The bar tender was very friendly and the vibes were amazing. The French onion soup was good. I liked the raclette gruyère mix, however the broth was a bit bland. The wine was delicious. read more

The Tavern Restaurant - French onion soup - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Went back after a few years ( really enjoyed it 4 years ago) and was disappointed with the food. The onion rings were greasy and the fish and chips were bland. New ownership so. The ambience is nice and good service. Hope they can improve the food read more

Thank you fellow yelpers for an amazing restaurant. Got into Philly late on Sunday and had not had dinner and was looking for a place that was open late for a bite. Had set the bar really low as we have found very few places in or near city center that are open late on a Sunday. Found this gem on yelp with a high rating and a review which indicated this was listed in a book on unusual eats in Philly and knew I needed to check this out and best of all they were open late. This place did not disappoint. It is located in the basement but don't let that discourage you as restaurant was beautiful, quiet, and intimate. Located above is a Piano Bar and a Night Club. Food had unusual and different flavor profiles and was out of this world. Portion sizes were large and every dish we had was flavorful and cooked to perfection. Wait Staff were friendly and attentive. Already looking forward to going back. This would be a great date night restaurant. read more

I thought the food at TOC was fabulous, from appetizer right through to dessert. The oyster appetizer (which I believe was a special) was especially noteworthy. My pork chop main was grilled just right, still quite juicy yet done to perfection. Absolutely will return. read more

I came here based on a book called "Unique Eats and Eateries" written by Irene Levy Baker. The restaurant is in the basement of building that also houses a piano bar and a dance floor, but both were not in operation when my wife and I dined here on a Thursday night. We were one of two tables and the service was fast and efficient. They have a full page selection of craft beer and wines at fair prices. The menu is simple, and with some research before we went, we ordered the fries (amazing), cheese sandwich with tomato soup, and the Wedge Salad. All of the food was perfectly cooked and had great taste. The fries were as good as you can make them. The wedge needed a little more Blue Cheese which the server immediately brought. I highly recommend the Tavern as a great place to eat in Center City. read more

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That had to be one of the best meals I've had in a long time. The Brussels sprouts were the absolute best!!!service was incredible everyone was so nice. The place is this quaint little place that you walk down steps to. I would recommend this place to anyone that is traveling to Philly. Definitely will go back!!! read more

We are glad we found this little gem on our last trip to Philly. It was a short walk from our hotel. It's tucked away on a little side street. The food was amazing! We would definitely recommend! read more

The Tavern Restaurant - French onion flat bread - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The burger is great and the service is very good. We actually came here with kids at around 6 and it was ok! It is not a place suitable for kids but it was empty so it worked out well. read more

The most delicious meal me and my bf Joseph had, hands down, whilst in Philadelphia!!! Tavern on Camac is a 3 level one stop shop for great ambiance, deliciousness and fun!!! We visited on July 25, 2021. Being a native Los Angelino, walking downstairs from street level to The Tavern Restaurant to then see the beautiful exposed beam and brick dining room was SUCH A TREAT!!! Our dinner was SO DELICIOUS. Everything was cooked to perfection(even the salad dressing was delicious, yeesh!). Every bite was savored and appreciated. Bravo to the kitchen on that!!! Shout out also to our server Michael. He was so delightful and personable... Can't wait to come back! 10/10 read more

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As out of towners visiting for the weekend, we were definitely unsure of where to go and turned to yelp for help which led us to this awesome place! Walking distance from where we were staying and in a great part of town, we really liked The Tavern! First off, the unique vibe of the restaurant being below ground level as you have to go down several steps to enter made for a fun first impression especially coming from an area where this is very uncommon! We were seated in the back which felt like a neat underground secret space with the exposed wooden beams and low ceilings! We started off with drinks which we all liked then proceeded to our entrees! I opted for the mushroom, edamame black bean burger and garlic fries! I very much liked my meal and was impressed by the flavoring of the burger! The fries were definitely my favorite part of the meal as they were delicious as is! All of the ladies in our party enjoyed their meal and had a good time at The Tavern! We highly encourage both locals and those visiting from out of town to give it a try! read more

The Tavern Restaurant - a burger and french fries - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This was a really nice find on our getaway in Philly! We stayed at a hotel only a few blocks away and on our first night we just wanted to eat something local while we explored our new neighborhood. We ate on a Sunday night and it was relatively empty, which didn't bother us at all. The restaurant is in the basement and the decor is really cozy. My husband and I shared the garlic fries and each got the grilled cheese and tomato soup as our entree. It was all delicious! The food came out quickly and was hot and fresh. The fries were a big appetizer, we couldn't finish them! The grilled cheese and tomato soup were just different enough that it felt like a twist on a classic. Would definitely recommend! read more

The Tavern Restaurant - Grilled cheese and tomato soup (and garlic fries in the background) - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

My wife and I spent New Year's weekend in Philly for the first time ever. I love Philly and couldn't wait. Found "The Tavern Restaurant" New Years night on Yelp. About 10 other couples there, We were there with another couple and were lucky to have Jamie or Jerome or Jamal, no Jamie, I am sure. Anyway, we all raved about the cauliflower starter AMAZING. Was perfect for four people. I'd have it as a meal. The fried pickles were great too. Two of us had the meatloaf and loved it, one had the salmon and said it was the best she ever had and I had the Lamb Bouillons, It was great, Their custom Bulleit Old Fashioned and a great bottle of wine were enjoyed by all of us. Jamie was a great guy with a great sense of humor. A real enjoyable night. We thank them all for a perfect evening with friends! read more

Hmmm... Where do I start? I absolutely love Tavern. I came across a FooBooz article about when Tavern was first opening & it explained how the head chef there Mackenzie (who is awesome by the way) had won on Top Chef. Now, I have always been a big fan of watching Top Chef so I knew I had to try out the restaurant. When my boyfriend and I had walked there we didn't realize that they don't open until 6pm so we went around the corner for a drink to kill time. Once the restaurant opened we were welcomed by a cheerful staff who was very knowledgeable about the menu. We let the waitress pick out all of our appetizer items for us which wound up being amazing. She served us items such as kale chips, a pickled plate with pickles, pickled cucumber rinds, beets, etc, deviled eggs, cheese plate, and a salad. Now I've been there many times so I have tried many things, The one cool thing about the menu is the sandwich section. Most of the sandwiches you can purchase as a slider or as a full sandwich which is pretty cool if your in the mood for both a poboy and a burger you can do both and still have room in your stomach. Cocktails are great. They added a TV there which is a plus and did I mention that they serve food until 3 am? Now don't get your hopes up.. they don't serve alcohol past 2am, it's the law! lol I definitely recommend trying one of their frozen boozy pops. They're always tasty. read more

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Love love loved our server here. He was so much fun and very attentive. This wasn't a fair walk from the convention center where we were conferencing at, and seemed to be in the middle of the gayborhood which feels like home for a queer like me. The food was super tasty and the vibes were just off the charts. Loved the basement type set up, walking downstairs in the restaurant and the small intimate dining space was super nice. I just to knock one star because I was very hungover and so I didn't get to have a super FUN experience here but that's all my fault to be honest. Also to note-- gender neutral bathrooms! read more

The Tavern Restaurant - Duck special - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

My two friends and I came here for New Years brunch and left completely disappointed, frustrating and angry. We will not be coming back. All three of us ordered the special of 3 pancakes and eggs for $10. We were expecting 3 normal sized pancakes and two eggs as one would think from a menu item "3 pancakes and eggs" We were sitting at our table waiting for our dishes (I wouldn't Even call them meals) for over 40 min just to get breakfast food. Frustrated and starving, we finally get have our food served and we look down to see the smallest measliest 3 silver dollar pancakes and ONE EGG on a plate for brunch. I don't understand who in their right mind would think it's acceptable to serve as a meal one egg and three silver dollar pancakes that were all incredibly mediocre. This was unacceptable. In addition the quality was pathetic. One of our dishes had black burned pancakes and we were served expired orange juice. The orange juice was completely soured and when I told the waiter he acted shocked as if how dare I think the orange juice was bad. This was ridiculous. He took the orange juice off our bill but wouldn't do anything else to accommodate the wait or poor quality. Waiting 40 minutes for 3 measly (burnt) pancakes and AN egg, and being served expired curdled orange juice is completely unacceptable and we were not remotely satisfied. We felt angry and cheated that we just wasted $10 each and an hour of our time on such horrible food. read more

Went in after doing genealogy research over at the HSP, and wanted to grab a bite. I was in the gayborhood, but didn't want to go to a club, nor did I want something non-local. Tucked away on Camac, the Tavern did not disappoint. Great people, and staff. Nice atmosphere of the "Cheers-style" family local bar, yet out-of-towners feel equally welcome. I ordered some food, the Tavern Burger, and a couple of local IPAs. Both the food and the craft beer were great. The burger was cooked perfectly and was so delicious I wish I had enough room to order a second. I will note that all of this took place in the downstairs part; in this visit I did not venture upstairs. If you're in the area and want some great food or craft beer, especially if you are seeking a "family" place in the gayborhood, this is it. read more

2 stars because our cocktail was decent. Not a friendly bar for people of color....maybe just the white male LGBTQ community(the only other customer demographic when we walked in). Unfriendly service from the moment we walked into the door. Sad to receive this kind of service in my own community. :/ read more

I had a horrible experience there tonight. Food was ok, just ok. Their prices are insanely high for what you actually get, but the worse was the service. I was pretty much told to leave because apparently it's against nature to eat there without participating in their quizzo. I went there and were told that there was quizzo night, which we had no problem with. However, it seems like the person asking the quizzo questions had a problem with us being there and when started the game decided to single us out and said that we "were leaving". That was while we were waiting for our food to arrive. That "welcoming" attitude was displayed after the server didn't listen to the way we wanted our drinks to be served, didn't let me finish my order and started my asking my husband for his order, and pretty much dismissed us, even though before their quizzo game started, we were the only customers there. So if you're not into their quizzo thing, please stay away from that place. Again, their quizzo idea is not the problem, their poor service and horrible attitude is. As far as am concerned, never again. BTW, I found that quizzo thing just stupid. read more

Oh my God, The Tavern Restaurant was really wonderful. This place is unbelievable. Very flavorful and nutritious. The service was also wonderful and everybody was charming. Awesome! Will return and recommend this spot always. read more

Our food was decent. Some items were good, some not so good. They should use only the nice, warm Edison lights on the walls and get rid of the bright ceiling lights. read more

I'm a Life long Philadelphian who had a horrible Friday at work. As I hit our front door, my husband told me to hit the shower, put on a cute outfit and get ready for.a night of fun like we were 20 year olds. We drove into Philly with no restaurant reservations and our usual gayberhood spots were booked and we were really hungry. I remembered Tavern on Camac as a gay restaurant from when I was 20 (now 50)..Back then it had a rep for being "for old people. " Which of course, I am now. :) Anyway, we walked by and lots of folks of all striped were walking in and out. So we walked down the basement steps and took a chance knowing nothing about the place. We were really glad we did. It's small and intimate, and has a very nice ambience. Almost a ski lodge kind of feel. The folks at the host desk were warm and friendly. The waiter was there in a minute. The menu is a bit limited, but has both solid "picky eater" choices and unusual options. I toyed with getting their grilled cheese and tomato soup entree with the app of the day which was basically homemade fancy tater tots. Instead I got a special of the day crab cakes with sauteed kale and it was super wonderful. I also got one of their specialty cocktails. It was super strong and that's the reason I dont remember its name. The crowd was mostly gay, but lots of friends and allies there too. As I said, the place is small, so no if your party is larger than 6, you might want to call and check. I read a review where someone took s party of 20 and then complained about service. 20 would almost fill the entire place. No wonder they'd be overwhelmed by that. Anyway overall, nice place, great food. We'll be back and next time we'll check out the second floor bar and third floor nightclub. read more

I found this place on OpenTable since it was one of the only places that had reservations open during dinner Philly Marathon weekend. Where this place is located is a quiet street. Also, its a downstairs restaurant, where you walk down a flight of stairs. It's small cozy place with a bar area to sit. We were seated promptly. They have sandwiches offered in half portions (no sides) or a full portion with sides. They also served lots of small plates and appetizers. My friend and I were hungry but didn't want to eat a ton so we ordered the grilled chicken breast sandwich with mushrooms, onions, crispy brussel sprouts (which were amazing) and truffle aioli. It also came with fontal cheese. They were able to put the cheese just on my friend's half since it upsets my stomach. We had the choice of a side - fries, sauteed kale, kale chips, garlic fries, grilled asparagus. We ordered the kale chips as a side. In addition, we ordered the arugula and pickled beets salad which came with goat cheese and roasted parsnip, red onions and hazelnuts and white balsamic and olive oil. Everything was delicious, decently portioned and fresh. My only issues were that we ordered kale chips as a side and got fries instead. Fries were good so we didn't even bother to correct them. Also, there was too much oil in our salad, made the bottom pieces inedible. Overall everything was amazing. read more

Food was awesome and service was nice. Good atmosphere. The steak frites was great. People are very nice and welcoming. Beautiful building and neighborhood. Highly recommend. read more

From NOLA and in town for a convention. Didn't know what I was getting into when I went hunting for a grilled cheese sandwich, but man did this place impress. As a straight female I was wary that I wouldn't be welcome in what is obviously a gay establishment, but once I walked in I felt completely accepted. My grilled cheese didn't disappoint, but what was more impressive was the live entertainment. It was piano sing-along night on the second floor, which was an absolutely fantastic accompaniment to my meal! If I'm ever in Philly again I'll definitely be back. read more

A couple of friends and I came here for dinner Friday night, and everything was delicious! To start we ordered a round of drinks, and I opted for a glass of the house Cabernet. We then continued with a share of the kale chips before we ordered our entrees. As an entree I ordered the burger with a side of garlic fries, which were amazing. I attempted to eat everything on my plate, but the sheer size of it stopped me about 2/3 of the way through the burger, though I managed to eat all but a few of the fries. The service was also friendly, and the ambiance agreeable. I highly recommend The Tavern Restaurant if you are in want of a nice meal out! read more

I'm having such trouble rating The Tavern. I called for a table for 2 on a friday night. We didn't know that the entrance for the restaurant was actually down stairs..... so we used the front door on the ground floor.. such amateurs. Upon entrance there was a piano, a bar, and a few tables. No hostess or anyone that worked there. I ran down a barback who was sweating and he pointed down the stairs. The downstairs has low ceilings, its crammed, and the hostess was at the completely opposite side of the stairs. Now that that's over... dinner. Our waiter, who was extremely out of breathe and gave me anxiety just by looking at him, took our drink order. Came back with drinks and took our food order. 2 pork belly sliders and garlic fries. 40 minutes later we grabbed him as hes doing jumping jacks in the back (just kidding, but like why are you so outta breathe dude). I asked him if he could rush our food bc we needed to leave. 5 minutes later comes out extremely hot food. Assuming at this point either the waiter or cook messed up. Regardless, the waiter was extremely apologetic, which is really everything. The couple items we ordered were pretty good. Its a shame the set up was so weird. It also looked like they only had 1 or 2 servers. Maybe. Maybe I'll try it again. I would give them a 2.5. I'll be nice and round up rather than down. read more

Best burger we've ever had, pickle plate was okay, fries amaze and eggplant salad ridiculous....can't wait to go back!!! read more

The Tavern Restaurant - Burger/salad 'nuff said - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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The food here is surprisingly good. I say surprisingly because I've usually just thought of Tavern for its bar and dance floor, both of which are above the restaurant, which has a separate entrance and is in the basement. I got one of the sandwiches and really enjoyed it. The garlic fries that came with it were top notch. The prices were also affordable. The restaurant is usually pretty empty for whatever reason, but don't let that fool you: The food is really good. read more

Clearly a nice discovery! The duck confit is fantastic! The pork belly slider was so good, it should become an entrée. The black bean burger is very good. Even cocktails and desserts are excellent. Definitively a must try read more

A group of my friends (8 of us) and I walked in to Tavern around 8:45-9:00pm with no reservation. They said that we would have to wait for a table so we ordered some drinks and the deviled eggs (they were so good) while we waited. We sat at the small high top bar tables while we waited. The hostess told us that she probably would not be able to seat us in the dining room so we decided to sit at the small bar because we were hungry. We didn't really mind to do that. The bar tender, Amy, took our order immediately. She was very nice and made sure we had everything that we needed. I ate the grilled cheese and tomato soup, which was so yummy!! Everyone else loved their meals as well. The garlic fries were very good. I will definitely go back. read more

The Tavern Restaurant - Pickle plate - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Just fantastic. The period-dressed servers know the menu inside and out. They can provide details on everything from drinks to entrees! They easily worked with our food restrictions (vegan and some allergies), and not one thing was screwed up. The food itself is rich and delicious- everything is quite filling. The drinks are strong (VERY STRONG) and also delicious! Also happened to go there on Thomas Jefferson's birthday- the servers know a ton about the history around as well. highly, HIGHLY recommended. read more

Came here on a Monday night with 2 other friends and was seated immediately. The servers were incredibly nice and checked up on us a few times. The man I spoke to over the phone even reserved the table for us when I called 5 minutes ahead to check if there's a wait. When you get to the location, it's the restaurant with the stairs that lead to the lower level- the upstairs floor (Tavern on Carmac) is a popular gay/piano bar. The executive chef here is Mackenzie Hilton who who won Chopped! on Food Network some time ago. For starters, we got the Sriracha deviled eggs. These eggs were solid but had a more yolky flavor than most deviled eggs I've had so would've enjoyed a little more of a creamy taste. That being sad, the dot of sriracha adds a nice kick and overall they're very tasty. For my own entree I ordered the burger (10$) with an addition of munester cheese (2$). You can add other things such as onions, fried egg, bacon, etc. The one thing that upset me was that I specifically asked for no tomato but the burger came out with a big beefsteak tomato anyway- not a huge problem since I just took it out but an annoyance nonetheless. Regardless, the burger was medium rare and juicy and overall very good. They came with a side of garlic fries but I couldn't really taste any discernible garlic flavor and we're basically regular fries. My friend got the grilled cheese & tomato soup which was AWESOME. Tomato soup was perfectly creamy and the grilled cheese was thick & extremely cheesy as they use 3 different Cheeses. I was a big fan of the pepper jack inside as it had a bit of a kick that was very enjoyable. Definitely a plate I would come back for and bring friends to. read more

The Tavern Restaurant - Sriracha deviled eggs, 3 for 5$. Not as creamy as others I've had but still very good! - American Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Was trying to find a place to eat late at night on a Saturday and this seemed to be one of the few. We sat by the bar and ordered a burger and beer can chicken. The food was delicious and we were amazed to have found such quality food so late at night. read more

I had the chicken sandwich with Brussels sprouts and the garlic fries and both were great. My friend had the grilled cheese and tomato soup and the grilled cheese was super good (I tried it because why not?) It has a good selection of drinks and a fun atmosphere. read more

We were looking for a new place to try this weekend and decided to go to The Tavern. Set in the basement with low ceiling, it has a warm and cozy feel. Dress code is casual too, which is cool. They have a good selection of cocktails and wines. My husband ordered one of the tequila based cocktails and I got the house Cabernet. We got kale chips with the "secret sauce", deviled eggs and roasted veggies-mushroom with poached egg for appetizers, sliders with edamame-mushroom-black bean burger for entrees. Everything was great!!! I must add that the house wine was impressive. We think the secret sauce is mayo+sriracha+garlic, whatever it is it went perfectly well with those crispy kale chips..yumm! I am a vegetarian and it is pretty hard to find a GOOD veggie burger right but the slider with black bean burger here is probably the BEST I have had so far. Will definitely go back for more with friends and family! :) read more

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I had a lovely and affordable dinner at the Tavern. I had the chicken sandwich, fries, and a side of sauteed kale and everything was really good, but the kale could've used a bit of oomph...I for one would've loved some garlic! My sandwich came out warm (not hot) but it was so good I didn't mind. My friend loved his burger. Definitely get the secret sauce - it's like crack, I was triple-dipping my fries into it! The service could be better - my friend had a hard time getting a second beer, and the waiter never stopped back to check on us until we were done eating...which would've been a shame if we needed, say, ketchup. We dined in the back room, which was pretty cold, and it took some time to get the waiter's attention to turn off the COLD AIR (!!) that was coming in from a vent directly above our heads. But the air was eventually turned down and we were able to enjoy our meal. $42 for two sandwiches, two sides (included) + 1 extra side, and 3 drinks. Can't beat it! The $5 house wine was pretty good too. read more

We stopped in here after a ballgame. Even though it was late and the kitchen was about to close, our waiter was very nice. I had the grilled cheese and tomato soup. The grilled cheese was really good. The soup was a little cold and just okay. I also had the house Merlot which I also enjoyed. Overall a good experience. read more

This place was a surprising find. I was looking for a last minute restaurant on a busy Friday night and stumbled upon this place on Open Table. While there weren't many reviews, the menu looked promising. Located in an alley, it was a strange but intriguing location. I was delighted to find a nice bar and restaurant downstairs. The food and drinks, even their $5 house wine, were delicious. I had their tuna tartar, which was excellent. It seemed like the chef had her own twist on fairly standard dishes. Overall the night was great. We had a group of eight, and the acoustics allowed us to be able to hear everyone without shouting. read more

Terrible service. Great food. I so wanted to love this place. It has beautiful, contemporary wine cellar decor which is smart considering it's subterranean location. Drink list is great and creative, if a bit pricey. Service is clearly not valued here. Our reservation was for 4 people and they first tried to seat us at a table for 2. Easy mistake since our friends weren't there yet, but still. The place was practically empty and yet there was no casual chit chat or joking with our waiter. We ordered drinks and an appetizer while we we were waiting for our friends, and they hardly checked on us. Once our friends got there (on time, we were early) they thought we'd be ready to order dinner right away... no hellos or anything. The food we had was great- cheese plate, grilled cheese and tomato soup, and the egg and asparagus. If the service had been better I would've gone back. read more

Upstairs seemed fun, but we had dinner downstairs. The food was either cold, lacking flavor or completely overdone. The best thing we tasted was a side of roasted carrots that came with my overly dry and hard meatloaf. The salmon was also dry, and basically flavorless. The drinks were rough as well. I will say the waitstaff was very friendly, and the ambiance was nice, but wouldn't suggest the food. read more