Varga Bar

Bar #14: Varga Bar, 10th and Spruce

Brynn and I continued our journey at Varga Bar, a classy little establishment in Center City with a vintage, calendar-girl theme. In spite of a pretty ritzy decor and vibe, we were quite surprised by reasonable prices upon looking at the menu. Our enjoyment only continued when we received our order of cheese fries, which friends of ours had said they’d been dreaming of ever since they tried them the first time. We quickly understood why: these delicious fries are covered in white cheddar, parmesan, and – wait for it – crab meat. Amazing. They also had a list of cutely named vintage cocktails, from which I ordered a “miss april,” a mint julep, ($8) and Brynn chose a “miss january,” a pomegranate margarita ($8).

Specialty cocktails at Varga Bar

Pomegranate drinks for Brynn and no stemmed glass for me remain themes

We were very happy with our experience here: their drinks are tasty and fitting with their theme; the servers were attentive; the space seemed full, but not crowded; and the vintage theme was done very well. (I also have a bit of weakness for retro pinup girl photos…also montages, but that’s irrelevant) Overall, Varga Bar is a good option for anyone looking for a classy evening without spending a ton of money!

Varga Bar Ratings

The Bar Graph: Varga Bar

Don’t forget to leave us your thoughts/suggestions in the comments!

<3
Emily

Mad Mex

Bar #13: Mad Mex, 34th and Walnut

Emily and I continued our adventures with a stop at Mad Mex, another campus favorite, known and loved for its delicious, generously-sized burritos and margaritas. Mad Mex, or Mad 4 as Penn students generally call it (I think because it used to be officially named Mad 4 Mex?), has an eclectic Mexican décor, an amusing menu full of pop culture references, and fantastic happy hour and late night specials. Emily took advantage of these and ordered a burrito and a strawberry “Big Azz” frozen margarita ($7), while I went for a small raspberry version of the same drink ($6).

Our drinks match our respective height!

Delicious raspberry and strawberry margaritas

While both the food and drinks at Mad Mex are consistently tasty, the service can be frustrating and the crowd, especially on weekend nights, can get pretty rowdy and obnoxious. For visual proof of this, look no further than the graffiti covering the bathroom stalls.

Drawbacks aside, Mad Mex is almost always a fun time, and we’re pretty sure it will remain both a Penn and local West Philadelphia favorite for years to come.

Mad Mex Ratings

The Bar Graph: Mad Mex

—Brynn

Smokey Joe’s

Bar #12: Smokey Joe’s, 40th and Walnut

Ah, Smoke’s. What really is there to say about this establishment? I would say I enjoy it in the same way I enjoy watching trashy VH1 reality shows (Tool Academy, anyone?) or maybe eating way too much junk food. This Penn staple has provided endless entertainment for me and Brynn, but it remains exactly that: a PENN staple. Aside from some pretty awesome staff members, the only thing Smoke’s has going for it is being a center for all Penn seniors and the younger folk who have good fakes, which, I mean, is cool if you’re into that sort of thing. (What?! College students have fake ID’s? No, never!) Following a little tradition of ours, Brynn and I both ordered Kamikaze shots at the bar, complete with classy plastic shot glasses.

Kamikaze shots at Smoke's

Cheers to cheap plastic shot glasses?

The ever-entertaining Smoke's dance floor

Smoke’s is a good fall-back for a Saturday night when there’s nothing going on, but our advice is to never ever go there if you don’t go to Penn. Or Drexel…but mostly Penn. The DJ is consistently questionable at best (this time I heard a mash-up of “Come Together” by The Beatles and “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails, probably with some techno beat) and the dance floor (see above) is always filled with very drunk white people dancing like…well, very drunk white people. The drinks are standard, but good luck getting to the bar through the weekend crowds. All in all, Smoke’s is somewhere you go to run into those people you knew freshman year and haven’t talked to since (and usually some people you actually like, too), not somewhere to have a great bar experience.

Smokey Joe's Ratings

The Bar Graph: Smokey Joe's

Stay tuned! Brynn and I have a big weekend ahead of us!

<3
Emily

The Blockley Pourhouse

Bar #11: The Blockley Pourhouse, 38th and Ludlow

The Blockley Pourhouse opened in University City a few months ago, but so far it has yet to become a popular destination for Penn students. Emily and I decided to investigate why this might be the case, and unfortunately we found plenty of reasons. First, when we walked in the door, we were informed there was a $5 cover for the band that was playing that night, the amusingly-named Mightychondria. The band was actually quite good, and the cover charge might have been worth it if the crowd had been larger than 15 or 20 people. The vibe of general emptiness wasn’t helped by the fact that the venue itself is huge—definitely one of the more spacious bars we’ve ever seen. It would be a great space to rent out for a large event, but felt pretty dead as a bar.

Upon checking out the drink list, we were pleasantly surprised to find an all-day everyday $4 Jack Daniel’s special (!), and we ordered two Jack and Cokes. These were both strong and tasty, but we’re generally pretty biased in favor of anything that involves whiskey (if you haven’t noticed). We had a decent time hanging out with some friends and watching the band, but the music was so loud that it was really hard to have any legitimate conversations.

Jack and Cokes at The Blockley

Matching drinks and nails this time!

The Mightychondria

Considering how hard it is to deal with zoning and liquor license laws in Philadelphia, The Blockley seems like a real missed opportunity. Maybe they’re still getting things off the ground, and maybe Wednesday night wasn’t the best time to check the place out, but overall we were definitely disappointed. A couple notes about the ratings below: drink creativity was improved by the beer list, which included a great selection of drafts, and the negative sketchiness rating had a lot to do with the presence of The Atlantis Gentleman’s Club next door.

The Blockley Pourhouse Ratings

The Bar Graph: The Blockley Pourhouse

—Brynn

Misconduct Tavern

Bar #10, Misconduct Tavern, 15th and Locust

The next stop on our journey was Misconduct Tavern, which, in spite of what the name may lead you to believe, is nautical themed. Knowing this beforehand, Brynn and I had some high hopes for this place – maybe even a free pashmina afghan promotion? The bar certainly had some nautical decorations, but beyond that it just had overpriced cocktails. Of their specialty drinks, Brynn chose a pomegranate martini ($9), and I went with a mint-mango margarita ($11).

We seem to have a pink/yellow drink trend going

Pomegranate martini and mint margarita!

The drinks were alright, but I’d choose a $5 margarita from Cantina over this drink any day. Also, major points got deducted in decor because their menu and some restaurant signage were in COMIC SANS. As pretty big typography geeks, Brynn and I wholeheartedly disapprove. Ultimately, it seemed to be an okay hangout, but definitely nothing special/worth a cab ride to and from Rittenhouse. And now for the official ratings:

Misconduct Tavern Ratings

The Bar Graph: Misconduct Tavern

Until next time!

<3
Emily

The Bar at 10 Arts

Bar #9: 10 Arts, Broad and Penn Square

So it also happens to be the middle of Restaurant Week here in Philadelphia, and Emily and I headed to 10 Arts on a Friday night with 8 of our closest friends for a three-course meal for only $35! How is this relevant to Bar for the Course? Well, 10 Arts happens to have a great bar as well, complete with an innovate cocktail list. I ordered a “Berries & Bubbles” ($15) and Emily went for a “Ri-Pear,” ($15) a clever pun on the name of the restaurant’s owner, Eric Ripert.

Enjoying our classy cocktails at 10 Arts

"Berries & Bubbles" and "The Ri-Pear"

While our cocktails may have been almost half the price of our three-course meal, they were delicious and seemed worth it, at least at the time. Located on the first floor of the Ritz Hotel, 10 Arts was by far the classiest bar we’ve visited so far. The food was fantastic, and we even managed to convinced the restaurant staff to allow us into the kitchen for a brief chat and photo with 10 Arts head chef Jen Carroll of Top Chef fame!

Emily and me with our friends and Jen Carroll from Top Chef!

Overall, it was a night of great food, great drinks, and great company. Stay tuned, because we continued with a stop at Misconduct Tavern after leaving 10 Arts!

10 Arts Ratings

The Bar Graph: 10 Arts

–Brynn

Johnny Brenda’s

Bar #8: Johnny Brenda’s, Girard and Frankford

After the craziness of our first week back at Penn, Brynn and I took a brief two-day hiatus from drinking and then returned in full force with our visit to Johnny Brenda’s in Northern Liberties. We had an absolutely awesome time there, which was kicked off by a great performance by We Are Scientists (to whom I have been listening incessantly since). The venue is very spacious, but doesn’t feel too big, and the music area has a balcony so no one is very far away from the stage. After the show, we talked to Keith, the lead singer, and got him to agree to take a picture with us if we bought a CD, which we probably would’ve done anyway.

Me and Brynn with Keith from We Are Scientists!

Rockin' out

Then, a wonderful thing happened: I got my first drink in a stemmed glass! Johnny Brenda’s has a wide selection of specialty beers. I tried a “Sly Fox Ichor” (note the sly fox theme in our lives, i.e. the cheddar sauce from VW) while Brynn went with a “Dock Street Bubbly Wit,” both of which were very tasty.

Toasting to a great show

Beers in stemmed glasses!

All in all, we had a great night. The venue is awesome – the concert area is really well laid out, their tables have lights in them (I think most people aren’t half as excited about this as I am), and they have a pool table! It has an awesome vibe, and it was a nice break from the standard Penn crowd. Getting there/back is unfortunately sketchy and a bit of a trek, but definitely worth it. Ratings time!

Johnny Brenda's Ratings

The Bar Graph: Johnny Brenda

Stay tuned!

<3 Emily

Tria

Bar #7: Tria, 18th and Sansom

Emily and I returned to Rittenhouse a few days later to attend “Sunday School” at Tria, a weekly event at the classy cafe that features a selection of wine, cheese, and beer at half price. We both ordered the wine special, which was a glass of Charbono ’06 ($5.50) from Duxoup Wine Works in Napa Valley, and we also split a plate of the cheese special with a few of our friends. Being a recent red wine convert myself, I was excited to sample this apparently rare blend. It was indeed enjoyable, but a bit too dry for my taste. The rest of the group loved it, though, so it might just be that I haven’t quite outgrown my preference for sweet, delicious Reisling.

"Sunday School" wines at Tria

Our glasses of Charbono '06

The cheese special, meanwhile, was a wasabi-infused goat cheese, an unexpected combination that yielded delicious results. It was ever-so-slightly spicy and seemed to pair well with the wine.

Tria's Sunday School menu

Tria is a very classy establishment, and as a result attracts a generally older crowd. Unlike similar bars that we’ve visited, however, the servers at Tria were just as attentive and helpful to us college students as they were to the rest of the patrons. When we arrived, the place was pretty crowded and we were told it might be a 20-30 minute wait for a table, but a few minutes later our waitress had found a spot for us! This was an extremely pleasant surprise, and the rest of our experience remained enjoyable.

Tria Ratings

Note that in deciding how to size the dot for Tria on the Bar Graph below, we decided to use the average price of a drink there (around $11) rather than the Sunday School special, because we feel like this gives a more accurate portrayal of the bar as a whole. It is a sophisticated place with great service, a comfortable atmosphere, and a wide-ranging (if pricey) selection of wine and beer.

The Bar Graph: Tria

Until next time!

—Brynn

Devil’s Alley

Bar #6: Devil’s Alley, 19th and Chestnut

Our final stop for the night was just a few blocks away at Devil’s Alley. Now, the one complaint (not really a complaint) I have about this place is that the bar is on the second floor, and the first floor is a restaurant, which closes much earlier than the bar does. So I spent about 5 minutes swearing that they were closed when we arrived at about 1am. This was fortunately false, and we went upstairs to a rather industrial looking space with a sweet red and black theme that was very present, but not overdone. We were also especially pleased to find a specialty cocktail list, after having no such luck at The Black Sheep and The Bards. Following some recommendations from the bartender, Brynn went with an LA Lady ($9), which is a mix of Absolut LA, Stoli Vanilla, and Chambord (three of Brynn’s favorite things), and I chose a pomegranate sangria ($7).

Devilishly delicious drinks at Devil's Alley

A few of the tastiest cocktails we've ever had!

At this time, I would like to take a second to note the fact that, aside from the beer she had at The Bards, every drink Brynn has ordered has come in a stemmed glass. And mine hasn’t. I thought this would change with the pomegranate sangria (it’s sangria!) but sadly that wasn’t the case. One day I’ll get a stemmed glass. One day.

On an actually relevant note, we enjoyed just about everything about this place. Our bartender was super friendly and spent a while talking with us. The drinks were both very tasty, and there were several other promising drinks on the menu too. And I’m told by my housemates that the food is delicious too when the restaurant is open. It was a little awkwardly empty at the time, but the space seems like it would handle crowds well. Definitely our favorite of the night. The ratings are as follows:

Devil's Alley Ratings

The Bar Graph: Devil's Alley

Want to make sure we hit your favorite bar? Leave us your suggestions in the comments!

<3 Emily

The Bards

Bar #5: The Bards, 20th and Walnut

Following our somewhat disappointing experience at The Black Sheep, Emily and I headed a few blocks west to The Bards, an Irish pub on 20th and Walnut. Upon entering the bar, we were immediately intrigued by its eclectic décor, which included, among other items, a dart board, portraits of serious-looking Irishmen, and shelves of fine china.

Check out those sweet plates!

Slightly disoriented, we headed over to the bar, where a helpful and friendly bartender informed us that The Bards is known for having the best Guinness in Philadelphia. I’m not usually a fan of stouts, but I decided to try a sample, and was pleasantly surprised by its smooth, coffee-esque flavor. Emily enjoyed it even more and ordered a glass for herself ($6), while I asked for a second recommendation and was offered a Harp lager ($6). This was also tasty, though nothing spectacular.

Beers at the Bards

A close-up of the lager and stout

Overall, we enjoyed The Bards’ unique atmosphere and good service, but we weren’t blown away by the drink selection. The place seems like a fun local hangout, but is a bit too far from campus to become one of ours. And now, the ratings!

The Bards Ratings

The Bar Graph: The Bards

—Brynn