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Jaffa Bar

4.3 (70 reviews)
Open 2:00 pm - 11:00 PM

Jaffa Bar Photos

JAFFA BAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Trendy
Romantic
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Jaffa Bar

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Reviews With Photos

Gabriella L.

More deserving of 2.5 stars, but rounded up. Went at 5pm on a Monday night a few weeks ago. It might've been the servers first day, he didn't seem confident about anything he told us. We ordered a dozen oysters to start, only 10 came out for some reason. The waiter said he thought 2 might have been out, which is fine, but it should have been something that was noted ahead of time. I went with 3 friends. We all got main dishes, which came out at all different times. If it was busy, I'd understand that, but just a few other people were there. My dish, the crusted tuna, was lukewarm at best, and fell flat of expectations. It was neither interesting, nor filling. My partner got the crab cakes, which she gives the same critique to. We ordered ribs for the table, which were fine, but nothing of note. Plenty of great restaurants all around Philly, I would not add this one is into the top 100 on my list.

Steve J.

Located in Fishtown, this gem is awesome. It's two floors with great vibes. The first floor bar has tvs for watching games, while upstairs is more of just dining. The food is awesome. The wings are in an awesome sauce that is unique and full if flavor. Great steak, cooked perfectly, good crab cakes, big meaty ribs, the trout was delicious. Save room for the desserts...and don't forget the delicious cocktails. Service was superb.

Katrina W.

I've been told to try Jaffa for a while and am glad I finally did! The service was friendly from the front to the server. Offerings matched what we wanted for meal options including a $40 "catch of the day" where each person gets an appetizer and entree and there's a shared dessert. The avocado salad was amazing, the trout was crispy and flavored just right, and the passion fruit bar for dessert was the icing on the cake. The restaurant is cute and open with plenty of room for different parties. Mocktails were available to boot! I'll be back.

Avena P.

Great vibes. Really good drinks. Staff was friendly. Came here for galentines with some gf's and enjoyed the place and ambiance very well. Would definitely come back here!

Retna S.

We were expecting a wonderful brunch here. Unfortunately, they don't serve breakfast anymore. Crab cake sandwich: not your typical crab cake with bay seasoning. It has a lot of fresh herbs. Interesting twist. No filler, fresh crab meat. Ceviche is highly recommended. Super fine and fresh fish with ginger and chili. A good way to awaken your appetite. Turkish coffee pudding is amazing. A must for coffee lovers. Strong coffee flavor, topped with hard-shell chocolate. Garnished with a heaping whipped cream. Josh, our waiter, is very knowledgeable of the menu and the oysters on the menu. He helped us selecting the oysters. When the check came, the manager apologized about the oyster unavailability of the brunch. Very nice gesture.

Tuna steak
Colleen P.

Wow they really knocked it out of the park tonight!! Jaffa is a reno'd fire station and has such a cool vibe. The service from start to finish was friendly and attentive without overdoing it. Felt very welcoming and genuine. Had dinner with a friend tonight (wednesday) after work and it happened to be happy hour. 2 of each oyster/clam/shrimp with all 3 "sauces" and it was all amazing. All raw bar was fresh and tasty and the cocktail sauce is so unique - prob the best Ive ever had. The passion fruit mignonette was equally yummy and really made the flavor variety of oyster origin shine through. We also had the shrimp cigars and black lime pepper wings. I could eat the shrimp all day for the rest of my life. Bring me just a plate of that and I will be happy. The wings were crispy & tasty. I had the tuna steak and my friend had the burger. Both fantastic entree options the fish is rly unique and tasty and the burger was cooked perfectly. For dessert we shared the turkish coffee pudding and each had a cup of turkish coffee...you need this experience I promise. We both had 2 rum/egg white cocktails which surprisingly went well with everything. Overall a great place and I will definitely be back here with other people. Good spot for a date or keeping it casual with a full bar. Parking was super easy and we walked right in no reservation. I would've taken more photos but I ate everything so quickly it just wasn't possible. Go see for yourself how good Jaffa is!!!

Scallops
Dominique S.

This place was great! The dishes we ordered ranked in order of our favorites: 1) tuna - this has a crispyness to it from the way they sear it. It is served with avocado, pomegranate seeds and a chili oil. It is a wonderful combination of flavors. 2) roasted carrots - so good and tender 3) tuna tartare - served over a little tarter tot thing. Very fun flavor and texture combo 4) the bread with dipping sauce - unique bread but very good 5)scallops - not bad but just not as good as everything else Overall really like this place and would recommend for a date night or GNO

Ray M.

Nice addition to the area. Cool vibe though out. Parking is very challenging nearby. I recommend using a ride share or walking. Very friendly staff, and nice comfortable decor. Jaffa has a very decent oyster menu. I recommend staying downstairs by the bar to enjoy this experience. The mixology here is also top notch. Very knowledgeable and experienced bartenders. The food menu is well balanced. Small enough not to confuse you, but varied enough for you to explore your palate. I really enjoyed my time here and would recommend you add Jaffa to your Fishtown rotation.

Tuna Tartare
Morgan C.

Absolutely wonderful on all counts! Food was incredible and fresh - didn't get pics of everything, but stand outs were the raw bar selections and the crab cake sandwich / fries (though I was too full from starters to finish it all.) Also a shoutout to the Green-Eyed Lady cocktail made with aguachille - so unique and refreshing (though very small)! Service was great as well though one of our apps came out after our meals. Loved the decor and two floor setup, we sat by the open doors on a gorgeous day. Only negative was it was surprisingly pricey, but totally worth the price.

Raw Bar ordering card (Feb 2025)
Sarah A.

We generally enjoyed our meal at Jaffa Bar. The space was, well, spacious, spanning two floors, and our server was terrific--friendly and attentive, but not overbearing. We were seated on the second floor (quite a few stairs, which they note when you make a reservation) and were glad to be there, as it seemed slightly quieter (it's a pretty large space with hard surfaces, so noise travels well) and warmer (even with the curtains hung inside the front doors, wintry drafts traveled up the stairs whenever they opened/closed). If you're a fan of oysters, we enjoyed ours from the Raw Bar. My favorite of the three types we ordered was the Jaffa Gem (we also tried the Psychedelicate and the Moondancer). The Shrimp Cocktail from the Raw Bar is $3.00 per shrimp and they were rather shrimpy--unfortunately we recently had some amazing shrimp at another establishment, so these paled in comparison. After the Raw Bar, we tried the Yellowtail Pastrami (grilled cucumber), where the pastrami seasoning overpowered the yellowtail (could have been almost any protein); the Salt-Roasted Beets (fennel, baby gem, tarragon vinaigrette), which was more salad than beets, but quite tasty; and the Fried Calamari (shipka peppers, boom boom sauce)--sauce was great. For our mains, we tried the Fried Chicken Thighs (matzo meal crust, amba honey), which were nicely cooked and crispy, but needed a bit more seasoning, and the Jaffa Burger (green chiles, grilled onions, american cheese, shabuzi mayo), which was a bit more rare than I would have preferred, and French Fries (tehina ketchup), which were nicely crisp and a bit salty. Drinks were good and vibe was right, but will wait to return until the food is more consistent.

Oysters
Jasmine S.

Jaffa Bar is a combination of an oyster-bar and a burger joint and in here for it! Can you tell what my favorites items on the menu were? :) Even with a reservation, this place is bustling so be prepared to stand around a bit. Luckily after a short wait we were moved from our pseudo seat at the bar to a table on the second floor and I preferred the vibe better than the main floor. Drink and food favorites: Clover Club; Gin, Raspberry, Egg White Jaffa Burger (Mayo on the side) Key Lime Bar - the meringue is divine I look forward to visiting in the warmer months, and enjoying more of the seafood preparations

Oysters
Stephon M.

This place is amazing!! The bartenders, cocktails, apps, etc. everything was on point! Great ambiance for a large place too!

Cass O.

We only spotted here for a drink. The staff was great and I got the orange crush- it was amazing! I wish we were hungry the shrimp cocktail looked sooo good! I want to go back! This building is really cool and it is cool inside. I would definitely try this place again!

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20 days ago

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5 months ago

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6 days ago

Poor quality ingredients, with high prices. I will skip next time I go out with friends.

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9 months ago

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Ask the Community - Jaffa Bar

Where is the best place to park if we are forced to drive to the restaurant?

Parking is a challenge around Jaffa. I would recommend taking an Uber/Lyft. Best of luck.

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Jaffa Bar - cocktailbars - Updated May 2026

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