Varga Bar

Varga BarVarga Bar
Varga BarVarga Bar
Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

941 Spruce St
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107-5736
United States

(215) 627-5200 | map
vargabar.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.14
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
39
pDev:
10.87%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by sholland119:
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Reviewed by sholland119 from Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
One of our favorite places to stop by when we are in the area. Very bright and open for a corner bar, with plenty of light and windows. In good weather, with the windows open and outdoor seating on both corners, Varga is one of the best spots to hang out in the city. Cool vibe inside regardless with consistently friendly, competent service.

Beer is essentially all craft, with the retro-kitsch addition of a Schlitz can or something similar for the hipster crowd. The taps are always well balanced between American and Belgian styles, hoppy and malty, sessionable and kick your a** beers, light and dark. However you want to break it down, the tap list is always very well thought out.

Food is very tasty as well. Highly recommended.

HV
Jun 24, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of jmdrpi
Reviewed by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
nice corner spot - smallish bar, probably 15 seats, with some surrounding tables and some tables on the sidewalk as well. Cool vibe with the pin-up girls painted on the ceiling above the bar. Great selection of beers - all high quality, a few hard to find things like Russian River. About 20 beers on tap, plus some cans and bottles. We didn't have any food but menu looks good for a gastropub joint.
Sep 04, 2022
Photo of cratez
Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)

3.9/5  rDev -5.8%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
What I had: Allagash Hugh Malone, Victory Wild Devil Ale, and Yards Cape of Good Hope on tap; Lancaster chicken for me; black kale and parmesan linguine, cocktail and a few glasses of sauvignon blanc for my fiancé; Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup beignets to split.
What I liked: Managed to grab seats right away on a busy Saturday night; nice understated décor with ample space between tables; my partner enjoyed her wine and cocktail; impressive draft list with a focus on local and regional crafters; all of our food was delicious; prices are reasonable for what you get (except for some of the bottles).
What I disliked: Our waiter was efficient but not that engaging; they were out of three beers that I wanted to try; tap lineup is very good but not among the best in the city.
Would I go back? Yes.
Overall Rating: 78
Jan 30, 2020
 
Rated: 3.89 by q33jeff from New Jersey

Aug 03, 2018
 
Rated: 4.95 by burob13 from Pennsylvania

Oct 18, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by Canada_Dan from Colorado

May 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.81 by Craft_Imperial from Pennsylvania

Nov 08, 2015
 
Rated: 4.48 by FightinIrish88 from New Jersey

Oct 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by tkdchampxi from New Jersey

Oct 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by RPH2327 from Pennsylvania

Aug 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by mvanaskie13 from Pennsylvania

Aug 01, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by bylerteck from Canada (ON)

Jul 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by baconfromwalmart from Pennsylvania

Jun 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by soulcougher from Pennsylvania

Jun 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by DNICE555 from Connecticut

May 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by InspectorBob from New Jersey

Feb 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by JKWBMH from Pennsylvania

Feb 22, 2014
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Reviewed by slander from New York

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Sunday Philly Funday (that’s the actual original name of that U2 song, a little fun fact for you). We walked on over to here from there. Yes, I know, walking; I’m feelin’ crazy, it’s true. And damned if I’m not regretting it halfway through as it is seasonably hot. If only I can talk trick command Witz to hoof it back to pick up the car while I rest here on the cool cool grass. It’s sooo soft...

Corner joint on the wrong side of the street expected. Curbside seating to both sides off the corner; Timothy Busfield is not brunching at one of them. Black wood topped ‘C’ shaped bar on the inside wall with a black leather cushion base & wood foot box; seating for a dozen or so on black cushiony stools. Black wood fitted barback unit with a long row of taps over drainage on barback center. Booze shelved above on mirrored backing and to both sides with glassware, logo’d house growlers, & a bit more boozings. Pint glasses stacked to both sides of the taps countered. Glassfront cooler below housing bottled selections, tiered booze, & cupboard space. Vertical board to the left lists foodings, and a larger horizontal board to the right listing tap selections. The list is broken out into 4 groups; Session golden, strong golden, session dark, & strong dark; each with at least 1 item in their category that in my opinion, doesn’t belong there.

Walls painted burgundy, lavender, & something maybe off gray. Black & white checkerboard tile floorings and a whiteish ceiling with life-size Varga girls painted on it. There are also a few on the walls, along with a calendar pin up print. Oh, August. Horizontal accordion windows on both walls off the corner vestibule. Ceiling spinnys, sunken spots small & baby ones, too. And more inlayed in the bar back unit. Flats on the corners and another smaller one down back. Varga shirts displayed. 16 tables sectioned & divided, some sharing fabric common benchage.

20 taps, nearly ½ of them PA offerings (Victory Golden Monkey, Sly Fox O’Reilly’s Stout, Troegs Pale Ale, Weyerbacher Old Heather Imperial Stout, Penn Penndemonium Maibock, and 4 beers from Neshaminy Creek on the heels of an event; Churchville Lager, Dunks Ferry Dunkelweizen, Leon Imperial Smores Stout, & Concrete Pillow Barleywine), and the remainder being craft from coast to coast (Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout, Bells Two Hearted IPA, Left Hand Beer Week Sauce Coffee Porter, Elysian Oddland Peppercorn Saison, Anchor California Lager, Lost Coast Great White Ale, 21st Amendment Hop Crisis Imperial IPA, Rogue Farms Dirtoir Black Lager, Lagunitas Lucky 13 Mondo Large Red Ale, Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA). And a pair of handpumps on the bar to one side (Yards Cape of Good Hope Imperial IPA & Espresso Love Stout). I drank the Anchor California Lager & Bells Two Hearted IPA.

A dozen wines, red & white; 6 & 6, plus 4 dozen bottles (including things from Russian River, Deschutes, Port/Lost Abbey, Brewers Art), and a dozen and a half cans; half of which are 21st Amendment & Sly Fox.

A much better soundtrack than the last place. I’m liking “Can’t you see”, so Witz said he’s down on Southern Rock to hurt me. He is a bad person. There is a large jar of olives off the bar. Witzel is fascinated by it. It’s a gallon jar, more olives than he’s ever eaten in his life. He said he wants to hold it because it amuses him. Olives are a known disgustagin and they freak me out; I think that’s why it amuses him. He is a bad bad person. Service got it done; nice kid behind the bar. Chill Philly house. Good tap list. I could hang here (while Witz hoofs it back for the car…)
Jan 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by NYR_Rob from Pennsylvania

Jan 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by JohneHoodlum from Pennsylvania

Jan 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by seanchai from Virginia

Dec 31, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by claspada from New Jersey

Oct 18, 2013
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Reviewed by ESeab from New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +5.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
I've been to Varga Bar several times now. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, the food is great, and the beer selection is very good. Prices are typical for food in Philly, but on the cheaper side for beer for what they offer. You can get a nice barrel aged stout on tap, or something local that isn't well known but delicious (Shawnee Brewing). They hold great events. One was a white out stout night where if you wore all white, any stout was $4!!!! And I'm talking FIS, Bitches Brew, Narwhal, Ten Fidy, unbelievable value for fun events. My favorite late night hangout spot in Philly.
Jun 14, 2013
Photo of FooderyDave
Reviewed by FooderyDave from Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +15.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
Great selection and a place where you can find almost every domestic craft brew on draft or in a bottle in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Constantly have great events going on and a daily happy hour special with buck a shuck oysters and half price drafts so you can try all the beers and get a good snack if you are on a budget. The bar manager Rich is an encyclopedia of beer knowledge and is one of the friendliest people in the Philly food service industry.
Feb 04, 2013
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Reviewed by BARFLYB from Pennsylvania

3.94/5  rDev -4.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Stopped in here during the early dinner rush.

I've been passing by Varga for a while. My stay was short so I'll keep this short. Since the weather was nice Varga was kinda opened up so depending on where your sitting, you can be inside, while being outside, if you understand. Varga is not the biggest spot, so it is quite congested. The bar area seats around 12 or so with seating area's surrounding it toward one side. I kinda get a 50's era thing going in my head based on surroundings. The main colors are black and white, the floor reminds me of a barbershop and I see alot of half naked ladies on the walls and ceilings. About 20 taps and, one cask I believe. A very small selection of bottles which is the new thing with alot of newer bars coming up and I think it's smart. Why have a bunch of expensive bottles that will just go out of date, costing the bar money, best to keep them taps moving. I had Brandy Angel Share which was barely carbed, but it beats a $20 bottle of it. My friend had two Brandy Angel Shares, he was drunk afterwards. Hey it's what we do in Philly, Don't knock it. I think the Philly 10% tax is built into the actual price of the pour, so that's always nice. Im coming back here and getting that char board ASAP. Im going to keep my eye out on this place during beer week, they had some specials last year. Tomme pointed out to me at Monk's that Varga had something 'special' on tap by him, I went, but I could not find Varga at that time. I was a bit sauced on 3 glasses of DDG and V007. Oh yeah, parking sucks in this neighborhood, so don't expect much.
May 15, 2011
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Reviewed by Rifugium from North Dakota

2.8/5  rDev -32.4%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 3.5
I didn't get a very good impression from this place. Atmosphere was pretty weak. They have somewhat of a pin-up theme going on. The bar is kind of small, with a few tables strewn about. It looks like they're trying to pull off an old 50's diner look, but it's just not happening.

On the plus side, they do have a fair selection of good beer on tap, and growler fills. Staff is pretty inattentive, choosing attending regulars over general service and friendliness. The first time we went here, it took a few minutes of waiting at the bar for the staff to tell us that they weren't open. Try to figure that out. The second time, I sat there waiting for quite a while before the bartender left his conversation with an annoying regular group and took my drink order. And this was on an extremely light day. The food looks tasty, but honestly I've never desired to stay in this bar long enough to sample it. Some places just rub me the wrong way, and this is one of them.
May 04, 2011
Photo of jonvan04
Reviewed by jonvan04 from Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +9.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
This place is great. After moving into the Society Hill/Old City/Bella Vista area I needed a new go to beer bar and this place is definitely it. It seems like every person that has reviewed this place has mentioned Tria, but while Tria is great Varga's food is way better. Also, they have many more beers on tap. As people have mentioned in their review, yes the beer selection can seem reptitive if you go at the wrong times (if you go the week after a Victory or Troegs tap take over, many of the taps are still going to be taken up with one or the other if they weren't kicked but seriuosly uwhat do you expect?). Overall the beer selection is great, they have a wide ranging mix of easy to find and hard to find quality craft beers (they were one of the only bars where I could find bottles of Victory's Dark Intrigue) and the food is phenominal. I've had just about 3/4 of the menu and was a big fan of everything I've had. Highly Recommended
Dec 31, 2010
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Reviewed by glid02 from Georgia

4.34/5  rDev +4.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
I waded over here from Tria during a recent stay.

Atmosphere is nice. A long bar hugs half of the far wall upon entering with high-top tables on the near wall. The back of the bar is raised up a bit with additional tables. The bar sits on the corner of the block so there's a good deal of daylight coming in. The vibe is more laid back than most other places I've been in Philadelphia.

Quality is also good. Proper glassware is used for all beers that I had although no beer-specific glassware was noticed. Beers are served at a good temperature with good amounts of head.

Service is very good. The bartender was talkative and you could enjoy he has a good time pouring beer. He knew a good deal about everything on tap and was able to let me in on what was coming on soon and what I'd just missed.

Selection is also very good. More locals were present here than any other place I visited and that was exactly what I was looking for. The taps are split up by style with about 20 total on-tap and one cask.

Value is great. Their happy hour is one of the best deals I've seen with $1.75 half pours. I was able to try about five different beers and got a few more for a friend for just over $15.

Overall this was my second favorite place I visited while in Philly, a close second to Monk's. Well worth a stop if you're in the area.
Oct 27, 2010
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Reviewed by Arithmeticus from Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
On a weekend in Philly I visited this bar once I got wind that Victory Brewery was taking over the taps. I arrived on a very pleasant Friday evening during a Phillies playoff game.

The bar has a mix of indoor and outdoor seating, and access to the bar proper is relatively easy. Because of the baseball game it was a bit difficult to get service, but after the match I eventually found a seat. I was surprised that more weren't there just for the Victory event.

All twenty-one taps had been taken over by Victory. There were a few papers with the draft list circulating, but not enough for everyone to know what was going on.

The two bartenders seemed to be somewhat knowledgeable about the beers, but not extensively so. But they were friendly and very accommodating. Good service. And they poured well, in the correct glasses.

The regular beer menu is very inviting, and reasonably priced. I would definitely visit again.
Oct 12, 2010
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Reviewed by msubulldog25 from Oregon

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Visited 8pm - 10:30pm, 9/13/10

After a 90 minute session down the street at Tria, our foursome (that's sholland119, vickster529, jyoungsbcp & me) strolled a couple blocks down Spruce. Scott had recommended Varga as a personal favorite (don't believe me? look at the review below mine) so I couldn't think of a better way to end three excellent days in Philly than a place like this.

Another fine little corner cafe; we arrived around dusk to find a number of open tables, but we picked one near the front entry, right next to an open set of tall, operable doors that welcomed in the evening breeze (and, later, the bugs). What I thought might be a kitschy 'themed' vibe of pin-up girls and retro decor turned out to be quite tasteful: black leather, sleek and dimly accented bar (with full booze for the non-beer drinker), understated checkerboard floor, monochrome scheme around the room but for the occasional pop of color. Oh and the occasional portrait of a lovely 'Varga Girl', including a mélange of mid-century sexiness on the ceiling above the bar. Soulful and funky Motown tunes enhanced the feel. <Like>

Our server hit us up immediately for 'cocktails'...no, my good man, we would like pints of your finest ales! Only four bottles available, but all were solid: Russian River Damnation and Consecration, Left hand Smoke Jumper and an all-time classic, Orval. From the good draught list (including several from the local likes of Sly Fox, Stoudts, Brooklyn, Flying Fish, Ithaca plus interlopers like Furthermore (Wisconsin) and Rogue (yay, Oregon!)) I ordered a pint of Manayunk's tasty ALTercation. I also got to try Stoudts DIPA and a Lagunitas Fusion 3 as they were passed around our table. Lots of good conversation, some more about the SEPA beer scene (that I longed at times to be a part of) - end result was a great time with beer friends and a uniting of locals who'd never met, but probably should have a long time ago! We finished with a couple more half-pours, mine a Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin that's probably my favorite of all I've tried of the style.

We said our goodbyes, but not before Josh and I made a quick visit to the nearby Foodery. No dice there, so the night seemed over as Josh left for his car. Before I headed back to the hotel, the thought occurred: this Varga place was so good, I'm not ready to leave it! So back I went to the exact same booth, but to a different server; where before the service had been cool and aloof (3.0-3.5 range), NOW I got friendly/chatty Patrick (4.5-5.0 range). He was MUCH more into the beers, talking up personal favorites, asking about Northwest beers (once Portland entered the conversation) and raving about one brewery in particular, Flying Fish (a brewer there apparently lives just a couple blocks from the bar and visits Varga frequently). It made sense to talk up FF, especially since I had a delicious 'Exit 6' in hand, alongside a hearty portion of Truffled Mac 'n Cheese (filling but oilier and a little under-seasoned). I told Patrick about my one previous experience with Flying Fish, the 'Exit 4' being one of the clear standouts at Oregon Brewers Fest 2010. He promised to tell the brewer about this next time he dropped in. Cool.

A fine place that may not fit the strict definition of 'beer bar' to some. Me? I loved Varga and would be happy to be a regular. Great call, Scott...and cheers to Vickie and Josh, too, for a fantastic ending to my fine Philly weekend.
Sep 25, 2010
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Reviewed by krisandajt from Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -8.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Stopped in at Varga's with my wife and a friend while hitting up Philly for a concert. The weather was perfect, and all of the windows and doors were opened up to let in some fresh air (well, fresh for Philly) and give you the impression you were relaxing outside drinking a beer. While my personal preference is for dingy, hole in the wall style bars, this wasn't bad. I would have to say this bar's best feature was the multitude of pin-up girls lining the inside of the bar.

The tap selection was decent. They had a nice selection of some tasty and popular offerings from breweries like Left Hand, Stone, Terrapin, Bells, and Lagunitas.

The service was good. They were quick to take our order and made sure to ask when we were running low, but that's pretty much where it stopped. The place was getting rather busy, so I suppose their attention was better placed elsewhere.

Overall, a decent place to stop. I would probably stop in here again if I were in the area, but I don't think I would make a special trip just for it.
Apr 04, 2010
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Reviewed by mymrnngjckt from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
I stopped here very late at night after a recent pub crawl. The place is very well lit with a clean/industrial like environment. Varga has a very large draft selection of about 25 or so taps. 99% of which were of the craft kind. Everything was served in it's appropriate glassware. Service was quick and attentive. I noticed the server reccomending selections to the two women sitting at the end of the bar.

This place fits right in with the Philadelphia craft scene. Stop by if you are in the area.
Jan 20, 2010
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Reviewed by rdrummer from New Jersey

4.72/5  rDev +14%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Visited on a weekday for lunch, and most tables were full. The bar was empty, which was cool for me. The bartender and one service person that I interacted with were friendly, knowledgeable, and seemed to be real beer lovers. The place was smaller than I expected but not really cramped.

Everything that I ate and drank was top rate. The Kobe burger wasn't priced as high as many places so I gave it a try. They had a tomato bisque for soup of the day that was unusual and delicious. My wife had a very thick grilled cheese. They also make their own ketchup and mustard--very unusual and tasty.

The beer selection was way above the norm with Yard's Old Bart on cask, and taps representing 21st Amendment, Stone, Terrapin, Avery, Great Lakes, Ithaca, North Coast, Port Brewing, Rogue, and all the local brewers. I especially enjoyed the Old Bart and 21st Amendment Monk's Blood.

I recommend Varga Bar highly.
Jan 08, 2010
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Reviewed by tpd975 from Florida

3.7/5  rDev -10.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Stopped in during my stay in Philly. Cool place with a pin up girl type motif. Pretty contemporary in feel with a nice selection of beers on draft. They have nothing really earth shattering to offer but they hit most popular, with a quality beer to offer.

The service was good but I was the only person in the place as they had just opened for the day.

I had no food, though the menu looked as though they had some quality offerings. Not your standard pub fare here.

The price is a bit high overall, but in line with the prices you will find in Philly.
Dec 03, 2009
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Reviewed by sbw138 from Pennsylvania

2.65/5  rDev -36%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 3 | food: 2.5
A new beer bar in the Washington Sqaure West neighborhood of Center City Philadelphia. Not too large of a place. As other advocates have said, some nice large windows that open up. Great for a nice day. The sidewalk tables are OK. Horribly unbalanced, and it is just plain dirty and smelly out there.

They do have a pretty good beer selection, although, throughout some visits, I have found it to be somewhat repetitive. But, overall they do a pretty good job. Nice competitor to Tria just up the block.

The bartenders are good. Very knowledgable, and pretty friendly for the most part. They do tend to rush a selection, even if the place is not busy. The waitstaff, however, is awful. I can ignore rude, and unfriendly, but they have to be able to do their job. The waitstaff has almost no knowledge of the beers they are selling, or beer in general. Seriously, why work at this type of place if you can't somewhat describe a beer? Hey Owner, you should think about that when you hire these people!

They do have an OK food selection, although very over priced for the quality. But, when you have had a few too many beers, you really can't be too picky about what you are eating.
Oct 02, 2009
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Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

4.7/5  rDev +13.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
I read about this new beer bar on several internet sites, so we decided to make this a must stop on my latest Philly visit. The bar has a great clean and modern interior and has windows that open up to the street creating a nice airy feel. The bar can seat about 15 people, there are several sidewalk tables, but on a few tables inside. There are some cool paintings of pin-up girls on the ceiling over the bar.

There were 20 taps, and on this day they were featuring 6 Terrapin beers. Add to that Port Hop-15, Victory Helois, Green Flash West Coast IPA, and other offerings from Stone, Left Hand, Heavy Seas, Flying Fish, Stoudts, and Ithaca. The tap list was so good I did not even check out the bottle selection.

The bartender clearly knew the beers as we had a nice conversation about them over the course of a few pints. Extremely prompt and friendly services here compared to some other places in Philly.

There are so many good places in Philly, but this one is now one of my favorites.
Sep 16, 2009
Photo of corby112
Reviewed by corby112 from Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
My wife and I stopped by for dinner this past Friday and were very impressed with this new addition to the ever growing Philly beer scene.

There is a small bar when you walk in with a huge chalk board listing whats on offer. There is very limited seating but thankfully they have outdoor seating for the warmer months.

The service was excellent as well as the food and beer selection. We shared a three cheese plate which was very good with a perfect portion. For my main course I ordered a rack of ribs that were cooked in a bourbon barbecue sauce. They were incredibly tender and literally fell off the bone when touched with the fork. My wife had pot belly sandwich that had fried green tomatoes in it. There were other interesting offerings that we didn't get to try that sounded amazing including tempura asparagus and lump crab meat cheese fries.

On to the beer. They had a very nice selection of draft beer including Pliny the Elder, Allagash Curieux, Ballas Point Piper Down Scotch Ale, Bear Republic Wine Country Wheat and Great Lakes Burning River. All of the beers on tap are available for growler fills at reasonable prices but you have to buy their growler which cost $20. This is the only downside of this place. It is a really nice german style growler with their logo on it and you can bring it back for refills but $20 is way too much. Other than that everything else was excellent and I can't wait to go back. Highly recommended.
Aug 17, 2009
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Reviewed by Deuane from Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I often do not rate a place that I know I will go back to on the first visit but this deserves to be an exception.

Stopped in during a busy Friday evening and received proper service in moments. Four of us got outside seating along the street. The whole place is opened up wide during nice weather and gives the place a very nice vibe.

Twenty taps total with NO crap and two beer engines offer a most impressive selection. They even update the menu online with regularity, another plus. I enjoyed the cask Yard's Oaked IPA and a Long Trail DIPA.

Having been nibbling all night I wasnt overly hungry but the pickle pot of assorted pickled vegetables piqued my interest enough to try it....a very nice and reasonably priced appetizer. I must go back more hungry as the menu looks great, to include the lumpy cheese fries....cheese fries with lump crabmeat....genius!

Service from our server was fine....it was busy so waiting here and there was ok. The high mark is due to the following. We asked for our bill and when it came I noticed a HUGE discount. I mean we had 6 beers and the app. so it should have been around $35. Well, our first round, four beers, had been perked! What?! Upon inquiring we were told that Rich, the bar manager, had comped us! Reason, he heard us talking about BA and saw me taking notes and wanted to treat us and give an obvious good first impression....well, it worked!

Regardless of the impressive service I would have gone back to Varga again. With the treatment we received though I will MOST certainly return!
Jul 13, 2009
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Reviewed by iDrool from Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +13.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
First, let me start by saying that the beer list may be the best in the city. Beers are priced around $6, but many of them are a very healthy ABV. Amazing range of beers. A lot of things I've never seen and that aren't bottled (Rogue Mogul and Love and Hoppiness, as well as Victory Rauch Porter) and a lot of rarely seen handles (Founders Double Trouble and Backwoods Bastard as well as Dogfish 120 minute, as well as Russian River Damnation). The bar manager, Ian, is an absolute beer freak. Tell him your favorite beer, and he'll throw a frosty treat in front of you that you won't be able to deny. The beers change A LOT. Ian told me that they change, on average, 10 kegs per week... impressive considering they fit way less than 100 in the restaurant. The food was great as well. The wings were amazing and the Rigatoni was incredible. DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS BAR!!!. They are also listed on beermenus.com and on Twitter which is nice, because you can see the beers updated as they change. I will be back soon and often. Bravo Varga Bar!!
Jul 01, 2009
Varga Bar in Philadelphia, PA
Place rating: 4.14 out of 5 with 39 ratings