I wish Jen and I had shown up in matching flapper dresses because Sassafras feels like stepping…read morestraight into the 1920s. Huge bar, giant wall of liquor bottles, dim lighting, and a cool old-school vibe. I told the bartender that ordering a beer in a place like this felt like I was insulting him. He laughed and told me not to worry about it. The drink special was called "Naked and Famous," which honestly sounded like the perfect cocktail to order in honor of Jen. But then I spotted a dark beer on the menu that sounded too good to pass up. If you follow me, you know I'm slowly becoming a dark beer guy. I liked it a lot. The sandwich special was a cheesesteak. Sorry, I should've taken a picture of the menu. But I really enjoyed it, and for $18 it came with a mountain of seasoned fries, which feels like a bargain these days. Bomb Shell: the two people working absolutely crushed it. I don't know if they were understaffed or if Monday night got busier than expected, but they were working their tails off the entire time. Even with that, they stayed polite, friendly, helpful, and incredibly accommodating to the guy carrying around a mannequin. Great visit to Sassafras!

Sassafras has been a consistently solid bar for me. I have been obsessed with their pisco sour and…read morethe drink comes equally as good each time I order it. The drink menu is extensive and well planned. I love the prices the most probably. The service is good but not super fast as they usually only have 1-2 people serving, so only go here if you have time to wait. The staff is always kind and accommodating. The food here is also very solid. The cheese steak and the burger are both delicious though the burger might take the #1 spot. I love vibes of the place and find myself relaxing and sipping a lovely drink while staring at the beautiful tiled walls. The quality is high and the prices decently low

This was worth every bit of the 5 star rating I gave!…read more I've been wanting to try this place for a couple years and finally had the opportunity to do so. The organization and seating was clear and optically pleasing, the fruits were fresh and tasty, and the support staff was awesome! While I'm traditionally not a cocktail person, my new go to is a mezcal margarita for a cocktail option. While this time I experienced the fruit cocktail class, I would certainly want to try their other classes.

Came here with my office and had a great class experience! Our instructor was very friendly and did…read morea great job managing our group's different tastes. We did the herb-themed class and got to incorporate lots of fresh ingredients into our drinks. We made three throughout the class, but we didn't feel rushed. We just wish there was something to snack on while drinking (chips, popcorn, crackers,etc). We all had come straight from work, so it did feel like a lot of alcohol without anything to snack on. The classes are held in Infusion Lounge, an upstairs bar/night club.

Showed up for dinner right around 5 pm and sat down at the spacious bar. The whole restaurant is…read morehuge and so much bigger than you expect. Service was impeccable from David. I got a crisp XX on draft. The tortilla soup was hot and mildly spicy, just the way I like it. But the real star was the chipotle chicken. Juicy and tender chicken, stuffed with cheese and peppers then smothered in the chipotle sauce. It was perfect. Absolutely love this place and will be back again. P.S. they also host dance parties on Saturday nights and a pool table in the back ;)

This restaurant occupies the space where Han Dynasty used to be. The entrance is on Chestnut…read morestreet. Very big space. I got there on Wednesday around 6 and there were only a couple of customers at the bar. I almost left because I didn't see any employees. Finally someone came out to greet me and seated me in the middle are. He had to put some paper at the bottom of the table because it was a bit wobbly. A lot of choices in the menu. I ordered guacamole and chips for appetizers and it came out right away. The chips are fresh and not stale. Good amount of guacamole. Street corn aka elote. The corn is juicy. Unfortunately, it was not enrobed with mayo and cotija cheese as a typical elote should be. Fried plantain: not many slices. They are dry and not sweet . I was hoping for more ripe plantain Birria tacos: small tacos, the consommé lacks of depth of flavor. I could only taste saltines. The waiter asked if I wanted rice and beans. I said only beans. It's basically mashed refried beans. I wasn't aware that it costs extra $4. My husband ordered this dish served in half pineapple. It has chorizo and shrimp. Again , lacking depth of flavor, very salty. Service was great. The staff is friendly. Credit card is accepted but with a fee. There's an ATM if you prefer to pay with cash.

My husband and I went here as a little birthday celebration/fourth of July vacation treat…read more My husband's food ranking: Yuzu Miso Glazed Wings - Addictive Cucumber - Spicy Miso Mazeman Ramen - Ocean Trout Crudo My food ranking: Addictive Cucumber - Yuzu Miso Glazed Wings - Spicy Miso Mazeman Ramen - Ocean Trout Crudo We agreed that the Miso Ramen was easily the best bang for your buck and the Ocean Trout Crudo was the only thing we wouldn't order again; it wasn't horrible it just had waaaay too many almonds which took away from the fish itself. Unlike others, we felt the portions were not too small. Overall a very respectable dinner showing from Almanac. I kind of regret ordering a pre fixed cocktail because his Omakase was so on point to what he asked for and was delicious. I love rhubarb and Gin is my usual spirt of choice, so I didn't want to pass up the Hanamachi Rikki, but while I found the tart rhubarb refreshing, it fell flat when placed next to the Omakase. While I enjoyed the music choices, he did not and it was also INCREDIBLY dark/moody which isn't our preference, but makes sense for the intimate vibe they are clearly going for.

Drinks were outstanding, and so was the food! This actually came as a surprise since Almanac is…read moremarketed as more of a cocktail bar/speakeasy. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since they are located right about Ogawa (also amazing)! We tried the omakase cocktail, which was really fun and creative. Although if I'm paying $25 for a drink, I do expect a bit more of a presentation... The scallop crispy rice was absolutely a favorite, we had to order two! The toro was also a standout, although how can you go wrong with toro, uni, and caviar? The wagyu dog itself was great, but the roll it was on was dry. In my opinion, the bread makes or breaks a sandwich, so points off for that one. The ambiance was cozy, if a little dark at times. Our waitress was knowledgeable and attentive and gave us good recommendations on what to order. I will absolutely be back for the crispy rice alone!

Next of Kin is a special vibe. It's got the energy of a neighborhood dive with the aesthetic and…read moremixology prowess of a swanky cocktail haven. It is intimate, friendly, down-to-earth, and totally unique. I don't visit Philly as often as I'd like (I live in NYC but grew up here) and while I'm always keeping up with dining scene, it's rare and thus special when I get to put a space to the name, so the speak. Next of Kin has a quirky, playful, impressively creative menu with drinks that are memorable. We came here at around 10:30pm on a Saturday night after dinner. There was a bit of a line outside which moved slowly, but we were given cute champagne jello shot things for our patience which were delightful and a fun little preview of what to expect on the inside. The seating options consist of tables, bar, and what I believe they call "love pods", all of which are beautifully designed. We were seated at the bar, which is our preference anyway. I always like chatting with the bartenders and hearing about the craft, and it is particularly enjoyable when they're as friendly and generous as the folks who work here. We were talking to them about some of their infusions and they let us try a taste of the coconut mezcal and the bruleed banana infused rum and both were unreal on their own. We ended up getting the Coco Bello (coconut mezcal, apertif, aromatized wine) which is a white negroni variation and the Swamp Thang (green chartreuse, herbal liqueur, pineapple and poblano tepache), which was served in some particularly memorable glassware (pictured). Both drinks were exceptional and complex, the former more sophisticated and the latter wacky and wholly unique.

I fuckin love this Place! It's intimate and has…read moreStrong ass drinks my friend* *be prepared to get too drunk

Such a Philly kind of day... a half hour meander from my office in the Gayborhood to Old City for…read morean entertaining evening at this bar. Tiny pockets of garden squares with burbling fountains. Cobblestone streets. Around every corner is a sign or plaque boasting about this city's history. From the outside, it looks like you're walking into an old bank. Inside, it's just about 6:00 PM and the place is packed for happy hour (one of the few places, by the way, that has happy hour until 7:00 PM) and for one of the monthly talks sponsored by local science museums. As soon as I walked in, they found us an open spot right up front. A cheery waiter took our order - the $8 burger sliders didn't come with any fries, but they were tiny and delicious. I love the idea that this place sponsors monthly science talks. Just a bunch of nerds all gathered here to listen to local experts talk about different topics. One week it might be about rare Galapagos birds to how to preserve fossils or the etymology of vampire lore.

A friend of mine was in town for the weekend and we spent Saturday afternoon walking around Old…read moreCity. Around midday, we became hungry and looked for something to eat. With the help of Yelp, we found this place. First off, the building that houses National Mechanics is absolutely beautiful inside and out, and for good reason. The pub/restaurant occupies the old Mechanics National Bank, a majestic Greek Revival building, built in 1836. Inside the restaurant, the surroundings contrasted greatly with the outside. The large, primarily wooden interior has the feel of a vintage pub. It is equally as beautiful as the front. The service at National Mechanics was great. Though the staff was clearly running shorthanded, every employee we came into contact with served us with a smile and couldn't be friendlier. The food, at least on that day, was mediocre at best, unfortunately. While the menu was filled with all sorts of tempting dishes that already made us thinking of future visits, we opted for the Mexican Burger and the Ribeye Cheesesteak, two twists on old pub standbys. Sadly, we were both disappointed in our meals. We did start off on a bright spot, food-wise. My friend and I opted to share the Batter-Fried Pickled Green Beans, which were fabulous! Too bad the good food ended there... The description of the Mexican Burger sounded amazing, with avocado, pico de gallo, pickled jalapeños, Monterrey Jack cheese, and chipotle mayo. My friend said it was kind of bland and it was quite greasy. My ribeye cheesesteak did not match well with its "Amoroso" roll and the steak itself was dry. In the end, we were both disappointed in our choice in a lunch spot. Perhaps it was the large crowd of diners and little staff that made it all come out a little...off. In the end, I'd try National Mechanics again if I were in the area, as the atmosphere and service made it a cool spot to dine in. Hopefully the food will be better next time.

Get the lomo saltado with the green sauce and the ceviche vista Peru! I think those two dishes are…read moredeliciously! The first time I came here I got those two dishes as well and thought it was delicious! Then went to Miami and kept thinking of this place!! Had to come back to verify that this place was better than most of the places in Miami! Granted it is much more expensive but it's worth it!

We had a great time, this was our first time coming here. We hadn't noticed it before but are so…read morehappy we took the time to go. The drinks were delicious! So much so we had to take one to go. The food was also delicious, lots of seafood on the menu (although we only ordered Calamari) - have a few non seafood options for shellfish allergy like myself. We also go the Limo Saltado and the Seco.... (I forgot the name, but goat). It tasted delicious almost home made at a nice restaurant, very pleased. Worth every penny for a date night. Modern decorations, music was low enough to have a conversation (almost a little too low, but better than it being too loud). Also shout out to Andres our server who treated us amazing!

I love it here! My…read morehusband and I came down to the bar area and had a drink or two while we waited for a ride to head to the Philly and Bears game. The vibe is always high! They have TVs available so you can catch whatever games are playing on whether it be football basketball or whatever to your liking... the lobby is pretty steady but we always find a seat at the bar and the bartender's there are always on point. This particular black Friday late morning, we had cocktails. Myself a Margarita made from scratch and my husband had the Crown Royal with the splash of sprite 10 out of 10! We highly recommend you stop and give this bar a shot even if you are not staying at the hotel you can just drop in have a bite to eat have something to drink and be on your Merry way. Always love it here... have fun and enjoy life :)