I've passed by Pub on Passyunk East bi-weekly in my previous job, it always looked cool and I've been meaning to make my way down to South Philly to try it but that never happened until this year. Â Beer selection was great, they had some specials while we were there. Â Some people got brunch and everyone seemed to like there food. Â The bar area was spacious. Â Its not that far of a walk off the subway so I'm not sure why I haven't made it out here sooner.
Review Source:I came here on a whim after hoppin' stage with The Verve Pipe a few years back. The Verve Pipe show was kickin'*, but this place was a-ROCKIN'.
I've been told since then by Philly NATIVES that it's called the POPE, but I don't think our holy Papal father has this many downright bodacious babes inside him**!
I got some killer nachos con POLLO and m'lady got the fish and chips. For a second, I thought I was back on the "14:59" Tour in London...LONG STORY***.
The jukebox has some great jams, though they were lacking in one department. I gave the bartender a copy of our last album "Music For Cougars". He stared at me blankly for a second, then abruptly walked away and attended to another customer. Despite this BOGUS display of disrespect, I award 5 stars for the food and the atmosphere. DID I MENTION THE BABES?
* I sang backups on "The Freshmen", then tried to transition into "Every Morning" but the band wasn't having it -- can you say buzzkill?!
** Or does he? Something to think about.
***We were touring the world in support of the SMASH hits from "14:59". Needless to say, it was a wild time. Our good buddies CRAZYTOWN were opening for us, and Shifty Shellshock and I got in the habit of ordering Fish n Chips everywhere in London. People must have thought we were NUTS. Shifty often got self-conscious (in hindsight it might have been the narcotics) but I said "Shift -- this is like a a British Burger! Just go with it!" True story: the best fish n chips and London are at a strip club called "Jollywankers". Tell them you know Mark.
Stopped in for a small bite to eat around dinner. We came because my friend is a vegetarian. Wasn't really digging the menu selection. The fare seemed like bar food but prepared in un-bar foody ways. I ordered cheese fries just hoping for cheese fries. It came coated in several different cheeses that all slid off when you pulled on a fry and that tasted bland even after you scooped it back on. Fries seem like a small thing to fault a place on, but the whole menu seemed like it had an identity crisis.
During the meal I looked across the floor and saw a mouse by the wall. It proceeded to scurry across the floor and stop about 5 inches from foot. Now, I don't know if I care all that much but that's the sort of thing that other people seem to freak out about, so it's worth noting.
This seems like it might be a cool place to stop for a beer or two, but there's a lot of places that are cool to stop for a beer or two. I don't know if I'm compelled to revisit this one.
appreciate that they offer vegan substitutes, but the food seemed "off" and both of us felt ill afterward. could have been a coincidence, so we're giving them the benefit of the doubt. still, the server we had treated us with disdain. for good food, we'll put up with it; for mediocre food, not a chance.
Review Source:Like most bars, their selection of beers and liquors are quite standard. As is the ambiance. The bartenders had the usual faux dive bar air of superiority and literally would not let us sit down (apparently 5-6 seats at the bar were taken by phantoms).
It does get a star for being at a good location. The other star is because the bouncer was pleasant.
I would go back if they were giving out free beer. If not, there are plenty of other places where my patronage would be better appreciated.
I FINALLY made it to the POPE & I definitely plan to be there more often.
First of all, let's talk about daydrinking. Outside. On a hot summer's day. Oh yes, the hard cider was flowing. Perfect for brunch, if you ask me, was a great complement to the Vegan French Toast.
And OMG the Vegan. French. Toast. I can't stop thinking about it. This might be a regular stop for me post acupuncture on Saturdays. Seriously, best Vegan French Toast I've had, better even than my own! Vegan French Toast that is worth the 5 stars all by itself. Seriously.
I also had the home fries. And they were also amazing. I love that they had vinegar on the table. There is nothing like salt & vinegar on my potatoes. Nothing.
Highly recommend.
Great service and bar staff... Super friendly and good folk from the neighborhood. The drinks are good and not very expensive, and they have a wonderful beer menu. I've only eaten here once but it was delicious french fries with crab meat and Old Bay seasonings. It can get a little loud here on the weekends as it's a pretty hip place to go but thankfully the summer is coming and they have great outdoor seating. A gem in South Philly!
Review Source:Finally made it down to POPE following taking some dance lessons. Â I've heard enough about the place and knew I had to try it. Â This is a hipster haven, just warning to all those that do not like that scene. Â I can tolerate it to an extent. Â The place has a very underground type feel. Â The place is very dark! We sat ourselves in the back. Â Our server Heather was the one of the most patient and nicest servers I have ever had in the city. Â In some cases the service received can make or break the meal. Â Had I not liked the food, the place would still be a 3 star place. Â I love a place with a great draft and bottle selection. Â This place does not disappoint.
The girlfriend and I both ordered the POPE burger cooked medium. Â Both came out medium! Yay! The burger was seasoned great, though I wasn't a fan of the fried tomato. Â However the basil mayo that was on it was INCREDIBLE. Â Very different, which really separates it from the rest. Â The fries were also fantastic. Â They were fresh and warm, definitely hand-cut. Â
I'll definitely be back again soon!
This place is great! I went here with a couple of friends and was pleasantly surprised by the extensive beer list. I didn't get a chance to order any food, but I tasted some of my friends pierogis and they were amazing. It isn't expensive, and has a very chill but fun atmosphere. Everyone was very friendly, especially the bartenders, and all the beer I ordered was great.
I'm planning on coming back here sometime very soon.
This bar is great.
The beer selection is great and ever changing. The POPE has a beer for pretty much every taste. From rare and specialty beers to cheap cans and bottles, the selection at POPE is hard to beat.
The food is great. From one of the best burgers in Philly to healthier vegan and vegetarian options to seasonal specials, the POPE is a great place to eat.
The atmosphere is friendly and casual. Bigger groups can generally find a table. Bartenders and servers are all very accommodating and really nice. The jukebox has a great selection of music. During the spring and summer the POPE has outdoor seating.
The Pup on Passyunk East is easily one of the best bars in South Philly.
heard about this place for a while, just never seemed to get there. We finally went after an early afternoon Flyers game and loved it.
They had Bell's Hopslam on tap, and recommended by the bartender, we got it. WOW! Ca';t wait to find this beer again. All the beer available (on tap and bottles) was interesting, could spend a lot of time in a place like this.
Dark place (even during the day), "dirgy" music (loved it), and great service.
We had some food as well, some chips and salsa and their wings. Both were solid bar food, wings nice and crispy.
I came here for the vegan grub. I have heard good things, but I was disappointed. The seitan fingers as an appetizer were fine, but they could have had more flavor (salt?!). For dinner, I ordered the seitan cheesesteak. I don't know what they use as vegan "cheese," but it was foul. It tasted like bland seitan topped with watered-down mashed potatoes without salt or flavor that were dyed yellow. Gross. However, I will say that I enjoyed the atmosphere and brewskie selection. I will probably be back again and try something other than the seitan "cheese"steak.
Review Source:I am trying to be nice here but the prices are a tad high for the location. This is a South Philly dive bar with Center City prices which is the polar opposite of Oscars a great Center City dive bar with South Philly prices. If I am going dive bar, I am looking to drink on the cheap. The Hipsters really seem to like this place, that probably is another reason I did not care for it. The bathroom here is disgusting, actually worse then Oscars (think worst toilet in Scotland from Trainspotting).
Review Source:The POPE is a favorite for brunch, booze, and hangout-ery.
It has a sort of dingy, rustic, dark vibe inside, which is in my top 5 preferred atmospheres for bars and gastropubs. The bartenders are very nice, and the brunch food is great, with my favorite being the vegan French toast.
There are plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, and a killer beer list. It's good for groups if you're going to eat, because while the entry and bar area does sometimes get very crowded (usually by people who bring in 15 of their closest friends ... I've been in one of these groups, so no hate), the table seating and the other side of the bar are generally very accessible.
The POPE is hands down one of my favorite places on Passyunk, great for a single beer, a night out, or a group celebration.
Can you say, Hipster City?! This is where the hipsters are...and hey, they might be on to something because this place is great!
A very casual, laid back atmosphere. Dark setting. The perfect place to grab some beers with your friends. Always pretty crowded on friday and saturday nights so if you want a table try and grab one early.
The beer list is written on a long-stretching chalk board above the bar. If you have trouble reading it they have a printed list that you can ask for. They have a pretty phenomenal beer selection including some of my favorite West coast breweries such as 21st Amendment.
Tasty food as well! The pierogies rocked my socks off!
At POPE the Waitstaff are reason enough to go here. Â They will remember you--what you like to drink, make great recommendations, and are so friendly and sociable. Â Exactly what you look for in a neighborhood bar/restaurant.
Every time we go here I cannot get anything but the burger. Â The bun is the BEST I HAVE EVER HAD. The burger itself is well seasoned with hints of cumin (I think!?) and the grilled onion on top if my favorite!!! Â I could do without the frien green tomato but someone at the table usually eats it! Â The fries are great, perfectly cooked and well seasoned.
The rotating taps always feature something for everyone and the prices are reasonable! Â It has somewhat of a "dive bar" feel but with staff and food that take it to the next level. GREAT vegetarian and vegan options also.
Pretty good beer, pretty good food, pretty good all around.
Nice selection of bottle and draft and they also have a short list of hard to find or obscure stuff as well.
The food is standard beer bar grub. I've had the POPE burger which comes topped with a fried tomato which was a very nice touch, as well as the wings which were on par with some of the better wings around.
I'll keep coming back when I'm in the area as this is a solid place to grab a PBR pounder and a burger or wings. It's perfect for what it is.
Checked this place out last Friday and found it pleasant. Â When walking inside, the bartender greeted us, told us where the drink list was and told us to "make ourselves at home" which leads me to believe this must be a regulars-type bar since he could tell we had never been there. Â Snagged a table outside that was rather hard to get into, they seem to have crammed too many tables outside and it was pretty comedic as my boy and I tried to slide into some chairs that were butted right up against the next table. Â They allow dogs at their outside seating and even bring them bowls for water and I love that!
The menu is small, but provides a lot of vegetarian options and has some tasty-looking things. Â I got the veggie burger and boyfriend got the seitan chicken fingers....both were delicious! Â The beer selection was pretty good and decently-priced.
If you are a smoker, please go to the corner where there are no tables. Â That's where all of the considerate smokers go and I would personally appreciate not having some asshole's smoke blowing into my face while I'm eating.
Yes, I am a huge fan of this place after two visits thus far. It's a great cavernous pub atmosphere inside, with big tables to accommodate our group of five or six or whatever it was that first time. The beer list is good and diverse, and I saw a round of PBR pounders on their way to a table, which is always a welcome sight.
The menu features a nice sprinkling of vegetarian items for those interested in such frivolous pursuits. Of the items I've tried here, everything has been excellent - big, tasty chicken nachos, similarly big and tasty wings, and delicious fries next to a terrific burger, especially with bacon added. The fried green tomato is a great touch.
Great service, too - Sue is an excellent server. My only complaint, really, is about how cramped the outdoor seating is. But I can't bring myself to take a star off for that. I like this place a lot, and it's worth the stroll down Passyunk to sit down here and drink for a while. I'll be back very soon, hopefully to try the brunch menu this time.
Though having been to the "hobbits house" as I affectionately refer to it, a number of times in the past, this is the first that I am finding myself reviewing it. Why do I love P.O.P.E? Let me count the ways...
1. Totally killer beer selection, I was able to snag some leftover Russian River Supplication from their anniversary party just a few days prior. Supp for $7.50 a glass? I'm game.
2. The AC may suck, but if you choose the right time of day to hang here (aka) 2pm on a Saturday afternoon, the single window unit over the door can keep the place a few degrees cooler than the sweltering heat outside.
3. Credit Cards Accepted = :) I'm the asshole at dinner that puts part of the tab on her credit card.
4. Bartenders are friendly without being overbearing, they fit the laid back mold of this place to a T, sit back, enjoy the music, grab a beer, and hang.
Having lived in the area for a little over a years time, Passyunk Square has become one of my favorite places to chow down and booze up. If this isn't on your steady rotation of beer bars in the city, you need to play some serious catch up and get over here...with easy accessibility and a menu that runs the colorful beer rainbow, you have no excuses for not paying a visit.
I won't name names but some one said " You Guys please Don't embarrass me Im a regular here and have to come back " I'm not mad i wouldn't want to be embarrassed at 2 in the afternoon in South Philly.
POPE has all the elements of a hipster haven legit beer list, hipster employees (obvi) and naked photo hunt. This was stop 2 after brunch on the brunch club bar crawl I enjoyed myself very much and though i only boozed i can honestly say i would come back for drinks alone.
Pope is a great place to drink. Its one of those places that makes me wish I was in this neighborhood more often. I have been here a number of times and they always have a killer draft list. They also have great events, we stumbled upon a Dogfish tap takeover once. The bartenders tend to be very knowledgeable about beer, which is helpful in a place like this since they get rare brews.
I have only tried a few of the appetizers and while none of them blew me away they were a lot better than the food available at any chain bar. I would like to try a meal here soon.
People seem put off by the ladies room, in the basement with low ceilings and cramped space but I love the collages on the walls and find it charming. To each their own!
Dark, dive'esk....totally awesome!
Seriously an AMAZING beer selection - and yes they do have a Gluten Free beer. The GF beer was a little sour, but hey...I am willing to have a little sour to drink beer!
Just a cool place to hang and drink, totally laid back, great prices (so if your an all day drinker you won't go broke...well maybe), and really nice bartenders.
They also take credit cards - THANK YOU!
And the ladies bathroom really was not bad at all...but I would not suggest you stand anywhere near the mens - if you do or think you might - bring nose plugs.
On the surface the POPE isn't anything special. Â Besides the outdoor seating which is awesome, the inside is the standard decor of a dive bar...low lighting, beer signs on the walls, etc. Â However, you don't come to the POPE for the decor. Â You come for a great staff, a great beer selection, good bar food, and a chill clientele. Â
The beer list is constantly changing with about 12-15 beers on draft. Â There is also a long list of bottles and cans. Â Prices are fair, but the half off happy hour is awesome. Â
Overall the places reputation for a good beer bar is well earned. Â Not posh, but it is south philly afterall.
Even though I don't consider myself to be of the typical crowd here this place works for me for some reason. Â It doesn't try to be anything it's not, which I love.
Their beer menu is huge, and affordable. Â Their food isn't anything special but I've eaten different things here and all have been above average, except maybe for the chicken fingers which were very heavy before playing kickball one night. Â My bad on that one though.
Yes, it's dark in here. Â Yes, the bathrooms are gross. Â But it's a dive-y bar on East Passyunk, any different and it wouldn't be the same. Â You do you, POPE.
It's all been said. Everyone knows the POPE. Everyone. Trying to keep this review relevant, or at least not repetitive, is difficult. I will focus on items that may have been glossed over in other reviews.
The new-ish, smaller menu is much better. A burger, a few veggie items, some apps- good idea. No longer is there a sprawling, endless options style menu.
All the food here is reliable. Being from South Jersey, Â I especially love that the fries are served with malt vinegar.
The space inside is slightly confusing, but set up as best as possible. There are three areas- a bar in the front, a server station and a few large wooden tables, and a narrow, more traditional seating section in the back. I like the back section best, whether I am looking to dine with one or drink and be loud with 10. (Which, I should add, I love doing both)
The outdoor seating is terrific. right on the sidewalk, it is a great way to view the vibrant East Passyunk neighborhood while still sitting back in the shadows (literally). It does get a little loud, but if it didnt, well then, why be in the city.
The beer is great. The place is uber-hip. The music is good See other reviews for these "beating a dead horse" subjects.
Well, it looks like Pub on Passyunk East is my 50th review. How lucky you are I have some good things to say.
I drove into East Passyunk for my first Yelp Elite Event and found I had some time to kill before it started. So, I decided to try out POPE's Happy Hour, which I quickly found was "half-off drafts." Â Nothing like smiling at a chalkboard list of quality beers and mentally dividing the posted price in half. I decided on a Sly Fox O'Reilly's Stout, which was pretty decent. After awhile, I followed that up with a Southern Tier Mokah and instantly fell in love. Damn you chocolate/coffee flavored beer! You get me every time! Â I had to remind myself that this was just a pre-event pit-stop and I tried to forget about the Happy Hour pricing; could've been dangerous.
As far as the bar itself, I felt slightly out of place while looking around, mostly due to the fact that I don't wear a fedora or sport tattoos/arm sleeves. Regardless, I really liked the energy of this place, which seems to draw hipsters and locals who already know each other or greet the servers by name. The bartender, who was also inked out with a hair bun and a Scott Ian goatee, was friendly and on point with his pours, so I was very happy with the service here.
I can easily see myself dropping in for another visit. I mean, any bar that has a jukebox playing "Beat It" immediately followed up by "Smoke on the Water" can't help but bring a smile to your face.
The POPE is dope.
I really enjoyed my last two experiences after a kind of shaky first time. Their beer selection has to rank among the top in the city and they have pretty decent service for the amount of people that pack this bar.
I really enjoyed their food as well. The first time I had dinner was during a Friday happy hour. The POPE burger was one of the best I've had in Philly, really juicy and a great side of handcut fries to complement.
The veggie burger was not nearly as tasty but to have it as an option is nice.
I went back to POPE later that weekend and had wings and pierogies. I am not a pierogie specialist but they were for sure delicious and a great appetizer.
Can't go wrong with the POPE, especially if you go during happy hour when it's half-off drafts!
"It's like that bar in Shrek" was one of the best ways to describe this place. Â It feels like you're in a fairy tale. Â (I love drinking in a fairy tale!) Â This is what inspired me to try the "Fluffy White Rabbits" Belgian.
BEHOLD the best bartender in the history of bartenders. I've never seen someone so friendly, so quick, and so attentive to everyone in the bar. Â Constantly scanning the room for people with unrequited eye contact, no pressure to keep the tab open...just good at a job where so many people are so pissy and jaded. I should have tipped more. Crap, I will next time.
It may also be the neighborhood, maybe the delightful ambiguity of the clientele, or maybe it's the emergency light-turned-ET in the ladies bathroom quoting "ET Phone Home". Â Whether it was all or some of these things, I fell in love with the place. Â This review's lack of a fifth star is only due to my inexperience here. Â In time, after a few visits, I'll probably add one more.
To Do List:
-try entire draft selection at POPE
-study for GRE's
-try brunch at POPE
-book tickets for vacation
-try dinner and / or lunch at POPE
...remember college?
...remember your college bar?
...remember hipsters?
...remember hipsters at your college bar?
...remember a great beer selection? no? well...POPE has that...and vegan food...and all of the above.
if you go on st. patrick's day it's a little too loud and boisterous...if you go any day and you're  a girl and you have to use the restroom...you'd better be okay with little privacy. it's a one stall gig with a barely there wooden door flap. everybody in the bathroom can hear you pee.
My brunch experience at the POPE was delightful. Actually, I take that back. There was barely any light at all. That bar is dark, man. Even at noon on a Saturday.
An exceptionally delicious $4 bloody Mary (love that horseradish) and a banging' BLT (complemented with a dill goat cheese spread instead of mayo) made my afternoon. Plus you can sub side salad for fries, no charge.
No wait, no fuss. I'll be back.
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