Bishop's Collar, The

slander

New York

3.86/5  rDev -2.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

On the move again, trying to keep to that loose lack of a schedule we don't have if we're going to make lasagna night in Queens later (so not happening). Just picked a few places to see, nowhere near each other; scattered about in the corners of here and there. I kind of enjoy this town while Dave does not, that which makes horse races. I'm getting somewhat slightly almost noticeably not better at navigating Philly without a compass now, and am easily staying within the boundaries of the rivers. So, up on Fairmount now, the neighborhood's gone gone again...

Little suspect stand alone bricky place awninged up on the corner. I wonder lots of stuff, like what used to be attached or next to it and where they've gone; they don't just build onesies like this. 8 tables outside run both sides of the corner for seasonal seating, see. Inside, just to the right, something different, a strange "Y" shaped wood bar, being a straight bar with an angle on the end and a piece jutting out. Foot rail below, I take notice of them in bars now, I didn't always did but my dogs get a-tired when there's nowhere to foot 'em.

Barback is shiny mirrored old stainless steel unit, with booze over mirrors and a chalkboard running the length above listing food (salads, soups, apps & sandwiches), bottles & tap selections in colored chalk. Phillie's bobbleheads & figurines line bordering below the boards on one side, nic nacs, figurines, plaques, and pics on the other side. Baby track spots above the boards, and mounted flat screens in both corners. Glassware and 3 tiered booze below the bar back.

Red painted walls, trim & molding against a beige ceiling, slab marble tile floors, sunken spots in the molding above, and spinning fans. Pub signage and neons, and Halloween décor just now. A bench to the left just inside the door, a bar counter on the window just past there, and a CD juke sit adjacent to the bar. Shaking through, 8 tables on church pew seating in a step up room to the rear, with some art, a large Guinness mirror, and some beer signage.

12 taps on a single tower on the center of the bar. Some local Pennsylvania wares (PBC Kenzinger, Yards Philly Pale Ale, Sly Fox Black Raspberry Reserve, Yuengling Lord Chesterfield Ale), some regional micros (Fisherman's Pumpkin Stout, Allagash White), some irregional micros (Russian River Pliny the Elder, Green Flash Hop Head Red), a few fantastic imports (Delirium Tremens, Stella, Guinness) and a cider (Ace Perry Cider).

Also a dozen bottles listed on the boards above, a small collection of mismatched micros (Moylan's Hopsickle Impy IPA, Bells Two Hearted Ale, Hoppin' Frog Bodacious Black & Tan, Pennichuck Engine 5 Red Ale, Fisherman's Brew, DogFishHead Theobroma), a few Belgians (Chimay Red, Westmalle Dubbel, Urthel Hop-It, Sara Buckwheat Ale), and imports from somewhere (St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, Hitachino Sweet Stout). I also spotted some other random bottled selections in the stickered cooler fridge down past the bar (Anchor Steam, Sam Imperial Pilsner, Victory Hop Devil, Guinness, Magners, Lindemans Framboise).

Um, Pliny please, perfectly pretty no brainer, huh. Beer was what with being damn tasty and all, no surprise, and seemingly well kept. Not a happy girl bartending. It very well may have been the too many goddamn "Philly bar crawl 2008" kids here drinking Twisted Tea, but I cannot say for sure. No, I can say for sure. And so goes the crowd here today on their amateur day crawl, but we are not deterred. All that aside, kind of edgy yet not uncomfortable in any way, it's a good little bar, and Pliny, too.

12-02-2008 03:26:25 | More by slander

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +11.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

I had the opportunity to stop in last Sunday on my way home from Brewtopia, although I had been meaning to search out the place for a while, based on the recommendation of the proprietor of Home Sweet Homebrew.

It is located right on the corner of 24th and Fairmount, up near the Museum of Art and corners are often the best locations for bars, due to their visibility to customers and the way that their situation can be used for maximum effect. The Bishop's Collar does a great job with their placement by making it light and airy inside with five windows and two doors for plenty of access and visibility. Heck, we were so visible that I waved to a double-decker bus full of passengers as it passed by. They also have several ceiling fans going to keep the smokiness to a minimum.

The first thing that I noticed upon entering was the very interesting Y-shaped bar, especially since the branching of the "Y" is just inside of the door. I also took note of the many European beer tin advertising signs, including an especially coveted (by me) La Chouffe. Behind the bar is an eclectic display of Phillies bobbleheads, Philly sports personalities, and monks. I am also desirous of the painting depicting the laughing friar and be sure not to overlook the Lego monk (!). There are also some photos of the owner and his son in Steelers garb, as well as a street sign proclaiming "Steelers Way", proving that there is still hope for good taste in Philly. Above the bar is a long blackboard, on which all of the offerings are listed, including food. It is a brilliant way of doing business and puts me in mind of a beer bar that I visited in Amsterdam several years ago. Heading aft and up a short step is a restaurant and dining area and beyond that, a short flight of stairs that leads down to the Men's head.

They had a wild selection of beers on tap on the day that I visited, ranging from locals to Belgians, but I stuck mainly to Magic Hat # 9, since it just suited my mood.

What really drew me in to the place was the way that I was made to feel welcome, almost like a regular, from the moment that I enetered, despite looking really rough and sporting a couple of brewery press-on tattoos on my cheeks. It turned out that Pat, the server that everyone should ask for, is a graduate of the former Sam Adams, which is now Nodding Head and he brought several other former employees with him to become his loyal customers. I was drawn into a sports conversation with a couple of fellows at the bar and somebody else told me about the idea of an "angry pirate", upon hearing that I am a Pittsburgh sports fan. This is the kind of place worth seeking out if you are new in town and want somewhere to hang out.

04-21-2005 22:19:00 | More by woodychandler

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +0.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4

The Bishop's Collar is a quaint little pub in a location that goes way back! In fact, the marble floor remains the same. It's seen sadder days recently (80's-90's) but the new owners have again breathed life into it! The draft selection is quite good, and always changing (though quite slowly), with 12 taps that normally feature Yuengling, Hoegaarden, Necastle Brown, Stella Artois, Guinness, Bass and Harp. Other notable selections from my most recent visit included Anchor Porter, Spaten Oktoberfest, and St. Bernardus Tripel. The bottle selection is quite nice as well, and currently includes Avery White Rascal, Pyramid Broken Rake, Hair of the Dog Ruth, Tiger Lager and ACME IPA. The kitchen is small, but very well run, and you can enjoy yourself equally at a table or the bar. Appetizers include Hummus at $4; and Tuna Chili, Beef Stew, Wings, or Nachos all at $5. A Mozzarella & tomato salad is $6, and a Caesar salad w/ chicken will run you $7. Sandwiches w/ fries include a Veggie Burger, Grilled Chicken and Turkey London Broil at $6; and a burger with any topping or Hot Turkey w/ stuffing is just $6.50. The Crab Cakes are a bit more pricey at $10 - but still a steal! The atmosphere is laid-back and this is a good place to stop in for a casual dinner, a quick bite, or a beer after work. Enjoy!

10-31-2003 04:00:29 | More by NeroFiddled

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.13/5  rDev +4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Missed the Larry Bell event the preceding Friday, but stopped in after the Philly Craft Beer Festival on Saturday afternoon. They had run out of the Hop Slam (naturally), but still had on tap 8 other beers from Bells, as well as something from Yards, the white rascal from Avery and Guinness. So the tap line-up was still pretty solid and was augmented by some interesting bottles listed on the blackboard over the bar.

This place is incredibly popular and was filled to overflowing even at 3:00 on a Saturday afternoon. The place is not all that large to begin with, looking to be a converted row house with a long narrow bar running down the right side as you walk in from Fairmount Ave. There are some tables and chairs in the back as well, but not a lot. So I'm thinking it wouldn't take much for this place to feel pretty crowded (as it did the afternoon I was there).

The vibe is pretty comfortable here, with a couple of flat screen TV's, an array of knick knacks and other decorations, and a number of bobblehead dolls behind the bar. Feels like a good place to hang out and have a cold one.

Service was very good the day I was here and the bar tender was on top of the tap list. She was quick and efficient, and I give here extra points for having me taste the Bells Cherry Stout before ordering a glass. She noted that a number of patrons had been put off by it, though she didn't think it was spoiled. In any event, I appreciated her thoughtfulness, all the more so as I wasn't happy with the Cherry Stout after all either.

As for food, I just ordered the wings. While nothing special, they were still pretty good and were quite meaty. What was surprising was the price. $5 for 10 wings? Been a while since I've seen that kind of deal unless it was happy hour or they were on special.

This is a solid place. I'd certainly go back.

03-09-2009 13:21:46 | More by johnmichaelsen

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -4.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

This is a really good neighborhood beer bar in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia. Can be overcrowded with a lot of jocks in there but there are about seven or eight outdoor tables weather permitting. I would say that about eighty percent of the building is taken up by the bar area. In the back there is a small dinig section with about four tables/ wooden booths. The food is above average pub fare, offering very good appetizers and burgers/ sandwiches. The beer selection is also quite good, featuring local craft beers, west coast micros and imports. The last time I was here they had Pliny the Elder on Tap.

12-03-2008 23:11:14 | More by corby112

blitheringidiot

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4

'Bout time I reviewed the ole stand-by Bishop's Collar on the corner of 24th and Fairmount. The entrance is on Fairmount. As you proceed inside this Irish and golf themed pub, the 10-12 padded & backed stools meet a beat up wooden bar that is comfy and has a belly up local feeling. A single stainless steel tap offers up Yuengling Lah-Gaire, Hoegaarden, La Binchoise Reserve, St. Bernardus 12, Guinness, Amstel, Harp, Bass and Stella Artois. (To boot, I just missed Yards Thomas Jefferson and Abbey de Rocs Tripel.)

My brew du jour was the La Binchoise.

Bottle selection included Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout and De Dolle Still Nacht for $5.

Mad props to the extensive and well detailed food and beer menu up behind the bar that offers up cheap but tasty treats like a $4 salad selection, $2.50 soup menu, $1.75 fries, all the way up to the "lofty" $10 crab cake sandwich. Kind of reminds me of the Standard Tap.

Additional ammeneties include a cold box with Magic Hat (eh!) two authentic Veterans Stadium chairs floor mounted, and some four top tables in the back offering some butt parking.

The little boys room is all the way in the back across from the kitchen. They are small but adequate with a basket of hand towels.

Last call: Does this pass the "Could you take your Mom here" test? Yes, but better "mom approved" joints are in the area within waling distance, but this is a good beer joint. The 'tender gave me a free extra pour because the taps were running foamy.

03-24-2005 04:40:12 | More by blitheringidiot

Seanibus

California

3.63/5  rDev -8.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

The inside atmosphere is dank and not entirely pleasant, but the outside seating is the best in the area. The food and service is highly inconsistent, but good more often than it is bad. The appetizers are usually a better bet. The Sunday brunch is a big avoid. But the beer list is outstanding - a dozen well-considered selections, with a decent balance of style and geography, though it is often heavier on IPAs. The owner goes out of his way to find interesting and unusual beers, and often he has a keg or two of something red hot in the beer press.

This should be a stop on the itinerary of any beer lover.

08-09-2008 22:10:24 | More by Seanibus

jrancan

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +4.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4

Located in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia, this is a nice little neigborhood bar. The bar is on your right as you walk in with seating along the wall on the left, and straight back. Lot's of dark wood and a pretty good selection of about 10 beers on tap. Bottle selection includes Bell's Kalamazoo Stout, Duchesse de Bourgogne and a few other finds you wouldn't expect from a small place like this. Taps usually include local brands (Victory, Stoudt's) with some national crafts (Rogue, Sierra Nevada, Anchor). A few other good bars in the area, so you can just stumble around for a while if you want.

09-02-2002 18:28:11 | More by jrancan

rfgetz

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

The bar looks like your standard, corner bar with misc. beer related decor strewn throughout the hasnt-been-updated-since-the-50s furniture and fixtures. A few TVs and a jukebox are the only things that make it feel modern. The taps at times can house a majority of macro crap along side average local product but strewn throughout is a minimal selection of high-grade American craft. Hit or miss, so check before you go whats available - a little bit of an identity crisis.

While the crowd is commonly diverse and local, on weekend evenings, the place also appears to cater to the post-college douchey crowd who yearn for days long passed. The food is decent bar food, nothing much else to be said about it. The bar tenders are topnotch however and always do a great job. I have a love hate relationship with the place, but come back a few times a year.

06-16-2010 14:12:44 | More by rfgetz

nomad

Kansas

4/5  rDev +0.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4

First off, don't think the other two gentleman mentioned this, but this bar is packed like sardines on the weekend, all full of cool people, albeit young, single, and occassionally annoying types. If you want to experience this place, go during the week, or for their well-known and well-respected Sunday brunch (the best way to take care of that hangover). Nice looking place, thin and long is its shape.

Bartenders are attentive and, for once, decently knowledgeable. Taps and bottle selection is good: Victory, Rogue, Bell's, Wild Goose, Brewer's Art Interbrew stuff, Yards, Left Hand - constantly shifting and often supporting the best of the Mid-Atlantic. I still don't completely dig the Fairmount neighborhood, not that its bad, I'm just partial to the less dark and more highly-optioned neighborhood where I'm at (Washington Square West). In all, a good bar, just sometimes be prepared for a tightly-packed party, though the pints will be good.

08-22-2003 17:12:10 | More by nomad