Memphis Taproom

jgasparine

Maryland

4.51/5  rDev +2.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Atmosphere-
I visited this establishment during Philly Beer Week, 2011. It was completely packed upon arrival, which was fine, considering the circumstances. Definitely a good vibe; a laid-back neighborhood feel with the obvious specialty in beer.

Quality-
Appropriate glassware was used for every beer. Draughts were poured at a nice temperature. And, of course, the quality of beer was impeccable.

Service-
Despite the fact that this bar was packed, and the fact that there was only one bartender to 40-some-odd patrons, the service was fantastic. Once the crowd thinned-out into the night, the bartender even came out from behind the bar to pour bottles for us tableside.

Selection-
Not a great number of taps, but the selection available on those taps was incredible... and the bottle list, while also not very lengthy, was just PACKED with gems. Arguably the best selection in Philly.

Value-
A bit pricey, but the service and selection make it worth the while- most definitely.

06-07-2011 02:29:09 | More by jgasparine

clayrock81

Virginia

4.17/5  rDev -5.4%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$$

Very chill place with cool people as I went during happy hour and I wonder if this place is the start of some gentrification for this area of Philly or is a spot like this in a 'hood like this b/c the rent (of the owners bought the land, hell if I know) is cheap. What I do know is that the bartender was extremely friendly and talkative to us since we were out-of-towners and that I had already ate before coming here and was pissed. People's dinners were brought out past me everytime and man was that some good lookin' and smellin' food. But I didn't come here to eat (next time) - I came for the beer. The selection is not the most eclectic nor is the most, quantity wise, that one can find but they have a pretty good bottle list that stays towards the American side but gets its feet in some foreign waters and there were a couple bottles that I have not been able to find at other places. The taps are too few for my liking, but the tap selection when I was there was great and they rotate all the time so what I had last week has probably already been rotated out. A must stop for anyone visiting from out of town.

04-09-2013 22:06:35 | More by clayrock81

Metalmonk

North Carolina

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

A relatively new addition to the Philly beerscape. With a nice beer list and veggie-friendly menu, it was a no-brainer stop during a recent two-day jaunt through the city of brotherly love. The atmosphere is colonial meets old-west. I dig the chalkboard beer menu, split equally between micros and imports, most of them from reputable, outstanding breweries. Lagunitas, Franziskaner, Chimay, Victory, Bavik, Dogfish Head, and many more. Not the hugest tap or bottle list, but it's definitely quality over quantity here. The biggest treat was Founders Pale Ale on cask, which was indeed delicious.

Service was attentive, although we went at an off-peak time, with the bartender being knowledgeable enough. The food was freaking incredible. My host and myself are both vegetarian, and their menu is not only veggie/vegan friendly, but the food itself is of an incredibly high standard. We had the chili and bbq "pork" sandwich, both absolutely mouthwateringly awesome. (ie. my mouth is watering just writing this, days later). The "suicide rings" were very good too, but didn't compare to the main events. Can't wait to return, more for the food than beer, and the beers ain't no slouches.

06-26-2008 02:00:34 | More by Metalmonk

TheFightfan1

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$$

After the wife and I took a tour of PBC. We went down the block to this little place.

I must say I don't usually like the city type bars as they seem to be all the same but this just had an overall great feel about it. We were inspired to come here after after Guy Fieri's show Diners,drive ins and dives. This is a fantastic little bar with a great tap selection and tremendous food to match. The best yet I have been to in Philadelphia. Yes the service is a bit lacking even on a Saturday afternoon but it certainly makes up for the wait. I ended up having Cantillon Gueze,while the wife had a hairey eyeball.

A bit much in price I have seen certain bottles of beer half the price that I have bought here but still all and all a tremendous must visit bar when you are in the area.

03-19-2011 21:22:42 | More by TheFightfan1

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

mymrnngjckt

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Stopped here with a few friends for brunch. The place is small but quaint. A small bar area opens up to a mid-sized dining room. The place is decorated in local advertising and breweriana. The service we had during this trip was awesome. We were quickly waited on questions were answered quick and friendly. The selection was good. Nothing rare or unique but a decent selection of regional craft and a few non-regional craft. Food was outstanding. I would go back here just to eat. I really reccomend this place. A great piece of the Philly beer scene puzzle.

07-03-2010 13:59:49 | More by mymrnngjckt

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +1.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Stopped into Memphis Taproom for brunch for the first time last weekend. A little smaller than I was expecting it to be but no big deal. Vibe was pretty good. Lots of people sitting around having breakfast and enjoying themselves. I really wanted to check out the beer garden but it wasn't open yet, I will check it out next time for sure.

Once we were seated in the back dining room we promptly ordered some breakfast and a few beers. I got the Red Rooster, it is essentially the typical breakfast stepped up a notch, and it was awesome. I had two beers while I was there, a Ballast Point Bourbon Barrel Sea Monster on cask and a Round Guys Berliner Weiss. The Ballast point was awesome, the round guys....not so much. I took a look at the bottle list and it was pretty impressive, also pretty expensive. Service was really good. Our server came to check on us multiple times throughout the meal, offering refills and getting us new beers. She even offered to replace my beer when it wasn't up to par but I decided to suffer through it.

Overall a really awesome bar that I will definitely return to in the future.

07-01-2012 17:27:22 | More by orangesol

Chincino

Massachusetts

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

I went to the Memphis Taproom last night during a visit to Philadelphia and honestly I wish I was back there now instead of writing this review. The atmosphere of the Memphis Taproom was very relaxed and suitable to hanging out with friends and enjoying the incredible beer selection. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that Pliny the Elder was on-tap so of course I had to order a couple of those. It was exciting to see Pliny the Elder which is one of my favorite beers on tap somewhere other than at the Brewery in CA and the surrounding area. We ordered a couple appetizers including the hummus platter and the fried pickles which were very good. The service was very good and the bartender was very friendly and knowledgable. The Memphis Taproom is a great place if you're looking for a chill relaxed atmosphere and a great beer selection!

12-31-2010 02:56:10 | More by Chincino

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