Address: | 2034 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA |
Phone: | +1 215-563-6328 |
Site: | butcherbarphilly.com |
Rating: | 4.5 |
Working: | 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 10:30AM–2:30PM |
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Blaine Guenther
From my wifes Yelp review: A meat-centric restaurant that served me RAW GROUND TURKEY is a definite no-go for me. I have been seeking out all of Phillys best meatballs, so when I saw that this new place in our neighborhood had multiple meatball options, I was majorly excited to try it. The restaurant décor is cute although a little strange in places (huge metal meat hooks?!) but super loud. Could hardly hear my husband across the tiny table from me. The food before the raw turkey meatballs was ok. Nothing special, especially for Philly. One of the things we ordered were The American meatballs which are turkey meatballs with mashed potatoes and gravy. After quite a long wait for our food and before biting into the raw one, they were just "meh." Mashed potatoes and gravy can cover a multitude of sins and even that was nothing Id ever order again. Then it happened... I bit into a raw meatball. Chewed. Noticed a funny texture. Checked what remained of the offending meatball and even in the super dark lighting could see that it was raw. So grossed out I couldnt touch another bite of food. We caught our waiters attention and he took the plate away and asked if we wanted a replacement meatball. UM NO. No way. Wed been waiting so long for food and then to eat something as disgusting as raw turkey, wed lost our appetites. Then they really lost me in how it was handled or not really handled actually. The waiter comes back and says cheerfully "did you save any room for dessert?!" Well, definitely have some room in my stomach since we didnt eat what we ordered since it was RAW and its a little bizarre to assume that we were just totally comfortable eating more food from a kitchen that puts out raw food. We said no thank you to dessert before the menus were out of his hands and he took off. A bit later a man that I can only assume was the manager (never identified himself) came to our table and said they were going to "take the raw turkey meatball off the check. Sorry about that." And then walked away. Thanks for not making us pay for the raw and dangerous food that your restaurant served us? We paid the check and took off as soon as possible so that we could hurry home, chug Pepto and pray that we didnt get food poisoning. The other food we had was ok; overpriced for sure but after the meatball and the strange way that it was handled Id never go again. Especially in Philly and in this area where there are SO many other better places to go. Skip it.
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Adam Gresek
This place literally smells of seared meat. It entices you to order the whole menu, and quite frankly you cant go wrong. We got the weisswurst, bacon slab, monkey bread, the skirt steak, and mashed potatoes. The weisswurst was a salty pinnacle of its form. Perfectly seared, with spicy mustard, and a nutty bacon filled kraut, was the perfect introduction. The bacon looked like a steak, and had a sweet yet fiery glaze. The monkey bread was buttery and doughy with more spicy mustard and beer cheese. It paired well with the bacon. Something mild to balance the heat. The steak was perfect medium rare with herb butter and chimichurri. These mashed potatoes though....I wanted a spatula to scrape the last bits out of the super cute mini stock pot they served them in. We finished off with the skillet chocolate chip cookie. This thing is probably illegal in 3 states its so good. In short, the food is phenomenal, the service is spectacular.....and luscious smell of seared meat is everywhere.
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Kyle B
Honestly... I was woefully unimpressed. Service was good. Enjoyed the atmosphere. Food was bleh. Started with the chicken chicharrone, which were actually pretty tasty. Main course was this rib eye. The accompanying vegetables were way undercooked. I bit into one of their roasted mini onions and it was practically raw. This left the raw onion taste in my mouth that wouldnt go away for the rest of the meal and overpowered everything else. The carrots were also way undercooked. Unlike the vegetables, the steak was overcooked and under seasoned. I feel like it could of used some salt, because it didnt taste like any was on it. But then again, it could have been because I coudlnt take anything but raw onion.... For the price I paid, not worth it at all. Maybe their other dishes are good, but there are plenty of steak houses closer that offer better quality and value.
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Juliet Shen
I went here with my husband for my birthday and couldnt have had a better experience. Our waitress, Sarah, was very helpful and sweet. The friendly manager even stopped at out table several times to check on us. Service was definitely great. The food was excellent too. We had the wedge salad, the game hen, and the ribs. All were huge portions and very good. It was enough to take home for lunch the next day. My husband had brought in a birthday cake which they were very accommodating about. The manager offered to personally cut it for us! We also had whisky which is their thing. I had an excellent whisky cocktail that our waitress recommended to me to suit my taste - not on the menu. An overall great experience!!
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Victor Hurdle
A relative newcomer to the Center City West / Rittenhouse North neighborhood of Philadelphia. The same folks behind Mercato and Varga bring you Butcher Bar a meat lovers paradise with amazing selections of mains and sides with most items served ala carte. Dont sleep on the sides though as they can be equal a main dish. Speaking of not sleeping on a dish: The hipster meatballs are worth every penny. Sure they are one of the few meat free options on the menu, but they are amaze balls. I could go on and on (and on) about the menu options Ive tried, but try them for yourself as theyve not disappointed yet!
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Julia Gao
The waitstaff was great, very nice and just the right amount of attention. The slab of bacon ($9) was very thick, the size of a steak, and its taste reminded me of pulled pork. The chicken wings ($11, gives 5 wings) were amazingly delicious - seasoned very well, crunchy, and the meat itself had a lot of juicy flavor (the sauce that came with it was also delicious). For a wednesday night ~7pm, all the seats in the doing area were taken but there were several bar seats left. I would come back here again :-)
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Steven Loures
The butcher bars meatballs are no joke. The Turkey meatballs with potatoes was one of the best things Ive had in the city in a long time. The menu is fresh and exciting, they even make their own fries and beef jerky. The service is extremely friendly and the bar has a long list of beers and cocktails that are well thought out. The bar is set up well and has a nice area that looks out onto the street. The prices are a little high but for what youre getting it is worth it, especially with the meatballs
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James Forbes
My family and I came in for a late lunch/early dinner. The place was pretty empty, though I had read that they can be pretty crowded, and I believe it. We could only order off of the lunch menu, which was a bummer because we had seen the menu online prior to arriving and we werent aware of a meal shift. Mostly sandwiches and fries. Our server was mostly pleasant and attentive, if a bit forgetful. I want to come back with a group and do "The Trough", but other than that, I likely wont be back.