Memphis Taproom

dsa7783

New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Located in a rather industrial and slightly run-down area in Philly, this "hole-in-the-wall" type place is difficult to spot and rather non-descript from the exterior...
The selection on draught was amazing... Was just informed that the previos week, they had Pliny the Elder and Younger, which I was extremely pissed about missing...
Was able to sample stuff from Russian River, including Blind Pig IPA, which was really impressive...
Good food, as well, a giant cheeseburger with delicious fries... Friendly staff, a great bartender...
A little out of the way, but definitely recommended...

03-22-2009 01:27:23 | More by dsa7783

bwd110

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev -1.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Been meaning to get to this place for awhile... Heard many good things about the atmosphere, staff and, of course, the beer list.

Made it down as part of the no repeats week, their mantra for the week as part of Philly Beer Week.

Walked in on Saturday about 3:30 after a Flyers game, the bar area greats you as you walk in with tables lining the walls. Bar was pretty full, big chalkboard above the bar across the length. The chalkboard was a little confusing - as they listed all the beers for the week, not just the ones currently tapped. I'm guessing that was just for that week and normally if it is on the board, the beer is tapped.

Anywho, good selection of some West Coast beers not found around too often. This particular day seemed to be focused on regional brews, a pleasant surprise because in this area you can't throw a rock without hitting a bar that only carries Yards, Victory, PBC, etc... (not a bad thing, though)

We settled in and were greeted with printouts of all the beers currently tapped. The wait staff was very attentive, and even let us know when a keg was getting low so we could order it before it kicked.

Decided to have a bite, the dining area, while small, had a comfortable feel and another chalkboard to keep the diners updated on the beer selection. The food, while mainly bar fare was very good. Had an awesome ciabatta pork and broccoli sandwich. My wife had a burger and commented that it was also damn fine.

Overall, a great example of one of Philly's many unique and interesting neighborhood bars. Plus it is very close to Johnny Brendas and Standard Tap if you want to expand your selection of brews for the evening.

Will definitely be back.

03-20-2009 16:34:20 | More by bwd110

Deuane

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

I have been to MT a handful of times now and with each visit my desire to have this place as "my local" grows greater and greater.

A "typical" small corner bar in a residencial neighborhood. Inside a fairly nice sized bar greats you with tables along the wall. In the back is a proper dining area with a mix of tables and booths. All in all the place feels larger than it looks.

Service gets better and better with each visit. Here is an example from the past weekend. Brandon, the owner, knew my name before I told him...due to our interactions with his wife Leigh of Local 44...how cool is that! Then...a hole opens up on the taps, he asks US if we would like to have the Double Dorado that we inquired about earlier to go on?! Hell Yeah we would, thanks for asking! The servers and tenders have been quick and friendly too.

Eleven taps with constant rotation...all good to great and NO crap, plus a hand-pull. Pretty damn solid if you ask me.

The food we have ordered has been good. Last time we had apps that included empenadas and fried okra. Both were done proper and were very tasty.

Prices are what one would expect for Philly...maybe even a bit on the "cheap" side for some things.

All in all I really love MT. Along with Local 44 Brandon and Leigh are building a mighty duo of local, friendly and desirable neighborhood hangouts. I know they work hard for what they are providing, I wish them the best of luck

03-12-2009 08:29:35 | More by Deuane

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.14/5  rDev -6.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

An unassuming exterior leads into a top-shelf beer bar. About 15 taps including gems like Russian River Blind Pig and 1 cask (unfortunately serving a dry stout - Love Stout - while I was there). The bottle list was written in chalk and not too extensive (but all good). The front of the establishment contains the bar room, with maybe 8 seats along the bar and another 15 seats or so at tables. The rear room is laid out like a restaurant, all table seating as far as I could tell. Beers were cheap, between $4-5 per pint on tap.

03-07-2009 02:13:41 | More by TurdFurgison

roan22

New Jersey

4.47/5  rDev +1.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

I don't live anywhere near this bar, but I have two good friends [NeroFiddled and BeerZombie] who live in this neighborhood, and so therefore I like to go here if I'm gonna hang out with one of them [or both of them like a few weeks ago!].

The first time I visited MT I went by myself, and ended up having a memorable experience because I unknowingly sat next to Craig Laban when he was doing his review of the place. The second time was about 3 weeks ago.

Beer-wise..its a given..the place belongs up there with the usual Philly beer bar greats.

Atmosphere wise..it reminds me of when I used to go to North Star Bar,The Abbaye or Brigids when I never lived near any of those neighborhoods either. A pleasing, yet detached sort of experience.

I don't personally know the owners but I know people who do and I have the upmost respect for them.

The food...is the only issue I can waffle on. But I am ultra particular about food. The fish and chips I have had better. I had fish and chips fresh before from bloody old England [Brighton Beach], and from Vancouver, and MT's version weren't that great.

However the chili I had during the month of December was awesome, so it redeems things. It had lots of cheese, and they brought me extra sour cream..which is a must for spicy chili and I am a dairy product freak. I have been wanting to try the welsh rarebit for a while but I don't like eggs so I am wondering if its possible to do the welsh rarebit without eggs. Just cheddar cheese and toast. and beer MMMM. [LOL sorry].

01-15-2009 09:20:43 | More by roan22

gdfan47

Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +5.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $

one of my favorite places to go in the city

the service is so great

im so bad with directions, I always have to plug it into my gps to get there

10 min from center city, 5 min from no libs

the place is a pretty good size with a big bar towards your right with at least one tv, im drawing a blank
the service is so friendly, they have a big chalk board with the drafts and an even bigger one with bottles...

they always have realy cool stuff on draft, and its very reasonable.... actually on the cheap side

the drafts change quite a bit, and they have a great webpage which seems to be updated with drafts and other vital info very frequently

the food is very awesome and ecclectic
i eat meat, but their menu is very veggie/vegan friendly
they do a spicy meatball sub which is incredible , they also have a sandwich with an omlet, bacon and oysters... which is amazing!

if im not mistakem, the most exspensive dinner is $14, very reasonable

I cant say enough great things about this place, one of my faves

update on dec 6th
the food menu had changed a little, still awesome... just some new items

12-05-2008 02:13:03 | More by gdfan47

edskirk3

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

I finally had a chance to check out Memphis Taproom the other night.

It's on a small corner which I'd imagine would be difficult to find parking if you weren't early enough. When you walk in the bar is to the right and there's some tables and high chairs to the left. Ahead of you, beyond the bar, is the dining room. We sat at the bar and were given menus without having to ask. I noticed several clearly marked vegetarian and vegan options.

I ended up having a Yards ESA, Victory Storm King (on cask!) and Elysian Bifrost Winter Ale along with the Port Richmond Platter (kielbasa, pierogies, potato pancakes, sauerkraut and really good mustard). The beers were presented in appropriate glassware.

The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The prices are reasonable. I felt welcome in this bar that I was visiting for the first time.

I'll definitely visit again. It's not very close to my neighborhood but I'll be back.

12-01-2008 23:27:24 | More by edskirk3

Cubed2ce

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev -4.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

The Taproom is located right in the middle of a neighborhood. Little to no parking. The entrance walks in to the bar are that has about 20 seats an 2 or 3 high-top tables. If you continue past the bar you will find about 10 tables. Small, but cozy place. The waitress was very helpful with detemining which draft to select. The list changes frequently. I had checked thier website to look at thier list and knew what I wanted to have. Unfortunately, the list had changed but not on the website. I noticed that they had Ommegang Abbey Ale on tap so I decide on that since I had never had it. Next was the food. The menu wasn't big but very good. I was told to have the Port Richmond Platter. Although it's an entree, it made a good sampler as an app for 3 of us. For an entree I had the Russian River Blind Pig and the Slow Roast pork sandwhich. Delicious!
Overall, great little place to go for some great food great beer and an low key night.

11-24-2008 15:21:34 | More by Cubed2ce

BeerZombie

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

I remember when I first heard of this place and thought to check it out ASAP. well I never really got around to checking it out on my own accord, until I ended up moving down the street. so now it's my local go-to bar, and I love it. what a perfect neighborhood to live in when the Memphis Taproom is your local bar. I couldn't have worked this out more perfectly for myself.

I remember the first time I went looking for it, without really knowing the exact intersection, I couldn't find it. the steel sign hanging in front of the bar doesn't really stick out, and they don't have any of those obnoxious neon beer signs in the windows. and that is fine. for as long as the beer is good, I'm happy. and that it is.

inside the bar is small and comfy, with a few hightops off to the side. honestly, I still have not even so much as walked into the dining room. the decor is nice, nothing obnoxious. just enough to let you know that you're in a beer bar. there's a chalkboard on either side of the backbar, one telling you of all the drafts (including upcoming drafts) and the other side telling you about all the bottles that they have. prices are clearly marked, including whether it comes in a pint (by default) or a tulip glass.

all the bartenders are extremely knowledgeable, and I've had 4 different bartenders serve me in the many times I've been there. they are always willing to ask any beer geek question that I may throw in their direction. they seem genuinely happy to talk beer with their customers.

the beer selection is great. I love how they always try to have at least one beer of each style on tap, and no more than one of the same style. drafts are moderately priced, usually $4-5 a pint, sometimes more if it's a specialty beer that is served in a tulip glass. the bottled list is superb, and changes with the seasons (I'm excited to check out their new winter seasonals).

as a vegetarian, I couldn't be more pleased with the food. I've had all their vegetarian sandwiches, now I'm ready to move on to the entrees. what makes me really happy is that ALL of the sandwiches are $8, and entrees run between $12-14 or so. very reasonable.

I'm so glad that the Memphis Taproom is my local bar. there's a LOT of bars in this neighborhood, but most are dive bars with really bad beer selections.

11-13-2008 06:00:20 | More by BeerZombie

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +5.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

The Memphis is my local, and as such I'd guess that perhaps my review should be taken with a bit of skepticism, or at least a grain of salt. I'll assure you, however, that if anything, I'm probably being a little harder on them than I normally would be.

First off, I love what they've done for the neighborhood. How one bar can make such a positive change, I don't know, but I certainly see it in the way that outsiders view the neighborhood now. Additionally, they've given us a much needed place for socialization.

The outside of the bar looks great, and it completely fits in architecturally. It has a little bit of a retro feel to it, which works perfectly. It has class. And they take care of it and the sidewalks around it. Very well run. Oh, I forgot to mention that I know Brendan, one of the owners. More skepticism. I wouldn't give him credit if it wasn't warranted.

Entering from the corner it can be kind of tight between the door and the first high top table. It's a kind of small bar. But that's the way corner bars used to be. And, that happens to be just about the right size for keeping it comfortable. Except for when they're busy, which seems to be the norm.

The decor is kind of retro. Not "real" retro, but retro-ish. Nice details. The dining room in back is just a little more modern, and just a little bit brighter. The art on the walls helps with that, and it's surprisingly good (changes monthly). It's a nice change, and it helps to separate the two areas. Nice bathrooms too.

Moving onto the things everyone wants to hear about... the beer list is fantastic. Always changing. Always something good, and always something that you wouldn't expect. Cask ales on Saturday afternoon. A great bottle selection.

The bartenders are top notch. I only know Brendan, but there are two other bartenders that I've seen several times who are great. And service in the dining room has been top notch as well, which, honestly, is a little surprising. Wait service these days has decreased to the point that if you don't have food spilled on you and you're not entirely ignored you've done pretty well. Not the case here at all. In fact, I'd consider it right up there with some very expensive, fancy restaurants that I've been to. (Cross my fingers, I hope that continues).

The food is kind of hipster-hippy-healthy. I don't know if that makes any sense. They have gluten-free items. They have vegetarian AND vegan items. They do standard kinds of things, but they put a twist on it. The BBQ Seitan sandwich ($8) is my favorite. It's comfort food, but it's also healthy. How bizarre!!! Ham on Rye harkens back to that corner bar thing. And they do unusual stuff like Grilled Marlin, and seasonal things as well. So maybe I don't mean hipster, as much as just hip. BONUS: All of the prices are reasonable! Entrees top out at around $15, which is $3 to $5 less than most places. Hmmm, maybe that has something to do with their popularity!

Alright, I think I've covered it. They have my definite seal of approval.

11-01-2008 20:08:44 | More by NeroFiddled