Back in the 90s we used to go after closing the restaurant...and it was a good fun place to go... Somehow, over the years, I forgot about it... recently, in conversation, I mentioned to a friend that I'd had a hankering for good French onion soup... and he recommended New Wave! W/in the week, I found myself at the bar w a beautiful/delicious bowl of their soup!.... I looked over the menue and realized I need to become a regular again!!! read more

Probably one of the biggest burgers I've ever seen that wasn't an eating challenge or a "special." Very good flavor and I love that you can put whatever on it including jalapeños and mushrooms! Our waitress was very nice to us and the food came out super quick. She was quick to give us multiple options for drinks and letting us sit by the garage door that was open. The vibe in there is fun though. Plenty of tv for sports and the restrooms are easy to get to. They have pretty good French onion soup according to my boyfriend :) Would definitely come back! read more

New Wave Cafe - New Wave Burger - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

There is like 8 bartenders working and everyone seems genuinely mad. Not fun place. Yikes.

New Wave Cafe was my first time going out to watch an Eagles game in Philly, and it was straight culture shock. I felt like I was watching a highly competitive college football game between two top 5 teams. On an 11 yard gain the bar would EXPLODE like a 60 yard TD run, so imagine how crazy they went when Saquon Barkley actually housed a 60 yard TD lol. It's only week 3, I can't imagine what it's like come playoff time. New Wave pushed a TV up to the window for outdoor patrons, who didn't complain once about the glare that made the game borderline unwatchable. We sat in the sun and I ordered some buffalo wings and a couple aperol spritz's as I need to get my last few in as summer fades away. I was shocked at the quality of these wings. They were actually crack. The perfect amount of buffalo sauce, along with an ideal crisp on every bite. We almost ordered 10 more but had an early dinner, so we made a business decision. As the Eagles began to get the game under control, the desperate cries of "WHAT THE HELL SIRIANI" turned to "Okay, great win, but we need to stay focused for Tampa after what Atlanta did to us..." How can you not love Philly? IG @jnov_ Tiktok @jnov_reviews read more

See all

Checked out New Wave for the first time yesterday for a quick drink with a pal. The bartenders were all very nice and my beer was ice cold. That's all I need. Some hospitality and a crispy cold one. I'll be back! read more

Different Cheesesteak #1191. It's a sneaky good cheesesteak. If I were young and hip, I would be a regular at New Wave Cafe. The cheesesteak came with sneaky good French fries. It passed the eye test mostly due to the seeded roll, red peppers, and a big pile of french fries. Provolone cheese. Very well-melted provolone cheese. A sneaky good amount of well-melted provolone cheese added a hardiness to each bite. Nothing really stood out. This cheesesteak by itself may not win any awards. But, all things considered; prime rib, french fries, presentation, decor, and service; I really liked it!! You know I don't like $17. read more

See all

Still really solid after all these years. It can get hectic but service at the bar was still on point. Turkey sandwich was huge, fresh & tasty. Came with side salad for $16 with leftovers. Decent and more importantly reasonably priced wine by the glass! No complaints here. read more

New Wave Cafe - House roasted turkey with bacon, avocado L&T with tasty side salad. - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The staff and bar are great, such a great neighborhood bar option. My issue is the food. It simply is NOT good. I ordered a salad with a side of Mac n cheese and neither were good, at all. The salad was wilted and soggy, Mac was flavorless and sad. I suppose if you're getting something fried or a burger with fries, those options might be better? I should've known that a place like this couldn't possibly do a salad right. But what's the excuse for the Mac n cheese? Staff is always great though. Just go for the bar and you won't be disappointed! Will def go back for just drinks. read more

Great place to hangout with friends for beers and bar food. We had chicken nacho and short rib pizza. They were great. However, service was a bit slow. Overall great selection of drinks and food. read more

See all

Great food and atmosphere ! Service was also great. We'll be back! My club was amazing! read more

New Wave Cafe - SO GOOD! 10/10 - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I went here with a friend for a few beers (which ended up being ONE beer). It took 10 minutes for a bartender to acknowledge me. It was crowded but NOT ridiculous. When one of the 2 males finally looked at me, he rolled his eyes at me (it happened; 100%). I would have left but I had taken an always expensive Uber to get here. Finally the eye roller acknowledged me and I ordered 2 beers. I overtipped him (a somewhat bad habit of mine), allowing him to keep the change, from a twenty, for 2 beers, partly in hopes to win him over, and he didn't even thank me. Terrible experience and I will never go back again. read more

I'm new to new wave but I absolutely love the vibe here especially for game days. There's lots of regulars that are here to watch their team but there's so much room inside you can see a tv from anywhere. Recently discovered the dart board and pool tables that are tucked way in the back. So far we've tried the cheesesteak and the wings and both were 10/10. The wings were crispy and a really good portion, they serve by weight rather than by wing count so you don't get jipped on small birds. The cheesesteak was huge as expected and comes with fries. I recommend it with provolone. Lots of beer options, several local. read more

I have to say, this may be one of the best sports bars I have ever dined at. Upon entering, I was immediatly seated and promptly asked for my drink order. I ordered my normal - a lemonade, and then was handed a shining menu. All the options jumped out at me, it was so hard to choose what to get! I was as happy as a lark! My grandchildren decided to order mac and cheese and crab fries. They didn't finish (bless their heart) but I surely brought it home and snuck it into my fridge! Anyways, I ordered their signature new wave burger. When the waitress placed it beside me, I thought she got my order wrong because it was so big -- but no! When I took my first bite I was absolutely delighted. The cook on the burger was a perfect medium rare! The only problem was the juice dripped on my new red sweater - haha! You must understand, the food was stupendous, but the environment was even better. I went to watch the Eagles play the Packers on Monday night (Go birds!) and it was absolutly electric! Every play made the crowd rumble! My grandkids were raised in Philly so they could not be more excited either. I was nervous to take them here, but it ended up being an absolutly amazing experience. I could not be more satifised! Thank you New Wave. (Oh and the cherry on top -- the owner was absolutely fabulous in his service, I believe his name was Sam!) read more

New Wave Cafe with its chill ambiance and cool name is snuggled into the east side of Queen Village along 3rd Street, far enough away from South Street that it has a neighborhood vibe, not part of a larger transient party scene. It really is a locals dive bar with great beer, good cocktails, and occasional shots with the bartenders. In warmer months, it's standing room only on weekends, and conversation flows freely. I wish there were a few more New Wave tunes (Depeche Mode, Cure, Billy Idol, INXS, Duran Duran, Echo), but the music is always good and doesn't drown out conversation. The cheesesteak sandwich is good, and there is outdoor seating, which we plan to enjoy on summer nights with the hounds. The action is at the bar, and unlike some local spots off South Street, New Wave stays open late! read more

So good that we came back a second time...in the same day! My fiancé and I were meeting some friends for dinner nearby and decided to stop in New Wave and grab a few beers before heading to the restaurant. We were very surprised to see that despite the small facade, the bar was very large and had plenty of seating including covered outdoor sidewalk seating. The interior is very warm and definitely has a dive bar feel while not having the "locals only" feel like some other dive bars seem to put off. They have a large selection of beer, liquor, and even fruit soaked vodka/tequila jars, which was wonderful because my fiancé a little picky when it comes to choosing a drink. The service was fast and friendly which is always a plus! I wish I could speak on the food, but seeing as we were about to go to a dinner we stuck to just drinks. Needless to say, just the smell/look of the food that people around us ordered impressed us and we knew we would be back another day to try it out. After the dinner we decided to hang around the area a bit longer and invited our party back to New Wave. The owner greeted us and told us about some of the bar history, including a fun fact that he was on Jeopardy at one point! Suffice to say, I will be back the next time I'm in the area to try some of the food from their unique (for a dive bar) menu. read more

New Wave Cafe - beer cooler/selection - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Owner was very very rude. We had a slice of left over pizza that one person in our party ate in the bar. We ordered a full round of drinks and the owner made a comment that our friend should not have at the last slice of pizza in the bar. Very off putting. Will not dine here again. Hopefully the old man will learn from his mistakes or new management will take over. We'd have ordered another round if he'd have said nothing. read more

Uggghhhh. Complete CRAP. WORST. PLACE. EVER. Rumor has it, they got a few Chomos and Pederasts on the roster. Also, the food LEGIT is TERRIBLE. One time I ordered a pot pie and all I got was 2 hot dogs, no buns, and some uncooked Rice-a-Roni. I also had no idea they FORCED customers to smoke AND buy cigarettes from them. Not the type of place I wanna spend my Thirsty Thursday. Side note - this joint is choc-full of FAKE autographs. Not cool. Especially if you're a real graph head. Make ya dismiss the whole place right from the rippy. I also have right mind to believe they're re-bottling beers with some cheap swill that is NOT what I paid for. That's another sorry for another time though. Last thing, the owner played me in pool for $300/per game, lost 4 times, and never paid me. SMH. Bad look for the neighborhood. read more

New Wave Cafe - Bar - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Great place to go for a drink or a bite to eat. It's been a neighborhood fixture for years.

My family and I had a terrible experience here last weekend. (Please note, we are very much NOT the kind of people who like to complain at restaurants). 3 of us ordered eggs Benedict for brunch, but they tasted "off." After we had each taken one or 2 bites, we realized that the hollandaise had spoiled. When we told the waiter, he scoffed and said "it's the same hollandaise we've been using all day, no one else has complained about it." He then picked up one of the cups of hollandaise from our table, sniffed it, and assured us that it smelled fine. But he said he would give us menus so we could order replacement meals. The 3 plates of eggs Benedict were left sitting in front of us for quite a while, during which time we ate a few bites of the sides that had come with them (my dad ate the entirety of his fruit cup, I ate about a third of my breakfast potatoes, and my sister barely ate any of her breakfast potatoes). When the bill came, we saw that the restaurant had charged us for the 3 rancid orders of eggs Benedict ($14 each), but they had "generously" taken $10 off of the total. My parents explained to the waiter that we wanted those orders taken off the bill entirely. He changed it to $25 off the total, and said that he wouldn't discount it any further since we had eaten some of the breakfast potatoes. To be clear, we did not eat a lot of the food and then complain later on; we complained IMMEDIATELY, and only had a few additional bites because they left the food in front of us! I wish I had taken photos of the "before" and "after" of our dishes to better illustrate how LITTLE of the food we ate, but I didn't anticipate that it would be an issue. This had previously been one of our favorite places, but the way they were so rude and dismissive of us has completely ruined it for us. I highly recommend against eating here unless you want to be served spoiled food with a side of rudeness. read more

I get scared to eat by myself sometimes and it took some courage to come here alone but luckily the booze prices were so good it didn't matter!! Dive bar vibes inside, but a little more restauranty outside. The sweet potato fries were great! read more

New Wave Cafe - Sweet Potato Fries - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Great bar food and fun spot for quizzo on Monday nights! There's a large selection of beers. The staff is excellent.

Came here for brunch on Sunday and it was a surprisingly nice experience! Lots of outdoor seating which is nice, both covered and uncovered. Everyone was wearing masks and there is a separate entrance to go to the restroom so you're not wandering around the bar needlessly. All the standard culprits when it comes to the food available. We had Nutella waffles with a side of home fries and the nocoise salad. Salad came with a large helping of tuna on top. You should get it medium rare - we had it medium and it had become a bit dry. Salad was delicious with red onions and olives and 2 hard boiled eggs. The Nutella waffles were delicious with bananas Nutella and some crunchy hazelnut slivers for texture. Waffles themselves weren't the softest I suppose but excellent regardless. Homefries on the side were great with some peppers thrown in for good measure and nice crispy brown bits that were fantastic. Service was quick and the servers were great. Very nice and helpful and joking with us. Seemed like they actually enjoyed working there, or at least were very good actors. They also have sports on TV on Catharine street even for those sitting outside. Did I mention 5$ mimosa's before noon on Sat & Sun? Pretty good food, nice neighborhood bar vibe, pretty good food overall. Check em out if you're in the area!. read more

Loved this spot! They had nice outdoor seating that was heated and covered, and everything I ate was delicious. The brunch menu and lunch/dinner menu both have great options, which surprised me since I thought it was more of a bar than restaurant. The short rib grilled cheese was great, and the fries were to die for! Service was also great - they were fast, attentive, and super nice. This place really pleasantly surprised me, and I'll definitely come here again! read more

New Wave Cafe - Short Rib Grilled Cheese Sandwich with fries - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Wow! I was pleasantly surprised with the food, staff, chill clientele, vibes, and beer/cocktail selection! We were at a concert at Theater of Living Arts, initially went to a bar that was closing down, so I asked the bartender where he was going after, and he recommended New Wave, said it's the best for after-hours especially on a weekday! So glad we took the extra 5 min walk :) read more

New Wave Cafe - Chicken Quesadilla - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

I've been here off and on for about a decade now and it's always been a similar experience. Totally average, greasy bar food, servers that can sometimes be pleasant and other times be really awful. It's a local townie bar serving bar food, exactly what you'd expect it to be, nothing more and nothing less. I visited a few weeks ago and got a burger, and it was just fine. Again. Nothing special. However I recently had an interaction with the owner on Facebook that left a sour taste in my mouth. He recommended his own business to a woman asking for local cafes to sit at with her laptop and do some work away from home. She clearly wanted a coffee shop style situation, yet this guy recommended his bar. So I clarified that it was not what she was looking for. His response was to lash out at me, defending his business while calling me a "troll". If you can't take criticism of your business without attacking patrons, you have no BUSINESS being *in* business. Also the establishment is in direct violation of Philadelphia's code that ALL SINGLE OCCUPANCY RESTROOMS HAVE GENDER NEUTRAL SIGNAGE AND BE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL PEOPLE. This has been reported to L&I as well as the LGBTQ affairs department. read more

Staff is awesome. A fun place to watch a Birds game. A true neighborhood feel good bar. They have pretty good eats & gluten free options too! read more

This place deserves better reviews. 1. Great value, really good food at reasonable prices. 2. Rotating tap. Great selection of draft beers. 3. Great seating. Located on a quite, beautiful street in Queen Village, you'll be able to find a great seat inside or outside with plenty of TVs to view. 4. Casual date spot. This is a great place for a first date. Especially outside. Beautiful, quite, well lit. Inside more of a sports dive bar. 5. Really good food. Goat cheese salad with steak is amazing. (Come on goat cheese at a bar?! - this place has taste). Homemade battered chicken tenders - amazing. 4 of 5 dishes here are above average. Nachos were bla. You will not be disappointed! read more

Staff is incredibly friendly, and love coming here. After a few times they really made me feel welcome by asking how my day was and remember stories from previous conversations weeks before. Being around the corner makes this place a regular hang for me. read more

Been here several times and it is the food is consistently amazing! All of the servers I have met have been legit some of the most genuinely helpful staff ever. I have personally witnessed a few "regular" customers greeted and treated as family which speaks volumes. This bar/ restaurant has a flair for the gourmet palate yet maintains a hometown, corner bar feel. As far as winter 2020 goes, the heat lamps and outdoor TV 's get it done, warmly. Great spot! read more

This is a great place to stop by for a quick bite. Their kitchen is open until 1:00 AM. I actually needed a quick bite a few days ago at midnight. Everything was closed but I came here and grabbed the Texas burger, which was AMAZING. I had it cooked Medium (it was perfectly Medium) and it also came with fries. They are very friendly and helpful when it comes to packaging your food, providing sauces, etc. Note: The burger did take a good 30 minutes or so to make so I recommend ordering ahead on the phone if you're planning on just grabbing the food and leaving. read more

New Wave Cafe - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Glad I had a chance to eat here. Of course with the Corona virus, I had to eat outside, but the food & service was delicious. I had the chicken cheesesteak with fries and enjoyed every bit of it. read more

New Wave Cafe - Chicken cheesesteak. - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I find this bar needlessly expensive. I like to go here because it's in my neighborhood and the pool table is rarely crowded -- probably because it's $1.25 a game (it's 5 games for $5 if you can skip a fiver in but the table is never working ). The food is hit or miss, but normally decent for what it is: bar fare. The menu is pretty good but for the fact that everything comes with fries but if you want tater tots it's an additional $2 (despite the fact that an actual side of tots is only $1 more than fries on the menu???). Tonight I was there to shoot pool when a group of parents showed up with three 11 year-olds running the pool table. Fun stuff. Idk. Be a bar. Or seat families in the dining room. It's not actually a cafe. Just my opinion. read more

Ask for Jess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow!! We were supposed to have reservations at another restaurant close by but found that the hostess was rude and callous so we left and ended up here. We sat at a table and Jess was our waitress...holy personality!! I have never had so much fun with a server. She was attentive, friendly, and all around hilarious. We were wishing we could go out on the town with her!! Since we were SO defeated by our previous ordeal we immediately ordered some basic drinks...a margarita, which was great, albeit a little sweet for my taste (however it came with a freshly sliced lime that was nice and thick...important to me, as I like the fresh lime juice in my cocktail), and a rum and coke (my husband lives for captain and coke...embarrassing, I know.) we also ordered the brussels sprouts, grilled shrimp special (to die for!!), and crab mac to share. The drinks were on point. The food came out quickly, & tasted awesome...but Jess was the highlight of it all!! She was great at making sure we were never thirsty, and she made us feel like one of her own family. If you are looking for a great "experience," look no further. Come for the food, stay for the service. I have never had such a fun server!! Jess, if you are reading this...this is my husband's account, but we will be back!! Best - Bobby & Melinda read more

A Philly neighborhood favorite! Great service offering outside dining and take out deliveries. Nightly specials from the bar and dinner menu. Great staff and service. Thank you! read more

New Wave Cafe - Monday dinner special at New Wave Cafe. Outdoor seating! - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

New Wave is my go-to bar. You'll find me here at least once a week (Monday Quizo), or playing pool, or when I don't feel like making dinner, or if I just drove around for 45 minutes looking for parking and need a drink. This bar has it all. Pool, darts, specials, happy hour, quizo, taco tuesday, great service and an awesome/diverse menu. I have been coming here regularly for about 4 years now...it takes a little while for the bartenders to get to know you but once you become a regular you're like family. They even have a set of my house keys incase I drunkenly lose mine..I love it. They have a huge menu with lots of different options. I like practically everything on there plus they have several gluten free options that are actually good! My go to is either the short rib grilled cheese or the brisket sandwich (au jus and horseradish mayo included), pizzas, salads, whatever...everything is good. Drinks are affordable and they always have on all of the games. They even throw some great parties throughout the year to show appreciation for their customers. It's exactly what a neighborhood bar should be. read more

Unwelcoming environment with mediocre food and rude unprofessional service. Definitely will not be back.

Servers were on top of our drink refills. Everyone's always chill. Food was solid. Went with a few friends and tried a variety of stuff. The new wave fries were large and in charge. Cheers. read more

Whether you're looking for a spot to enjoy drink specials at while playing a game of pool or darts, a gastropub with good craft beers and slightly better than standard pub fare, or a solid sports bar to revel during a game amid South Philly regulars; you'll find it at this neighborhood institution. In a big way you really do get more than kind of bar in this Queen Village watering hole. The main attraction is the center pub that's just off a dive thanks to its well rounded craft beer selection, that caters to plenty of colorful locals and regulars. The second is its dining area which features plenty of gastropub staples, as well as a tasty menu which may border just a bit on the excessive. Add in a game room thats complete with a dart board, a classic pool table, at least one arcade game, and plenty of bobbleheads; and you have a good spot to chill with friends on a slow drinky weekday. With 20 appetizers, 9 salads, 12 sandwiches, 7 burgers, 6 large plates, and pizza options, the menu is pretty freaking large and hard to chose from. But it does have plenty of winners among it like the fig & prosciutto pizza, Texas burger with jalepenos and BBQ sauce, crab mac and cheese, and Guinness battered fish and chips. read more

Tasty food, reasonable prices, good beer selection along with six packs available to go late at night, and a great location - what's not to like? I've been here a few times to snack and/or drink before various things - mostly improv shows at the Shubin theater. This is a very chill place with an eclectic bar snack menu and matching beers. Walt Wit on tap for 5 bucks or so is great for me. Screams "Summer." Their tater tots are served with a gooey cheese sauce and are deliciously crisp on the outside and not too oily on the inside - the downfall of many a tot. Their lobster mac and cheese is also good. The fish tacos were tasty, but not the best I've had. Worth trying if nothing else on the menu catches your eye. I haven't had anything but the snack food here, but New Wave has done well with it all. I'll go ahead and try an actual meal sometime. Pro-tip: There's a separate entrance for the dining room seating area so you don't have to walk all the way around the bar. I've made that mistake at least twice. read more

We stopped in for a quick drink before having a late dinner around the corner. We were pleasantly surprised! Drinks were good, price was right, great ambiance. The food coming to tables around us smelled amazing! Next time we'll plan to order food there. read more

New Wave Cafe - Drinks on the bar - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all