Teresa's Cafe & Next Door Bar

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +13.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$$

Transcribed from undated notes, probably early-to-mid June 2009.

I was quickly coming to enjoy SEPTA's Regional R5 line, finding that I fit in so well among the glitterati and old money of the Main Line that I began to wonder why it had taken me so long to visit. Ha! The only commonality between us is that I used to mainline once upon a time. Oops, just kidding. Never cop to anything, that's my motto.

TND, as I was told that it is generally abbreviated, turned out to be a mere crosswalk from the train station. Entering, the m.d.s. was in the vestibule, directly between Teresa's Restaurant and Teresa's Next Door with the former to the left and the latter to the right, facing. TND was a long, narrow establishment with a VERY European mindset. A window fronted the joint (just to reinforce what a class act I am), along with some standard tables and chairs with a line of them running aft along the right wall before segueing into booth seating. The floor was stone as was the back wall with its opening for the kitchen. The left wall began with a series of coat hooks, followed by a cut-out for the entries to the twin unisex lavs, and then to the long stone-topped bar. The back bar had four shelves for various beer glasses, followed by a shelf of wine and liquor bisected by a line of twenty-three (23) CO2 taps and one (1) N2 tap plus two (2) cask ale handpumps. Under the back bar were six (6) double-doored coolers which were home to two hundred and fifty-plus (250 +) bottled beers, all licensed for take-away.

Does $ = atmosphere? In some cases, yes and this was one of them. I could lie to you and tell you that I had been much more at home at The Flying Pig, but the truth is that I was equally welcomed here. On this, my initial visit, my server was Katie, the Boston lawyer. I also noted that I enjoyed the smells coming from their oak wood-fired grill and oven and forget Jimmy John's free smells.

I CAN tell you that I have been back at least once since then. The taps rotate and at some point, they held a Ballast Point promotion and given my relation to one of their brewers, Colby Chandler, I try to represent when possible.

Finally, you must try one of their mixed cheese plates. Spendy? Yeah, but totally worth the expense.

08-19-2010 22:54:31 | More by woodychandler

deskim

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +13.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$$

My favorite bar on the Main Line! Great happy hour (4-6) with $3 American and $5 Belgian drafts. They rotate the drafts almost daily, and the website is always updated. Make sure to look out for the events as they get a bunch of rare stuff. The food, especially oysters (Monday is buck-a-shuck) and mussels is great. The Cuban sandwich is also delicious. The wait staff are all incredibly knowledgeable, and very willing to explain styles or give samples. The atmosphere is very old-school (no tv or anything like that), but this leads to a very relaxed atmosphere. The wine and whiskey lists are also worth mentioning. A great stop in the Philly suburbs!

11-02-2010 03:07:49 | More by deskim

northside

Pennsylvania

4.95/5  rDev +12.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

The question is, what's not to like? If you are looking for great food and one hell of a bottle list and 24 taps plus 2 on the handpump, well this is your place. The glassware alone, is in one simple word, awesome. They do the whole range of beers here from Charles Wells ESB to Belgium Wild Ales to Hopslam. If there is only one small downer for some people, that would be how loud it can get at times. Now if that is your only problem,why hell, things are good. I could give the food a higher grade, but I need to eat here a few more times (and not just drink) to be fair to everyone. Everybody that I have met who works at Teresa's Next Door really seems to care about your experince there. They also have a very good wine list and some really top shelf liquor choices. It is as the critics say, a must see!

07-19-2007 00:24:35 | More by northside

berpwillie

Pennsylvania

4.88/5  rDev +10.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$$

just visited this past weekend and had the time of my life. 4 batches of consecration, and supplication on draft! my two favorite beers! even knowing they will only be on draft for a limited time, it seems this place would usually have the cream of the crop brews. the trip to get there was well worth it. the rest of the draft selection was amazing, as was the bottle selection. definitely on the up scale, but pricing didn't seem to bad. the bar staff was very knowledgable, much more than i had expected. didn't try a meal but i did have a cheese tray that was delicious. hopefully i will be able to visit this place again in the near future. my only complaint was the hostess didn't seem too friendly. i think she was in need of a stiff one, and i'm not talking about a drink. if your in the area this place is a must.

07-19-2010 15:32:09 | More by berpwillie

chapka

Pennsylvania

4.83/5  rDev +9.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Overall, TND is outstanding; it's currently my favorite beer bar and if you haven't been, you should. 24-odd taps and two hand pumps, great bottle list, knowledgeable servers who consistently have great recommendations. Kid-friendly, non-smoking, and it's certainly nice that you can get there on the train (take the R5 to Wayne and it's less than half a block away), meaning my wife and I can both drink; always an issue at other good local places like Capone's.

The atmosphere is great as well; no TVs or smoke, just people enjoying beer. It can get a bit crowded later, but the bar service is still always good.

The beer list and tap list are large and varied, and I can always find something I want, but there are a few odd gaps...the English and German bottle selections are solid and interesting, but short; around 10 beers each as I recall (compared to dozens or hundreds from the U.S. and Belgium). Early on, the taps were heavily Belgian, which I always think is a little strange (especially where the same beer is only available in bottles in Belgium). These days there are still plenty of Belgians, but also a good variety of other stuff as well.

As for the food, it's consistently good; my only issue is that the entrees don't always live up to the appetizers. Partly, that's because the appetizers and small plates, including a rotating cheese selection, tasty non-fried chicken wings, and some very nice Mexican specialties, are so consistently good. If you're not in the mood for mussels, the entree selections are less exciting, though still quite tasty.

Overall, a must visit for the local beer geek, especially if you live on the R5.

11-21-2007 15:21:36 | More by chapka

roan22

New Jersey

4.78/5  rDev +8.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$$

Wayne is a pricey area so naturally the prices here may be a touch higher than Capone's or Grey Lodge. Now that the obligitory bitching about the prices is out of the way I can go into the 6 glowing positives of Teresa's, and one small negative.

1. Proximity to my apartment. I live in Lower Delco. Enough said.

2. Affiliation with Beer Yard's Matt Guyer, which is right down the street. Selection is wonderful with 20 taps and secret bombshell sixtels which Matt G. has hidden away like weapons of mass destruction (Read: Russian River IPA, Founders Kentucky Bourbon Stout). Bottle number unknown, could be close to 100.

3. Laid back, mature bar scene inside Teresa's Next Door. No annoyances to speak of. Except maybe the lack of music. The best part is the trust fund kids in their pastel plaids avoid Teresa's and go down the street to the Kildare's-like irish pub (I forget the name).

4. Wonderful, satisfying dinner specials. Unfortunately some people arent so fond of what they got to eat, but I guess I got lucky and picked the right things. I've had the roasted 1/2 chicken special and it was divine. Wonderful flavorful sauce. Also had a yummy mixed green/goat cheese salad. Do not expect Pub Grub here. For more adventurous eaters, they also have mussels, brie cheese and veal.

5. Consistent well-trained staff. They know the beers, they know how to pour them. I watched a bartender s-l-o-w-l-y decanting a belgian beer into a snifter. Took him like 3 minutes. One waiter told me he "had" to carry my friend's can of Young's Double Chocolate on his tray to our table like he did.

6. The bathroom sink is really cool. The funny thing about Teresa's is that everybody is always walking in on people in the bathrooms, because nobody can find the bathroom door lock (its a tiny wee round piece of metal, you just push it in. Its no bigger than a baby pea, yes this is the lock).

7. My complaint is the ergonomics of the booths. I am six foot tall and thin, and I find them very uncomfortable because I don't fit in them well. The backs do not go up high enough, there is too much width on the seat part of the bench, and the tables are too far away. These booths are made for short, fat people. Oh well, I can always sit at the bar or another non-booth table.

Once Craig Laban or Philly Magazine reviews Teresa's and its published, look out, standing room only. Most of this area is down the shore all summer so take advantage of the quietness before Labor Day while you can.

07-25-2007 19:21:25 | More by roan22

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +8.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Stopped by Teresa's early on a monday during happy hour. Looks very standard from the outside but the inside is very nicely done up. Some booths and tables on one side with the bar on the other, I stopped at the bar.

This bar is great and one of the cleanest i've seen yet, spotless. It seems they have glassware for every style and plenty of them. The service was great and the staff was knowledgeable. They know what their doing at Teresa's.

I guess i spotted over 20 taps with great selections from the US and abroad. Some selections that I could not pronounce and a good number of styles. Handpumps as well. I got some Rodenbach Grand cru, GD Saison, Cantillon Gueze and some sly fox. All in the appropriate and clean glassware. Bottle prices were pretty good to. I had the good fortune to have Ithaca Brute on tap here during beer week and i'll never forget it.

I only ate some oysters which paired well with the gueze. The frites smelled amazing. The menu had a lot of things I need to try in the future. The gyro is amazing.

Edit- After returning many times I can say that this is my fsvorite bar in SEPA, hands down.

05-19-2009 03:03:40 | More by onix1agr

zoso1967

Michigan

4.78/5  rDev +8.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

This place rocks! My wife and I's favorite spot outside of the city. Great upscale atmosphere, always a quality tap list, two beer engines, great bottle list, tasty food, knowledgeable and capable staff, they have it all. While it is a bit pricey, I personally think it is a pretty good value for the area it is in and the fact that they serve almost everything in the correct glassware is an added bonus.

If you live in the area this is a must visit place, and if you don't you should head over there sometime and try it out. Cannot recommend highly enough.

01-16-2010 19:55:50 | More by zoso1967

oglmcdgl

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +8.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

I've been going to tnd for years and I am compelled to give my thoughts on this wonderful establishment.
The draft and bottle selection are to say the least mind blowing pair that with great food and a very pleasant atmosphere and you get a great place to have a beer. Ive never been disappointed with the beers or the tasty grubs. Its absolutely spotless and just a very comfortable place to be. A bit on the pricey side but its rich white people land what do you expect. All in all one of if not the best bar I've ever been to. Thanks for the great times.

07-18-2010 22:30:48 | More by oglmcdgl

sholland119

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +7.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

This has become our favorite place over the 3 months we have been going there. Of the many great beer bars in the suburban Phila. area, this one stands out for us. 24 regular taps, 2 casks with enough activity that there are 6 or 8 new beers every week. And what a selection: Pliny the Younger and Elder, St. Bernardus 12, Allagash Curieux, Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale, Founder's Breakfast Stout are among the tap beers we have had here. On top of the 200 or so bottles (Port Brewing Hop 15, Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast, Great Divide Hercules among others). The bartenders are knowledgeable and very friendly. The room is very attractive if rather noisy on weekends. Food is generally good. The mussels, Mexican appetizers and the cheese selections are outstanding. Entrees are pricey and inconsistent. Sandwiches are good except for the rolls. Highly recommended!

Update: food has steadily improved since this review. Seasonal soups have been very good, and the sandwiches have gotten better (i like the new tips 'n tails sandwich, chicken sandwich now has sliced chicken breast and stands up to the roll better)

2011 Update: Food is better and better all the time. Gyro is my current favorite.

11-06-2007 02:20:51 | More by sholland119