Abandon All Hope Ye Who DON’T Enter Here

(note: this post features sarcastic/”corny” word play.  Feel free to insert a punchline joke drum roll at the end of these sentences.)

The corner of 11th and Ellsworth was rarely populated a few years ago. Even with the typical Italian restaurant monumentally sitting on the corner, no one was ever around.

That is until Lucifer decided to move in.

Devil’s Den is a blissful watering hole filled with plenty of warmth for these cold winter months. Shades of reds and dark browns cover the interior as if the room was a part of Poe’s “Masque of the Red Death”. Red bricked walls separate the dining area from the bar, while the fireplace sits in the center of the den, creating a feeling that you might turn around and see a guy with a pitchfork and horns shoveling logs into the fire.

Beyond the interior the food and beer selection is to die for. The beer list is the baby brother of beer menus from places like Monks and Eulogy. Devil’s Den features 16 craft beers on tap that are constantly in rotation, pages of bottled beer, and three types of beer flights…and all at reasonable non-Center City prices.

If you’re interested in getting some dinner you won’t be disappointed. The food is just as sinful as the beer menu. Featured are mussels and clams; cooked and seasoned in five different styles. There are also plenty of salad, sandwich, and appetizer choices. Some of the items on the list are even cooked in beer! Franziskaner mussels, Hennepin Chicken sandwich, and Arrogant Bastard Cheese Fries- the sound of them alone should make any beer lover’s mouth water. Friendly and knowledgeable waiters and bartenders complete your devilish experience.

Hello Devil’s Den.  Pleased to meet you.  Hope everyone knows your name.

Continue your descent into Devils Den

A Victorious Hunt for a Place to Eat

For those of you who may have already read the following review of South Philly Taproom:

We will be moving our bar reviews to our blog page, and in the near future will delete the “Bar Hopping” Page.  We feel that the blog is far more convenient for our loyal readers to access, rather than keeping the old page and just piling the reviews one on top of the other like the Mad Hatters’ Hats!

Thanks for your patience as we continue to move the ExBEERiment furniture around.  And don’t worry.  Once we reach a perfect state of feng shui, we’ll be satisfied!  Of course, it may take us a while…

Like the world’s best-known-perfectionist says, “It’s a gift…and a curse.”  Bare with us.

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In the wilds of South Philadelphia, there lies a place where wild boars, ostriches, and ducks roam freely - on the menu, that is. Where one may experience the fun of sitting in a wooden barrel - without the danger of plummeting down Niagara Falls (or the need to escape down a river with thirteen grumpy dwarves and a hobbit). Where kindly will-o-the-wisps sit on tiny thrones of wax and wick, and warm the wooden walls with rippling circles of golden light.

Where is this strange fairy-land, you may ask? Why, tucked away on the outskirts of the Italian Market, at the corner of 15th and Mifflin Streets. It is not Avalon, but simply the South Philadelphia Tap Room.

Walking into this dreamy land of beer might bring a tear of joy to any beer lover's eye. Drafts are in constant rotation so you have the chance to "exbeeriment" with something new every time you visit. Moving onward you will spot the frigid chamber of brew (a.k.a. the bottled beer refrigerator). A massive shrine of beers; spanning from California to Belgium. The price of draft beer is $3-6 but bottles can range anywhere from $3-$28 (I can already hear you whining. Stop, for there is many a bottled beer in the lower price range).

There's much to choose from here which means there might be a slight chance (95.6%) that you have never heard of some beers or that you just don't know what to choose from. That doesn't mean you should purchase a beer you know and love, you coward. This bar is DESIGNED for the adventurous! So just ask your server! Not only friendly, but very knowledgeable about their stock (and if they aren't sure they WILL ask someone who does!). They can help you choose a beer to fit your taste.

Now, you may find our praise of this tiny corner pub a bit overdone: but check it out before you judge too quickly! A place we've had the pleasure of sampling more than once, the South Philly Tap Room exceeded our expectations: from the friendly service, to the mouth-watering food that delights the eyes, the olfactory, and the taste-buds all at once, to the surprisingly diverse beer menu, this place wins our vote as the spot to spend your Friday night (and your Saturday, and maybe even your Sunday...)