I decided to come here because of the advertised $4 beers all the month of July. I am a craft beer lover so this was a deal. On the day and time I was there (Weds, 5pm) they also had a beer and burger special for $10. What I didn't expect was to have a really really great burger. I ordered the cheese fondue on the burger as the cheese and it blew me away. The flavor of the meat was really great and the presentation was very nice. I ordered the Ginger Blonde beer, I think that's what it was. It was really great. Also, my boyfriend had a dark IPA which was 7.7% without tasting like it, which is always great.
It really reminded me of Iron Hill Brewery, so If you like it there, you will probably like it here.
One suggestion to them is: Get Rid Of Those Dirty Green Couches...they bring down the entire aura of the restaurant.
Trip back to Triumph this weekend for a $4 beer special. I enjoyed a few Belgian Blonde's which were light and tasty, perfect for a summer evening. Our table started off with some appetizers including muscles, calamari, and pretzel's. Of the appetizers i'd say the muscles were the clear winner, the pretzel's were fairly tasty, and the calamari were ultimately a disappointment. For some reason they have changed their seasoning and breading which we caught on as we are come here about every other month. The waitress admitted they had made the change, and it left us less then thrilled.
Meals included Burgers mainly, a few salads. I have to say Triumph makes a good burger and fries. Its worth the price. We had caesar side salads, and while i'm a fan of garlic, all the salads had to go back as it was just fueled with garlic. We inquired on this, and the waitress mentioned they make their own dressing, and the cooks may have gone heavy handed.
All in all, a fun night. Winners were burgers, muscles, and brews. Losers were calamari, salads, and our wallets. Not sure what brought some of the changes, but they were not pleasant. I will say our waitress was excellent, polite, and offered to make substitutions for our surprises. I would honestly give her 4 stars, but rate the food around a 3 for the night (burgers would get a 4-5, beer a 5, but appetizers would go to a 1-2).
The location is nice and outdoor seating is nice on a week night. Â The beer was tastey but luke-warm :/. We ordered the nachos and wings and the chips were all stale! The cheese on the nachos was like a fake queso (powder mix) that tasted like soup, and the wings were kind of undercooked and slimey. Â Other than that staff was nice but I dont think Il be going back. :(
Review Source:This is a fun place to hang out for a beer and maybe have a app or salad. (Check out the monkey sculptures over by the brewery).
Service started out very well and went down hill as the place filled up. Our waitress was trying, but would have needed roller skates to keep up. She did an excellent job of making dietary accommodations.
The descriptions on the menu do not match what is on the plate exactly. This is mostly because they do not adequately describe just how much smoked bacon is involved. The ribs are great, but the collard greens were burned and consisted mostly of bacon and undercooked fingerling potatoes. This concoctions was listed as a ragout. The crabs with succotash also had a strong taste of bacon, which really overpowered the crab - that was by the way perfectly battered and fried. No complaints on the po' boy. The salads were excellent, with no bacon to speak of.
Triumph Brewing Company is located in the middle of a busy block on Chestnut Street. Â Searching for parking, I actually passed the restaurant twice without noticing the business. Â There is a small, curbside outdoor area where I and a friend chose to eat on such a beautiful day. Â Ultimately and unfortunately, the outdoor eating space is crammed, where I felt like every other customer eating around me was listening to my conversation. Â This is not the place for a private dinner.
The selection of beers on tap is extensive and varied, and the appetizers, although titled "small plates" on the menu, are actually very large. Â I would say you receive quality AND quantity for your money's worth.
Made the booking specifically to listen to live music and was told as soon as we arrived that they no longer have live music. Pretty disappointing. Food was average and cocktails are overpriced. Also, not a wide variety of beers at all... def not a good choice for a brewery. Overall pretty disappointing experience
Review Source:Update:
I go to Triumph regularly - some of their beers are excellent (like the chocolate stout on nitro I had yesterday...yummmmm), some are just good/okay. Â But hey - just 'good' is a pretty good place to be. Â They do growlers now, too, which is great.
One random complaint: It is SOO flippin' cold in there during the summer!!!
But otherwise, still loving it :-)
I like Triumph. They really have some solid brews here. I don't think they do tours here, but the beer is great. There is live music most nights, which is awesome.. The food is decent, and if you check in on yelp - you get 10% or 15% off of the food part of your check. Â It's a well laid out space: Â Couches near the front, a long bar on the right side with bar tables, stage in the back, dining tables on the left. Upstairs is a small bar that I think can be rented out for private parties. The beer is the star here, though. My current favorite is their Belgian Blond. Wasn't a huge fan of the Summer Wheat, but the IPA and Choco Milk Stout were great. They have an awesome pumpkin beer during the fall. $3 happy hour beers! Also saw a sign about $4 beers in July. (Most are $5 or $5.50.)
Review Source:Admittingly, I didn't have huge expectations going into my visit to Triumph from the reviews here. Â Tales of uneven service and food had me a little uneasy. Â Why I wanted to go here anyway? Simple, they brew their own beer. Â We first got there on a rainy Friday around 5pm. Â The place wasn't super packed, but looked to be about half filled. Â We were greeted kindly by the hostess and seated right away. Â The server (whose name I don't remember at the moment) was extremely kind and patient. Â I tend to be a kid in a candy store when it comes to selecting beer. Â Thankfully, the server guided me to the "sample" option which I was able to choose 4 of their home brews to taste for $6. Â Score!! I tried the Honey blonde, Summer Wheat, Belgian Saison and the Abbey Dubbel. Â All the beers were pretty darn good. Â I liked the summer wheat and the abbey dubbel the most.
For food the gf and I shared the hot crab and artichoke dip as an appetizer. Â This is quite delicious, creamy and rich. Â The crab was plentiful and the accompanied pita chips were fried to perfection and made for easy dipping. Â Probably the highlight of the meal. Â For entrees my girlfriend got the shrimp fettuccine special and I got the pineland farms burger with cheddar, bacon, grilled onions and chipotle aioli. Â The girlfriend didn't much care for her entree as the shrimp tasted a bit funny. Â I assume they were probably frozen and had a bit of a freezer burn. Â I didn't care to taste them, but we came up with that assumption. Â The burger I had was great. Â Though on one note I did order the burger medium, but it came out well done. Â Wasn't happy about this, but it wasn't enough for me to send it back. Â The grilled onions I could have done without. Â I guess I was expecting carmelized onions...but they were basically raw onions with some grill marks. Â Meh. Â The saving grace was the chipotle aioli...which I was dipping my fries in after awhile. Â Awesomesauce (literally). Â The burger came with hand-cut fries. Â They were pretty good, but I suspected them of sitting out a little because some were a bit soggy.
Overall I would definitely come back here. Â The staff was extremely friendly and accommodating. Â We had an issue after we sat down. Â We were encroached by a large group of people and were basically huddled over as we were eating our appetizer. Â It was quite uncomfortable and this group of likely happy hour work friends had no manners at all. Â The hostess kindly seated us at another table.
Tip: Make sure you definitely check in here. Â 10% off your food!
Thank you Yelp for the 10% off coupon!
Came here today for beer week. I wasn't a fan of the Princeton location (check my very recent review of that if you want to just see what went wrong there), but I love this location. I will definitely be back. The pints were $3 for beer week (yay!) and they have really good brews here. The honey blonde and oatmeal stout were especially delicious.
The wings here are also good, as is the fig pizza. The waitress was very attentive and nice. We will be back!
Last night was my first time at triumph, and the start of philly beer week as well. They had $3 beers all night and this cool Beatles cover band called Sexy Sadie... it was a lot of fun! I tried a few different beers especially liked the IPA and Saison. I didnt try any food but I'll certainly be back to try food provided one thing does not happen again...
There was an older man hanging out by himself in a navy blue shirt and shorts, sitting at the bar. I didnt think anything of it at first, but my boyfriend pointed out that he wasnt wearing underwear and he was purposely letting his private parts peek out of his shorts. I turned to look, and sure enough, there was a pervert in the bar. He was watching all of the girls dance to the band and it was disgusting. My boyfriend told the bartenders, and I guess he got nervous because he bolted out of there as soon as he saw my boyfriend approach them. The bartenders were really cool about it and gave us a beer on the house. No stars subtracted for this bizarre experience... the staff handled it really well.
All in all, a good night last night.... and certainly an entertaining one.
Okay, the food was fine, although they've pared down the menu quite a bit. They used to have a bunch of really funky things, but now its mostly just standard bar grub. We had fried avocado wedges which were weird but really tasty. Â The truffle mac&cheese was also really good. Buffalo wings & the pizza were pretty lame.
But none of that is why I gave it 2 stars. Â The service was just pathetic. Compounding the lousy service was utterly pathetic live "music." Two guys: one one drums; the other on a laptop. They played this whiny, annoying noise that made conversation difficult. Won't be going back any time soon, if ever. Â The only redeeming part of the evening is that it was a block from Franklin Ice Cream, but that's another review.
After reading some of the other reviews of Triumph, I'm a bit disheartened that my experience wasn't that great. My girlfriend and I decided to stop in after our tour at Yard's Brewery for a couple of beers and a quick bite. I have previously been to both the New Hope and Princeton locations and am a big fan of the food at Triumph.
Let me just start by saying that I was pretty disappointed at the service here. Upon walking in we encountered a rather rude hostess who initially had her back turned on us. When she did seat us, she pretty much threw our menus on the table and walked away without saying anything. Sorry if you hate your job, but don't take it out on me.
Our waitress on the other hand, was very nice and helpful; however, she was scrambling to cover at least 5 other tables and scarcely came over to our table. This also confused me since it was a Saturday afternoon and there were at least a half a dozen servers/bus boys? standing around not doing anything.
Not initially off to a good start, but their saving grace came with the food, beer, and the bathrooms. I ordered a Belgian Saison which had a clean, crisp taste with a hint of fruit. We also ordered a mushroom burger and short rib sliders. I always hear of people getting short rib sliders, but just never bothered with them. Thank God I took the plunge because these were amazing and even made me realize that I could never practice Hinduism because I just love cow too much.
The bathrooms also provided to live up the hype of being great. I've heard many people brag about the bathrooms at Triumph as being the best in the city (this included one of the bartenders across the street at Eulogy). I can't say it was the best, but it certainly was a good experience. You will just have to see for yourself to know what I'm talking about.
Once we finished our food, it took a few minutes, but our waitress came over to clear our plates and ask if we needed anything else. We both have AHA (American Homebrewer's Association) cards, which in some cases can give you a discount on food and or beer at select brewpubs. In Triumph's case, you are able to take 15% off your food; however, when we got our check back, we noticed that only 10% had been taken off. Not that it was a huge deal, but for the lackluster service and girl who hated her job at the door, I thought it was worth bringing up. They ended up taking off the 15%, but proceeded to take about 25 minutes to do so.
All in all, I wouldn't go out of my way to come back to this particular Triumph. For other bars in the area, I would visit Eulogy or the Khyber Pass Pub before coming back here, mainly due to the sub par service. I would also recommend going to Iron Hill Brewery over Triumph, which is the same brewpub concept with nicer servers, a bigger beer and food menu, and better discounts. That is all.
Great Beers and Attentive Service!
We walked in without reservations on a Saturday night, 4 adults plus toddler and we were seated within minutes! They helped us with our stroller and then placed us back where there was less traffic which we Greatly appreciated.
We had a mixed group so we sampled brews and cocktails and they were all great. I loved the Gin Flip! The food was also great. The fish and chips were delicious and the carne asada tacos!
We will definitely return!
The outside dining area was pretty packed so we opted to sit inside. It was a little stuffy, and I wish the windows had been open to let in a breeze. Â The decor is pretty nice, however the bright green lounge area doesn't really fit in with the rest of the place.
Our server was pretty awful. We had to ask twice for napkins (not extra, just napkins in general) and never received silverware. We actually had a different server keep better tabs on us than the girl who had our table. I thought about mentioning to the manager when she came to grab our check, but didn't.
I liked the beer, and the price point was good. I think most were around 5.50.
For an appetizer we got the pretzel bites. They were buttery good, and I couldn't decide if I liked the mustard or cheese dip best. I would go back just for these and a brew, if nothing else.
My wheat crust flatbread was underwhelming. Goat cheese, caramelized onions, apples, figs and bechemal sounded like a can't miss, but sadly it was a little off target. The apple chunks were too big, and would have been great caramelized with the onions.
My boyfriend's Southwestern burger looked tasty (had it been veggie and not beef) and he said it was really good.
I have to go back for the pretzels, so maybe next time we'll sit at the bar and service will be a little better.
On a Saturday night, there was a great crowd with still a few open tables mingling around for wandering patrons such as my friends and I. There were about 7 or 8 beers on tap and I was able to taste the dubbel, ginger beer, and the saison. The dubbel tasted just like what you would expect one to taste like, the ginger beer had barely any taste at all, and the saison was drinkable but not memorable. The setup of this place is neat with it's open glass windows looking into the fermenters, two floors with a bar on each, and apparently live music every night. (I must have missed it my night.) Pretty much all of the beers were $5 so it would have been nice if there had been one or two at a slightly reduced price. It's a cool joint to chill at with friends at night but not a destination to seek out.
Review Source:I see a lot of people have a lot of bad things to say about this place, but I've never had a bad experience. Â It's sort of like you get what you expect. Â They make their own beers, which is really cool because it's the only place to try them as they don't distribute. Â They also rotate them, which is really cool. Â
If you ask any bartender about any beer, they will fully explain it and offer you a taste. Â The only beer I have had here and don't like is the ginger beer. Â It's creamy and pretty weird tasting. Â I've had some of the food, which has always been decent. Â
My last trip here there were two girl bartenders working who were not friendly and looked pretty miserable, but they were still quick to serve. Â Their happy hour is also great! Â Even without happy hour, you can't beat $5 craft beers.
Sooooooo....well......uhhhhhh.......hmmmmmm......Âok. I thought I had done my fair share of research on this place considering I read the yelp reviews, and looked at the menu, which seemed appetizing...I'm not from here. I live in Los Angeles, I'm dating a chef and I'm a foodie so yes, I will say I'm a bit of a food snob...quite particular about the things I consume, especially when I'm paying for it. Their menu is trendy...more small plate options versus entrees, so I ordered a couple of small plates. I figured I could take home what I didn't eat.
PROS: They were playing Michael Jackson Off the Wall, followed by Prince to set the ambience, the decor was pretty nice and the wings I ordered were solid. And that's pretty much where things end.
CONS: It was a minute before I had a waitress bring water and come to my table, but I will forgive that since it was a Friday night. I ordered a regular coke and decided on the bbq chicken nachos (which seemed really promising) and the standard wings. I asked for ranch instead of bleu cheese and she tells me that she would have to see if they have ranch...what type of "american" restaurant doesn't carry ranch? I didn't ask for Grey Poupon, I asked for ranch! She says "nothing on the menu calls for ranch so we don't always have it." Ma'am you have salad and wings on your menu, there is always a need for ranch! Anyway, it takes nearly 30 minutes for my two "small plate" entrees to come. Considering these are still supposed to be appetizers, that's just a bit too long.
As I said, the wings were ok. So on to these, uhhh, nachos. Where do I begin? Lets start with the presentation. You bring me this gigantic bed on chips but put all the toppings directly in the middle of the bed? oh ok. My chips tasted like they were cooked in lukewarm grease...jus stale. The black beans were hard and dry, there was some sort of green sauce spread on a bottom layer of chips that I would have liked more of, the sparse amount of "bbq chicken" was cold and there was some sort of cheese sauce drizzle...i would have preferred a dallop. To top them off, was an abundant handful of scallions...an ingredient that was not mentioned in the menu but considering I told the waitress i didn't want any red onions, I thought she might ask about those...she did not. Â I found myself picking off the scallions and trying to find chips with stuff on them to create something meaningful. I didn't want to send them back because I just try not to do that. So I ate my decent wings dipped in the ranch that she found and took the nachos home to my friend. He says to me "why did you bring me these movie theatre nachos?" Ouch.
Anyway it was another sub par food experience in Philadelphia...I've had some great stuff...but I've also had some not so great stuff. I'll try another place next time.
I have mentioned happy hour a few times this trip to Philly. I love when one melds into another. This one took the prize. Their specials were great. Mussels in tomato saffron broth for $8.00, yes please. The fried avocado wedges were a delightful surprise and high marks for the fish and chips bites. The beer flight was as long as a dragons tail. We didn't stay for the live music, regretfully. The ehh reviews for Triumph seem to be from folks with special needs or who didn't take advantage of what they offer. Attentive staff, interesting bathrooms. BONUS KUDOS FOR HAVING A YELP CHECK IN DEAL!!!!!!!
Review Source:Triumph, WTF happened last night?!!
I have been here plenty of times and always enjoyed the beer and food and company and tonight's experience will honestly make me think twice about coming back. What makes it worse is that I was with friends and family from out of town..total bummer.
We were seated upstairs in the side room along with two other LARGE parties (10+) people. I honestly didn't mind the noise, but it was clear the ONE waitress that was serving that room was overwhelmed and she wasn't handling it well. She had a straight up attitude from start to finish and left me straight up annoyed. She walked around with a nasty look on her face like she was smelling something bad. Not a good look, honey. And it def won't earn you any good tips.
This place usually has some yummy cocktails but tonight the cocktail list was incredibly vague (i.e. "a refreshing citrus cocktail') with no description of what was actually in the drink. When I asked the waitress about it, she straight up said she didn't know what was in any of the drinks. Great...I guess I didn't want a cocktail.
Service was SO slow, we were never offered refills of water or our drinks. When we finally asked for another round when our meals came out, they weren't delivered until we had finished our meals, a good 25 minutes later. Our waitress didn't even so much as apologize. Honestly I wanted to slap this girl.
On a side note, the particular room we were seated in was under bright, fluorescent lights. Think, interrogation room bright. Multiple tables asked them to turn down the lights and eventually they did, but it made the first part of our meal pretty unbearable.
Food was blah. Nothing to write home about. I gave this place two stars ONLY because I have had better experiences here in the past and I think their beer is actually good. But the service and mediocre meals left a bad taste in my mouth. Over it.
Great place to go for unique beers. I've never come here to eat....why waste your appetite on bar food when there are so many great places to eat in Old City is my reasoning. I would give this place another star but every time I go here there are whiffs of frat house beer smell. Not a good thing. Very nice sleek modern bar look though.
Review Source:Great craft beers, low pressure staff within a warm and casual space,. Â Live music on occasion. Â
The only draw back really is the parking situation in Old City. Â You've got the Ritz Garage on weekends and the small lot off of Front street, just don't try to park on Chestnut as the signs have crazy hours and the PPA are on hand to quickly ticket and tow your car.
I learned about TBC when I went to see a band. Â I love this spot! Â I went on a Saturday night at about 10:15. Â It was about 65% full when we arrived. Â We were seated right in front of the band. Â So awesome!
After we arrived, the place filled up. Â After 10, a limited "late night" menu is available.
PROS
-- Food was tasty. Â I ordered the tuna melt and a hot apple cider. Â For dessert, I ordered the apple crisp.
-- The space wasn't pretentious or a "meat market." Â It seems to attract people looking to have a great time and listen to great music, which is refreshing.
-- The crowd was diverse, and the atmosphere didn't lean toward either a younger or older crowd. Â It was just right!
-- You could sit at the bar, in a booth, at a table or out of the way in the area off to the side.
-- Friendly staff.
-- You could go with a group of friends and have a fantastic time.
CONS
-- 2 drinks (beer and apple cider), 2 meals (sandwich and hot wings) and 1 dessert (apple crisp) was about $50. That's a bit pricey to me.
I definitely plan to go back!
Live music every night, modern aesthetics, in-house crafted brews, and excellent cooking all describe this relatively young addition to the Old City restaurant scene. Â The club scene of Old City comes and goes, but if a restaurant or a pub is a winner it can go the distance here. Â Triumph is likely that. Â Having been to the one in Princeton, I know the experience I had is not a fluke - yet they have been able to create something unique in Philadelphia as they did for Princeton years ago.
I had a brew and their burger. Â The burger is everything you want in one. Â It's got high quality beef with white cheddar cheese and hand cut french fries on the side. Â Of course you can forget to order a pretzel to share and a beer for your self right as you sit down. Â Sure, it's a basic meal, but when you want a basic meal - it's worth being choosy with how it's prepared.
Lastly, be sure to check out the art on the walls. Â All of it has prints for sale - I have a print of a Van Gogh style painting of Christopher Walken himself hanging in my living room thanks to the art sale on the wall of Triumph.
Check it out - and enjoy what is sure to be a mainstay of the Old City restaurant scene.
Came here the other night to grab drinks with friends. Great jam band playing and an eccentric mix of people. Warm vibes and friendly bartenders.
As a Philly/Princeton based brewpub, they offer lots of local and seasonal beers on draft, too. It actually had more of a Bostonian feel to me.
Drinks were pricey, but this is a good bar to congregate to with friends if you are interested in actually getting some conversation in and want to listen to up-front live music any and every night of the week. Next time I'm here, I'll have to check out the menu, too.
Went here with a big group for 2 friend's birthdays on a Friday night. The food was delicious. I had a small caesar salad to begin, and my boyfriend had the flatbread with squash, cheese and red onions on it. The server told him it would be big enough for the two of us to share, but I am glad I got my own salad, as the flatbread was not big at all. For a main meal, I got the roast turkey sandwich. It came with home made chips, which were great.
Since we were there on a Friday night, I understand that they were busy since everyone was out for the weekend, but the service we had was incredibly slow. We ended up being there 3+ hours, and I was ready to leave at one point and just walk out.
I would go back, but hopefully the service would be a little quicker.
With over 200 reviews and counting, I'm not sure this review is even necessary, but anyway.....
Triumph has an excellent selection of brews, though I highly recommend just getting the sampler first to try everything and see what you like. Â I was amazed by the number of beers they have available. Â Walking in it just seems like your average bar but on closer inspection it is so much more. Â Bartenders are knowledgable and attentive. Â I can't really speak for the food.
Random note: check out the bathrooms, it's a pretty neat set-up. Â But best to go before you've had a couple beers to avoid confusion.
This is getting four stars because of the amazingly delicious pumpkin ale and loaded baked potato skins. Â
The beer was the first pumpkin ale I've had that actually tasted like pumpkin. Â With hints of nutmeg and cinnamon thrown in there without being too sweet, it really was the best beer I've had. Â It can be pricey, since they brew it themselves and only serve their own beer, but if you go at happy hour, all of the drinks are half price.
The potato skins came with what they call beer fondue. Â The word fondue was a bit of a misnomer, as it was more of a sauce on the potatoes, but it was delicious nonetheless. Â It was a mix of two cheeses, flour for thickening, and beer. Â To die for.
I had a burger as my main meal. Â It was pretty tasty, but nothing special.
My friend had the chicken wings. Â She said the wings were very meaty and totally filled her up. Â Her only complaint was that they were a bit on the colder side.
Cool ambiance and the place seemed pretty lively downstairs. Â We were taken upstairs to sit, where it was a bit quieter. Â The waitress was fairly friendly and attentive.
I'd definitely go again...just to get that pumpkin ale.
They had a great beer flight here featuring all their beers and the sample sizes were sufficiently large.  Of the maybe 8-9 beers in the flight, 3 I didn't like so much and the rest were great!  Their dark beers are nice and smooth and delicious.  They had  a couple TVs so we could drink and watch the game - we came here after having a somewhat meh experience at Red Zone down the street.
The bathrooms are awesome! Â It is completely unisex and each stall has its own sink as well as toilet. Â And it was incredibly clean and there were tons of stalls. Â THAT is an example of a great bathroom setup for a bar and every other bar needs to do this too. Â I could not rave more about their bathrooms!
I did it again - we left the restaurant only to discover later that I had left my credit card behind. Â They kept it for me, answered the phone on the first ring when I called to inquire and were just very helpful. Â Contrast this with the horrible disgusting criminal SCIENCE CLUB in DC that went out of their way to not help me locate my credit card or my jacket. Â The people here were so friendly and nice.
Did not try the food. Â But the service is friendly the bathrooms are fantastic and the beers are great! Â I definitely recommend this to anyone in the area.
Lastly: be careful if you are looking for a football bar. Â There are only 3 TVs so if you are looking to watch a bunch of games at once this probably isn't the place for you.
My buddies and I were in Philly for a day and my friend from Minneapolis suggested this brew pub. What a find!
They didn't open until 4 on a Friday. Big boo, but we entered and the atmosphere was trendy and hip and classy at the same time. Â It looked like they have live music every day in the corner.
The happy hour starts at 5, which I have really liked it starting at 4. Â Our server was a cool lady that had a great attitude. Â I ordered the IPA. Â Nice and hoppy. Lots of flavor.
My second beer was a coffee type stout beer. Â It was really good.
The prices were reasonable, and the atmosphere with all the bottles lining the wall were very cool. Â The uni-sex bathroom was kind of odd, but cool.
I am really glad my buddy suggested this place, as it was a great visit to Philly highlight!
In a nutshell, Triumph is a decent place... but there are better places to go for a drink and a bite to eat. I feel a little bad giving this place only 3 stars, because some elements are definitely 4-star worthy, but it just didn't quite do it for me.
The Dark & Stormy I drank was quite delicious, and my salad was good too, if on the small side for the price. The noise levels, plus the stupid TVs all around, cut down on my enjoyment, though the live musician was talented. I long for a bar without TVs and with music loud enough to hear but quiet enough to speak.
I'm not sure why it took me so long to get to Triumph Brewing Company. But being in Old City last weekend finally gave me my opportunity to grab some lunch and try the local brew.
I was initially shocked at how dead it was prior to the first NFL Sunday game, but was happy to plop down right in front of the big screen at the center of the bar prior to the game starting. The bartendar immediately warned me that a few of the drafts had kicked the day prior, but being they were all IPAs I wasn't too disappointed. I leaned toward my standard dark beer preference and ordered a Coco Weizen, which was pleasantly smooth. I also went a little outside my normal, repetitive meal choices and ordered the Crab Cake sliders w/fries. Sometimes different is better. This was one of those times.
I would be remiss if I didn't praise the look and feel of this place. Long wooden bar, wood shelving, plenty of tables and booths, upstairs group meeting area. It's hard to explain, but it just felt welcoming and comfortable. Even the restrooms were unique...individual unisex stalls with their own sinks. Interesting, yet efficient.
Now I just have to try the Princeton and New Hope locations!
Came here on a friend's recommendation and had a really great meal and experience.
As for the beers, I had the cocoa nibs beer -- really delicious and malty, but not too heavy. The Zitroen beer was really lovely too -- it had a strong chamomile flavor, which ironically, I don't like in teas, but was nicely floral tasting in the beer.
As for food, we started with the german pretzels, which were four yummy little nubs of bread with butter and salt drizzled over them. The mustard sauce was nothing special. I had the philly bacon cheeseburger -- a burger with the bacon replaced with pork belly, truffle aioli, a fried egg, and mornay sauce. This burger was genius -- and so delicious! The burger itself was huge. I was full after eating half of it. The truffle flavor was strong, but nicely complimented by the mornay sauce. If I lived in Philly, I'd be back for this sandwich, but I'd only order one and go halfsies. It's a massive sandwich.
My boyfriend had the fish and chips, which looked pretty typical and not very special. He was disappointed he got the thick "chips" and not the thin, crispy fries I got with mine. His dish came with a house made tarter, which wasn't very good - too salty and tasted of capers. Â He wanted dessert, but there wasn't a big dessert selection, so ended up getting none.
The bathrooms in this place are unisex, which is kinda cool. And they played Nirvana the whole time we were there, which seemed strange, but also kinda cool, I guess. There was a good vibe here.
Triumph has so many great qualities about it but also a few glaring weaknesses I think can be addressed to make this place even better. Â I rarely give in to the "Yelp Half-Star Argument" but this place is more along the 3-3.5 star category; I just felt the need to give it 4 because of the great variety of live music 7 nights a week.
Triumph is always talked about in high reverence with recognition of their local craft beers and their "home-grown" menu where they offer many organic food products paired with local craft beers. Â Unfortunately for me I have yet to try either of these offerings. Â
Drinks: I can't understand how so many reviewers say how weak the drinks were for $10. Â I guess the bartender has a more subjective view on how much alcohol to add to rum-and-cokes, and Whiskey sours.... but when it comes to the signature drinks off Triumph's cocktail menu, they can really pack a punch. Â I tried a couple of the Pineapple Expresses (strong w/ just the right amount of sweetness) and I can't remember the name of the other (Cirihnia or something like that). Â Let's just say after $30 on 3 drinks I was pretty lit, so I'll definitely be back for these creative cocktails and some great music soon.
Food: The food is what can bring this place up or down a star depending on what is ordered. Â The Caprese Pizza was pretty good, nothing exceptional but pretty solid bar food. Â (Nothing compared to the pizzas Iron Hill Breweries serve up). Â The Fish and Chips uses Maine Scrod which is like small pieces of Cod in a breaded and fried casing. Â Not horrible, but definitely not worth $15 for pub-style fish & chips, it also only came with 5 "chips"-somewhat of a pathetic looking dish. Â The calamari tasted good and wasn't greasy but lacked some flavor, thankfully the chipotle aioli brought out a lot flavor in the dish. Â The "German Pretzels" are 4 measly little soft pretzels that look like they can be found in any frozen foods section in your local supermarket. Â Next time I'll stick to the typical pub style food (burger, pulled pork) or try their home-grown menu.
All in all, the 4 stars Triumph gets from me are because of their great beer selection, cocktails, bartenders, hours, and live music 7 nights a week. Â The food needs some flair and I would love to see some of these items revamped for the fall/winter seasons.
Bring me my avocado fries!! I like the chill ambiance here; I could easily spend a lazy afternoon here sipping on random beers and then puking in their awesome bathroom.
I really like this place.....but only the Philly version bc the Princeton once is bleh. This space is good for big parties, dates, or just casual beer tasting.
"A Triumph my dear, another Triumph." B. Cratchit
 A decent place for a pint, a bite, and some music. The beer list is diverse and accurate in it's descriptions. So many times I find peculiar adjectives describing the libation I am interested in consuming, only to find that they make as much sense as stripes on a polar bear. Not so the case at Triumph.  Someone has a keen palate, and a decent pen at 2nd and Chestnut. They balance the list well (even in summer), and can please anyone from the casually drinking dainty lady, to the stout guzzling Norseman! May I recommend the Hefeweizen at a reasonable $5 a pint?
 The food ranges from acceptable to good.  The pulled pork stands out as a real winner on the menu.  It's not all 'sauced up'...rather the pork is done with a rub which pulls out some deeper flavours than just BBQ sauce.  I detected some cayan and cumin...really an exceptional sandwich.
 Real live music can take any establishment to a new level.  Thank you, thank you, thank you Triumph for not having 'background music'.  They hire some of the city's best  musicians, and actually let them play. It's a privilege to have a pint and hear heavyweights like Kevin Hanson, Matt Scarano, Jason Frataccelli, Brian Howell & co. perform.  I can't help feeling like I'm sneaking in...like I should be paying way more to hear these gents.  But, there they are...making Art as accessible as ale.  Kudos to them, and kudos to Triumph for valuing something so noble. Â
 Support local beer, good food, and real music.  This is the definition of a no-brainer.
Stopped by here for dinner and decided to upgrade my rating from 3 to 4 stars.
The upgrade is based on two things. Â
1. I came by during happy hour which runs from 5-7pm. Â The special is half price drinks. Â This includes anything at the bar (beer, wine, top shelf, well, mixed drinks, etc.). Â It is one of the better happy hours in area since it applies to all drinks. Â They also have a limited happy hour menu of a few food items for $5. Â
2. The second reason for the upgrade is that the food is pretty darn good. Â I had a pasta bolgonese and my wife had a veggie flatbread. Â Both were very good and prices were reasonable. Â I think the menu could use a few more vegetarian/vegan options.
I still keep it at a 4 star because I'm not sold on the beer, but at half price the beer is a great deal and definitely worth it. Â I probably just wouldn't make a habit of drinking here during non-happy hour times.
TIp/Advice: Â This happy hour is good....drink here from 5-7, then head over to Buffalo Billards for the end of their happy hour (6-8pm) for $3 beers and half price apps.
Definitely a cool place to hang out, especially for happy hour when all the beers are dirt cheap. The beers were alright, but nothing really stood out that much to me. The Summer Bock was pretty tasty, and surprisingly big at 7%. The Cream Ale was pretty solid and so was the Hopapolooza. I love rye beers, but didn't really care for the Jewish Rye. Same goes for the Kellerbier.
I was surprised at their unique menu items. I had the deep fried shrimp BLT sandwich, which was messy but really delicious. I found it cool that they have a rotating section of the menu that focuses on locally sourced ingredients.
Good atmosphere, friendly bar service, tasty food, and a good happy hour. If I'm ever back in town I'm sure I'll swing by again.
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