heard that Philly is hosting NHC 2013? I really, really hope that's true!

Piratwolf said:

Sorry for OT, here--has anyone else heard that Philly is hosting NHC 2013? I really, really hope that's true!

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As far as I know, that is indeed true.

While you're out by UPenn check out Dock Street Brewery, great beer and pizza, and Local 44 is out that way.

There's also Yards Brewery on the other side of town, that has a nice tasting room.

There's a TON of good beer bars and food depending on what part of the city you'll be in.

Triumph is across the street from Eulogy, Victory down by the sports center, and Iron Hill if you can get to Chestnut Hill. All great.

The following suggestions are just MHO.

In terms of geography, if you're interviewing at Penn, the good nearby bars are Local 44 and Dock Street. White Dog Cafe is another good one on Penns campus, although it feels more like a restaurant than a bar. I often go there when I want a beer lunch.

If you want to take public transit downtown---very easy, from Penn you just hop on the Market Frankford El (blue line subway)---then main other places worth checking out are Triumph, Eulogy, Monks, and Nodding Head. Triumph and Eulogy are across the street from each other. I also like Standard Tap, which is just past downtown on the blue line. All four have pretty good food.

If you will have a car, one of my favorite places in the area is Victory. It's a bit of a drive from Philly, and the food sucks, but they are probably my favorite local brewery overall.

I highly recommend you go into the city... Monks and Eulogy are a must. If you enjoy mussels, make sure you order some at Monks. If you have a car, Capones in Norristown always has a bunch of rare brews on tap and a nice bottle shop and pretty good food.

For a great selection of bottles to take back, check out the foodery. http://www.fooderybeer.com/index.html

And how could I forget. If you're there at the end of the month, you might just hit Beer Week in Philly!

http://www.phillybeerweek.org/

If you get the job and come back.....

Heading to Downingtown, PA is worth it.
It is a bit of a drive, but makes for a great outing.
Victory brewery is there and is fantastic!

I have family in the region and try to make visits as often as possible

In center city, check out Good Dog Bar and Jose Pistola's across the street.

In the art museum area, Kite and Key is our go to bar. Good food, awesome beer selection. Bishops collar isn't far away either.

Personally, I"m over Victory. And I've never had good luck with Monk's. Apparently every time I've been there, I've gotten the waiters/waitress's with attitude. And don't even think about that place during PBW. It's small enough to begin with, you won't be able to move in there that week.

If you head down to Eulogy, across the street is Q BBQ and Tequilla. I was just down there for a homebrew/BBQ contest. I was surprised at the tap line up they had, and I know they are bringing in a bunch for PBW as well.

dfess1 said:

In center city, check out Good Dog Bar and Jose Pistola's across the street.

In the art museum area, Kite and Key is our go to bar. Good food, awesome beer selection. Bishops collar isn't far away either.

Personally, I"m over Victory. And I've never had good luck with Monk's. Apparently every time I've been there, I've gotten the waiters/waitress's with attitude. And don't even think about that place during PBW. It's small enough to begin with, you won't be able to move in there that week.

If you head down to Eulogy, across the street is Q BBQ and Tequilla. I was just down there for a homebrew/BBQ contest. I was surprised at the tap line up they had, and I know they are bringing in a bunch for PBW as well.

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+1 on Good Dog and Jose Pistolas.

The Good Dog Burger is tied for my favorite Burger in the City, with the Royal Tavern.

Jose Pistolas, also has great food and a really nice beer list.

+100 on the Good Dog Burger.

Victory is good if you plan on drinking a few seasonals, but most of their stuff is available at your general bar or bottle shop. Personally, I stick to Storm King on cask when I'm out that way.

Not sure how this hasn't been mentioned yet, but having literally gotten back from Philly this past Sunday, I had 2 great experiences.

The first was at The Devil's Den in South Philly (11th and Ellsworth):

http://www.devilsdenphilly.com/beer-list/

Aside from this beer list, they have about 15 damn good beers on tap. I had a Founders Centennial IPA and an Alesmith Summer. Between 5-7 on Monday - Friday, they have half off on ALL drafts.

There's also the Foodery at 324 South 10th Street (10th and Pine). It's a convenience store turned beer store. Here's a list of their selection (it's quite impressive, but can get price):

http://www.fooderybeer.com/beers.html

Enjoy!

Piratwolf said:

Sorry for OT, here--has anyone else heard that Philly is hosting NHC 2013? I really, really hope that's true!

Click to expand...

Confirmed. Can't wait!!!

If you're going to be down near Monks, Good Dog, and Jose's then swing into Nodding Head on Samson St. for arguably the best Berliner Weisse in the country. For eating and drinking Philly has been underrated for a long time, but people are now starting to realize how much high quality food and drink there is here. It's fantastic! Also check out philadelphia.foobooz.com for some of the latest news for area restaurants, etc. Enjoy!

Go to Saad's and get the Falafal sammich with garlic sauce and babaganoosh

I'll be in Portland, OR the third week in June. I'm staying in the downtown area. Any suggestions for brew pubs?

JeffoC6 said:

Not sure how this hasn't been mentioned yet, but having literally gotten back from Philly this past Sunday, I had 2 great experiences.

The first was at The Devil's Den in South Philly (11th and Ellsworth):

http://www.devilsdenphilly.com/beer-list/

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I rarely get to South Philly! That's why I forget! There's also the POPE.

And on south st, Brauhaus Schmidts is pretty good if you like German beers.

If you're into ciders, Jamonera on 13th St between Chestnut and Sansom has a couple of cool Spanish ones, and the sherry tasting flight is worth the money for novelty factor if nothing else.

Thanks all for your great suggestions.

My first stop was Nodding Head and what a great spot. The grog was a little cloying, but the Berliner Weisse was one of the best beer I've ever had. I've been really bullish on low alcohol beer lately, and this fits the bill perfectly. I certainly want to try my hand at this style. Food was also excellent (pulled pork).

Good Dog was rammed when we went, but after a lengthy wait we did get a table. I had the Vanilla stout that was on as a special. Really nice style, even without the vanilla it would have been a spectacular stout. I had the Po boy, delicious. My wife had a cocktail with lavender in it. I actually liked it too, surprisingly.

Also went to Eulogy. I'd give it an OK only. The food was fine, but nothing spectacular. Clearly a massive beer selection and worth a stop.

Jose Pistolas tacos were amazing (pork especially). Nachos also great. I had a Russian River sour, really enjoyed that also. My wife had a cider (the brewery escapes me, but was local). It was nice, a little sweet for my taste, but definitely worth checking out.

Overall, what a great city. I probably hit it at a good time due to beer week, but there is definitely a huge community of beer lovers. Looking forward to going back.