National Mechanics

Much left to desire if you ask me. Over priced drinks. Smells like a dirty basement. Good luck being acknowledged if you'd like a glass of water.

We've shared a lot of great memories with National Mechanics.  We've done Thanksgiving dinner there.  Our post-wedding celebration brunch was held there. I even got up in front of a rowdy crowd and read a "Broem" for the book release party of BROETRY (my poem was appropriately titled "Lager, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways).

And there's good reason for this - National Mechanics is awesome.  Consistently good food (particularly brunch), awesome décor and a great crowd always make NatMechs a good time.

NatMechs is decorated like a warped church with high ceilings and pews, look carefully at the plants lining the windows and you'll see Venus Flytraps ready to feed on the next fly that unfortunately made his way into the space.

Brunch is where it's at, with a great selection of food and a Make Your Own Bloody Mary Bar with a ton of selections to create your favorite Mary.  I also particularly like the plantain chips on the regular menu.

A nice mixed drink and draft list round out NatMechs. Be sure to check out your pint glass and the glasses around you to get a nice variety of local Philly "celebrities!"

NatMechs hosts a ton of fun events (like Science On Tap and the Olde City Sideshow) so it gets pretty packed on the weekends, but it's always worth it regardless!

I've been here twice and have had great experiences on both occasions.  The food and drink are good and the waitstaff is friendly.  We went this past Saturday night with a group of 12 and they were able to quickly seat us and take care of us.  The atmosphere is cool and it's a good place to kick off a night of bar crawling around Old City.