Eulogy Belgian Tavern

jwc215

New Jersey

4.58/5  rDev +6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$$

I have to begin my review by saying that the selection is just awesome - About 16 beers on tap downstairs and a few more upstairs. The bottle selection is huge. Most of the selection is made up of Belgians (of course - and some quite rare), but there are also quite a few micros and imports of various styles (there are also some macros). Beers are served in glass chalices.

There are two floors - both are thin with long bars and tables. It has an older, almost rustic feel. Not a lot of space, but adequate.

Service is quick and friendly. The upstairs bartender was quite knowledgeable about beer.

Certainly one to check out while in Philly. Good location.

02-19-2008 15:30:24 | More by jwc215

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.14/5  rDev -4.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$$

The wife and I were walking around Old City when we stumbled upon Eulogy. Little did I know that this Philly beer landmark was around here!

So there we went, even though we sure did not need a beer on a Sunday morning. The place is small, a little dingy and definitely dark. Almost a pity to be inside when the sun is shining outside. Pretty empty and chill at church time.

20-odd taps, with lots of Belgians of course (Lindemans, Blanche de Bruxelles, Delirium Nocturnum, Lost Abbey Carnevale, Hoppin' Frog Hoppin' to Heaven). Huge bottle list, but nothing super impressive. Good prices, though, no crazy markups here. I expected more/weirder stuff on tap...

We had a pint of fresh and hoppy Hoppin' to Heaven and I had a snifter of smoky Olvisholt Lava. Our server was super nice and helpful and we had a good relaxed time at Eulogy. Better than the Monks experience, for sure! But world-class? I'm not so sure about that...

04-29-2013 14:52:30 | More by DoubleSimcoe

clayrock81

Virginia

4.4/5  rDev +1.9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Incredible place and the nice thing, at least for me on this particular day, was that compared to Monk's and other great beer bars in this town it is easy to get parking and there are alot of other things to see/do around this place since it is in Old Town. I got there when it opened at 5 and was not the only person going in but still got a seat at the bar and the bartender was BSing with me and others about beer and still doing his job. Hands down the best pommes frites in town and maybe, and I am from Pittsburgh originally so I may be biased towards The O and Fat Head's fries, possibly, the best french fries I've ever had. But if you're reading this your main concern, I hope, is the beer. This place is probably second to Monk's in terms of Belgian selection, but I think is equal and depending on your tastes an overall better beer bar in terms of beer inventory than Monk's. There is a good amount of Belgian beers and imports but an impressive selection of domestic brews that I have not been able to come across at other places in terms of quantity and quality (the "hard to get" factor). I will say this as the one knock against this place - if you don't get there early you'll be waiting for a seat and kiss the bar goodbye. Other than that this a great place and a MUST visit when you're in Philly.

04-09-2013 21:28:54 | More by clayrock81

PaleAlePat

Pennsylvania

4.71/5  rDev +9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

Best place around to try a variety of Belgian beers (aside from Monk's of course but those guys are snobs). This place is right in Old City. Great atmosphere with friendly servers who will answer any question a patron on a beer pilgrimage may have. Haven't tried the food but it smelled good. Casual feel.

01-28-2013 00:41:26 | More by PaleAlePat

RockAZ

Arizona

4.71/5  rDev +9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I have been here a few times, but the first was the most memorable for me. Hard cold heavy rain night, staggering from a light meal and pint at Monks all the way over to Eulogy with very poor and often made more complicated directions by asking strangers for clarification. Massive downpour in the spring, really cats and dogs stuff, something they called a Nor'Easter? Anyway, I am from Arizona and anything more than what your windshield washer puts out amazes me, and I stomp through puddles in the alleys and cobblestone streets and finally see the door to Eulogy. The place inside is barely wider than the door, and there are 600 steaming people in there on the first floor. I imagine it was like being in a horse barn during the Middle Ages, everyone was wearing wool and was soaked and speaking in some incomprehensible dialect with a few English words thrown in I recognized.

The casket over the bar freaked me out, was not prepared for that, but somehow pushed my way to the back where I found the bottle beer fridge. Never left that spot again that night until last call, but at least a $100 left my wallet for that fine selection of Belgians. Incredible selection of beers, and that has taken me back there every time I am in town.

12-19-2012 23:58:43 | More by RockAZ

birddogbrewing

Arkansas

5/5  rDev +15.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

I walked down here on a friends reccmendation. Thank you! My lunch of Moules Beer and Beneluxx Belgian Frietjes was phenomenal. Hundreds of beers to choose from, knowledgable and helpful staff. Many rare and unusual offerings. It should be a destination for any beer lover!

I started with a liefman's sour, followed by a Belgian Blonde. Sipping a De Dohcter van de Korenaar peated oak aged Embrasse-- on tap. Bartender knows his game as do the customers. I'm trying to decide what to have next. I think the west letevern clone. This is a must go if you get near Philadelphia.

11-08-2012 19:03:50 | More by birddogbrewing

JustinM

Pennsylvania

4.88/5  rDev +13%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I came in here as out-of-towners with my wife and a friend of hers who has lived in the area for a number of years now. Did I mention that I was a complete beer newbie at the time? The only beer I'd ever been exposed to is the rank-smelling stuff that people drink to get drunk, and having a sensitive nose, I was never interested.

My wife's friend has talked this place up for years and because I hadn't been there before, I had a completely different image in my head. To me, it sounded like a large place with a club atmosphere, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Eulogy is a small place with two narrow floors that just happens to have a beer list as long as both of your arms and staff that knows everything there is to know about all of them.

Long story short, the waitress brought me a few samples to narrow down what I'd like. Thinking that I wouldn't like anything anyway, I agreed--and found out that, lo and behold, not all beer sucks.

The prices seemed reasonable to me, the waitstaff was extremely attentive even though none of us were Philadelphia natives (a problem I saw crop up in other reviews, so maybe they've cracked down on that), and I'll definitely be going back the next time I'm in town.

Sorry that I can't speak to the food given that we'd just eaten dinner elsewhere and so none of us ordered any.

08-09-2012 13:19:26 | More by JustinM

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$$

Popped in here with a friend before going to a concert at Festival Pier. This place was suggested to me by another friend who had stopped by recently. We thought that it was closed because by the look of the inside was dark. So we took the chance and pulled on the door. We were surprised to see how many people were in there! Very dim lighting which was pretty cool. There were 2 seats open at the far end of the bar where we sat down and were promptly served. The beer list is very extensive, they've got some real gems on there. The price range can vary depending on what you are buying. This is a really neat little place. I would totally stop in again one day if I were in the area. Worth checking out for sure!

07-27-2012 20:27:59 | More by Knapp85

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.23/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $

Have not been here since the place first opened, so many years ago.

For some reason, I had completely forgotten how small this place is. Both the downstairs and upstairs bar areas are so very small, though there are a few more tables and chairs upstairs. Otherwise, the vibe is kind of funky and laid back, and this seems like a cool place to hang out with a beer or two. My GF mentioned that the upstairs restroom was not the greatest, and could have used a good cleaning. That's really the only criticism I would make, but it's a pretty significant one IMHO.

The beer selection is first rate here, especially the bottle selection. Eulogy has around 17 or 18 beers on tap, with a decent, but hardly electrifying selection. The bottle selection, however, is first rate. It appeared as if there was something like 500 beers by the bottle, and what really stood out was the quality and pricing of the selection. Most beer prices seemed to be very close to retail price (maybe $3 or $5 over bottle shop prices, but that's it), which surprised me given the quality and depth of the beer list. In any event, otherwise the quality and selection of the beer available here is just first rate.

Service was pretty good I thought. Initially it was a bit on the slow side, but it picked up over time, and there's no denying that the young server who waited on us knew his stuff.

Food was also pretty damned good. I was bit disappointed in the quality of the frites here, but my girlfriend's tuna sandwich was excellent, as was my duck confit struddel appetizer. All things considered, I thought the food here was very, very good.

So, obviously this place is outstanding, but something needs to be said about the pricing of the menu. This place is located in one of the most expensive areas of the city, yet dinner for two was just over $50 with tax. In this case, that included a glass of La Chouffe on draft and a bomber of gouden carolus blawbier. Amazing.

This is a very good place...

05-26-2012 00:10:22 | More by johnmichaelsen

spointon

Illinois

4.8/5  rDev +11.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

On a recent trip to Philadelphia I hit this place twice, late on a Wednesday night and early in the evening on Friday.

The location is excellent - this place is tucked into a great little neighborhood full of restaurants and bars (many of which serve great beer) and walking between establishments is easy. I was taking cabs around town, so I appreciated this ability to walk to a lot of great places in one neighborhood.

The atmosphere is cool. Its only a very narrow, tiny little bar but the vibe is been nirvana all the way. lots of cool / rare beer signs on the walls, with a definite lean toward Belgian ales.

The beers on tap were a nice mix of high end US craft selections and imported stuff. When I was there I had a Chimay White, a Petrus Aged Pale, and an Older Viscosity on draught and both were excellent. The bottle selection is stellar...there are several glass door coolers in the back from which they pull beers to serve and they are stocked full of goodness. In addition to the draught beers listed above I had a bottle of Gulden Draak, a bottle of Innis & Gunn, and a bottle of something from Russian River. All were excellent.

The prices were very fair for what you are getting. Better prices than what I see in Chicago anyway.

All in all this is a serious beer destination and well worth going out of your way to visit.

04-04-2012 13:44:43 | More by spointon