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Categories: Bars, Tapas Bars, Spanish
Neighborhood: Northern Liberties
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I feel like Bar Ferdinand is the original tapas place in Philadelphia. I feel like they've been around forever. I feel like I can always count on them to have incredible menu items and dense, creamy red wines, and to lull me into a sense of "these portions are small so there's no way I'm going to die from eating 20 of them."
I can't actually prove anything above (other then the incredible menu items and dense, creamy red wines... is it 5 yet???), but I love how this place makes me feel, and I love being there with a table full of friends.
I was certainly impressed when I first came here. It was a fun night and there were a lot of empty beer bottles at the end of that evening. Because of that first night, we came back quite frequently with visiting friends, etc. But i'm not sure if I will come back...
I still think their skirt steak with fried egg was good...but I can make that at home just as good...same thing for olive-oil poached shrimp with garlic and pepper...nothing too special. Those two dishes are consistent. But other dishes were salty one night and lacking salt another night.
Then i had Amada, which offers much better tapas (although ore expensive). I think before going back to Bar Ferdinand, I will save some more and go back to Amada.
Oh, Jose Garces... where were you when i needed you? Not that I expect the same level of culinary sophistication from any non Garces establishment, but this place has so much hype around it I was certainly hoping.
Not only were several of my dishes adequate at best in terms of flavor and texture, but my entire table (6 of us) were served virtually every dish at the same time. This is not helpful for several reasons: food gets cold, you feel pressure to eat quickly and cannot savor anything, and logistically there just isn't enough space on the table for all the plates.
The vegetarian sandwich was essentially bland sauteed mushrooms and a little cheese on a roll- not worth it. And skewered monkfish with pork belly might sound appetizing, but I was so underwhelmed (and it was so cold) that I pawned it off on someone else.
You want tapas, go to tinto or amada.
I went to Bar Ferninand not so long ago after hearing so many rave reviews about it...i have to say they were not exaggerated... This was one of the most delicious meals I've had in a long time.
But do realize tapas bars are not for everyone. The portions are small, but its a tapas bar they're supposed to be!
-Come here with the realization that you're going to spend a lot of money.
-Look up the definition of tapas, here I'll do it for you Tapas: a snack or appetizer, typically served with wine or beer.
-Drink the sangria, its really good!
-Take your time eating, you're supposed to enjoy and taste carefully what you're eating.
-Make a reservation if you're going there on a weekend!!
-Ask the servers what they recommend, they know what they're talking about.
-Order at least 3 tapas per person and share amongst yourselves.
Seriously, this place rules.
Skip the quail with honey. Skip the pitcher of sangria too for that matter - it was actually below par (without fruit) and just blahhhh.
The jamon fried little things are generic as they come.
BUT, everything else we had was blood amazing. No seriously, i mean it!
Date with bacon, Cordero estofado, patatas bravas, and even the pork sandwhich!
6 dishes for two people were plenty. Total damage including the not-so-great $21 pitcher of sangria was $60...
I've had a lot of great meals in my 20-something years of life and my most recent meal at Bar Ferdinand definitely ranked up there. First, it was Monday, so bottles of wine were half-price. If that doesn't begin an amazing meal I don't know what does. We ordered two bottles and dug into the menu.
- favorites
the manchego is their most popular dish according to our server and did not disappoint. Our table of four ordered two servings of the calamares rellenos because it was to DIE for. We also loved the smoked salmon croquette, the vegetariano sandwich, and my companions adored the short rib. We also ordered every dessert offered that night : )
Honestly, every single morsel from start to finish that we put in our mouths we raved about. The wine, the service (shout out to Lauren), and the food was incredible. We dined in the true meaning of the word (as in lots of time, lots of great conversation, lots of fun) and I cannot wait to go back!!! Our total bill with two bottles of wine (half off), food, desserts, coffee, and tip was around $200 and we were STUFFED.
Sadly I haven't tried Philadelphia's most famous spanish tapas place yet (Amada) but I suggest next time you want a fun night out, a great date night, or are just looking for a light dinner check out Bar Ferdinand.
side-note: my girlfriends and I love to go in here for a pitcher of Sangria at happy hour, it's an AWESOME deal at half-off.
Okay. Lets get this out of the way
it was a saturday night, we're a party of four, we didn't have reservations.
we walked in and were told it was over an hour wait, plenty of empty tables (but probably reserved-fine-but weird sort of to have SO many empty tables)
All this I get, it's my fault for thinking we'd be able to get a table right away. But it was pouring rain, we looked a little disheveled with the help of only one umbrella and the looks from the hostess and the server at the bar were just plain mean.
we decided to order all the empanadas and the serrano ham croquets and the kale and goat cheese croquets. It's not like we were cheap, we knew we looked like a mess because of the rain but we were ready to pony up for drinks and food.
The empanadas were terrible. Each one tasted like a hot pocket and was overly peppered (and i love pepper! but this was just bleh) It was just mush inside a pastry. I was with two people that live in NY so i was hoping to impress since philly is so often written off as a good food city.
What did I wind up doing? Headed down the street for just plain old honest to good food @ Dos Segundos, where the empanadas have texture and the tacos are authentic.
I admit I had high hopes for Bar Ferdinand-I mean, they make you think that you should. I would like to try more stuff, but just the rude nature and bad food makes me not want to go back.
The food was unbelieveable! $30 for prix fixe and we couldn't eat another bite! An amazing restaurant in an amazing city, but for the love of God could it be a little quieter so I could hear myself think!
I travel often and this place has been on my mind and I'm going back. Had dinner on two occasions and the food and service was spectacular. Its always a good sign when the staff is having fun and they talk about the food enthusiastically while you order. and also recommend items with confidence but in the most polite way. its not like when you go to the Gap and they pretend to be excited about a 3 pack of t-shirts you just bought for 21 bucks.
Food was fresh tasting authentic and they are quite generous with the Jamon Serrano! This neighborhood Northern liberties is a great place with great energy if you want to have a few friends meet up and get together stand by the bar order tapas chit chat and catch up or dinner for two go for it.
Go and grab some pizza instead. I'm serious. You'll be happier for it.
That way you may actually feel full.
Or you could wait. Have your waiter take your drink order and wait 15 minutes for it. Then order your tapas, like six or eight of them. If you're a child or hamster this maybe enough to hold off your appetite for eleven minutes.
Don't forget that you'll get your tapas in ten minute intervals. Take two chipmunk size bites, push your plates to the side then wait for six hundred "Mississippi"s . The waiter does this because he doesn't want to "overwhelm" you.
Sure.
I should of ran out on the bill. Wouldn't want to "overwhelm" him by paying.
The food was pretty great. We had the filet with pistachio pesto (among many other things) but that is what stuck out to me most. Delicious. Service wasn't fantastic but the food was pretty great.
Damn you Bar Ferdinand...you ruined my last night in Philly!
"We wasted the good surprise on you!"
Stick to the cheese steaks and pretzels when your looking for something good to eat! Not that some of the tapas weren't tasty, but I'd rather spend my money on something filling.
I understand the concept of Tapas...really, I do. But how bout you put a tad bit more on a plate for the price you're gonna charge? 8 bucks for 3 or 4 pieces of shrimp and a tiny sliver of bread to pick up the oil on the plate is pretty whack!
REALLY? That's what you're gonna bring me?
The only thing cool about this place is the matches I jacked from the podium up in the front before I left!
Sadly, we went to McDonald's afterwards to actually eat. My dear Philadelphians, if you ever make your way to Cali, make sure you stop by Viva Madrid in Claremont for some real Tapas!
[This is really a 2.5.]
I had some idea of what to expect when I went there (having been to El Camino Real next door which I hated), but I still had to try it.
Our waiter started us off with our drink orders. We ordered 3 different beers including a Six Point Sweet Action beer which they stated was a Belgian Ale (but it is actually a cream ale. Perhaps they meant a Six Point Sweet RE-Action which is the Belgian?). The waiter brought 2 of the beers and didn't say anything. My boyfriend, who ordered the Six Point, asked him where his beer was. The waiter said "Oh! Yeah, we're out of that." He then recommended a "similar" beer--an ESB. An ESB is nothing like a Belgian, as most people would know, but his reasoning was that they were both kind of bitter. Perhaps waiters at Bar Ferdinand are only taught that wine is the height if sophistication and all beer is "just beer."
The beer incident didn't help the mood, but we found something that we hoped was good to eat. Of course the food is a very small serving to be expected since it's tapas) and it's pretty expensive (to be expected since it's Northern Liberties), but you'd at least expect it to taste good. We had 3 orders of the cerdo frito (a sandwich), a chicken empanada, a breton croquette, and the mussels with chorizo and pasta. The empanada was pretty good with a flavorful chicken and potato filling, accompanied by a flaky crust and paprkia aioli. The croquette was also good, but it's hard to go wrong with fried cheese. The cerdo frito and the mussels on the other hand were a disaster. Despite being slightly bigger than the other dishes, they were not worth it at all since they were EXTREMELY salty. The cerdo was like a mini cheesesteak and had a salty cheese on it, but it shouldn't have
been inedible. Dying of hunger, I ate a lot of it anyway. When the mussels arrived I had hoped for a refreshed palate, but I was hit with
another salt lick. Luckily this dish had minimal sauce , so the mussels themselves were fairly edible, but the pasta and chorizo was deadly.
We told the waiter, and I expected him to do nothing, but he sent over a manager. She told us it wasn't supposed to be that salty so she comped us for 3 cerdo fritos and the mussels (which is why they get an extra point). It turns out that they both came from the same station, so I guess they just have one guy that has a serious heavy hand and no one who tastes food before it goes out.
Although I appreciate the service, the food is just ok, and they obviously have no quality control. It's certainly not worth the hefty price if your goal is to be full. Perhaps those dishes would have been really good if they had some kind of quality control in the kitchen. But I'll never know, because I won't be back for a $6 empanada that may or may not be a salt lick.
Now that I have started YELPING and have become totally addicted to the site, I really think I need to start taking a few notes when I go out to a place I would like to review.
A lot of times the drinking ruins my detailed memory and the night I went to Bar Ferdinand I definitely had a FEW.
I really enjoyed the food here for sure. I don't really remember the precise names of the dishes but I will make an attempt to communicate my experience to you:
Cheese Plate- Totally radical cheeze plate dudes... The waiter definitely did go over everything but... yeah, I should have paid more attention and committed it to memory. The one that was paired with the candied almonds was my FAVE. Great choice.
Watermelon/Ham Skewer Thing- Sounded a little different, tasted a lot AWESOME. Really interesting flavor- I think it had tarragon on it which really rounded out the flavor on this interesting treat.
Something with dates? I forget exactly what it was, but I know it had dates in it and it wuz delicioussss...
Stuffed Calamares- also BANGIN'... but I forget what it was stuffed with. Sorry! I will do better next time. I promise it tasted nice.
Empanada with Chicken- good spices, great quality... excellent.
There were a few more, and it was all great. I think we got the fish of the day as well? Whatever the fish was, I was really enjoying it.
We tried to hook up with the paella the chef was cooking out front but we didn't put our order in early enough. We didn't realize you had to really be on top of that as they only make a few batches and it goes immediately. Next time!
We were here for someones birthday and got a nice bottle of something that was like a rose champagne. I hadn't really had a red champagne before and I really enjoyed it. I really need to take notes on this stuff so I can go above and beyond "I really enjoyed it". Sorry, I will have to staple my notebook to my hip and remember to get more detailed.
The waiter was excellent- very knowledgeable. He recommended the sorbet for dessert, which happened to be a beer sorbet. Since I was drinking beer as well, I thought this would go really well... Guess what?
I thought right. He recommended right.
It ruled.
IMA GOIN' BACK!!!!!!
my girl michelle has been raving about this place for ages, so i finally made my boyfriend take me there, and i'm so glad i did!
i'm a sangria junkie so we promptly ordered the red which sounded delicious. after knocking it back a little too quickly (it was amazing) we opted for a pitcher (our waitress was nice enough not to charge us for our first glass. love it!)
we heard tons about the manchego apple foam whatever, and i gotta say... it was alright, but i didn't see what all the fuss was about. the foam felt weird in my mouth (i'm big into textures) so i was a little scared of it. please, no jokes.
other than that, we ordered pretty much everything on the menu and loved it all. LOVED. this place is a bit out of the way for us, otherwise i'm sure i'd be a regular. cute spot for a date since its cozy and a little dark and not too loud. the atmosphere is defintely very cute. there's also tons of seating outside when it's nice. can't wait to return!
First tapas experience, and I'd definitely do it again!
Went for a friend's birthday dinner recently and we all ate and drank very well. We were a large party of 8 girls, and the service was great. Started off with pitchers of sangria, which were half off for happy hour. Sangria was really refreshing and fruity. Food was great too. Some of my faves were the braised short rib, grilled skirt steak with the egg, and the paella. Not a real huge fan of the desserts though, they were just ok.
I've never tried Amada, but definitely want to go and see what the fuss is all about. I'd say for the money and quality of food, Bar Ferdinand is a good choice for a nice tapas meal. Also we were able to park right out front for free.
Can't critique Bar Ferdinand much, what a great first visit!
We had a group of 5 and we played out the tapas meal by standard rules. So yeah, there were a couple plates that I didn't particularly enjoy. On the upside, there were many more that I did enjoy and I was astonished to see our bill didn't even top $100 for food and drink. The monk fish was amazing, as was the lamb with citrus yogurt. Breton was alright, pollo y patatas were tasty.
No beer on tap due an operational err of some kind. I was not happy about this. $3 High Life (Champagne) in a bottle made for an adequate substitute due to the reasonable price.
It took us a minute or two to get seated since we had an odd numbered party, but the hostess kept us informed while we waited. Our waiter was not only friendly and punctual, he was also comfortable discussing many of the foods we were interested in. Strangely enough, one of my friends actually said that our waiter tonight was "less involved in the meal" than they typically are. Seriously?! I was impressed.
Bar Ferdinand was a draft beer away from 5 stars! Great experience, would absolutely recommend to any tapas lover.
We were looking for something new and wandered in to Bar Ferdinand. Of course, I couldn't resist a bar named for one of my favorite childhood stories.
The bar is beautifully decorated. Golden amber light and large mosaics make you feel far from Philadelphia. We grabbed a table outside under the awning just as it started to rain, and watched people run from the piazza.
I ordered the Pollo a la Plancha and nibbled on some almonds. Both were really delicious. The red sangria is now on my favorites list and I'll definitely be back for more tapas soon.
I have been going to Bar Ferdinand for awhile now and I must say that it is and has been nothing but exceptional. The food is inventive and continuously evolving, the ingredients are top notch, and the wine list keeps me entertained.
My suggestion is to sit at the bar and order from the chef's specials page. I promise you won't be disappointed.
I am a huge fan of Spanish food so picked Bar Ferdinand for my birthday dinner. I had heard great things about it so was very excited to finally try it out.
There were about 8 of us and we decided to get the $30/pp prix fixe menu (just an FYI the whole table has to order this). I had the red sangria which was just ok so I switched to a beer they had on tap after that, the Stoudt's Heffeweisen...much better!!!
We waited a little bit for our drinks and then a little more for the first round of plates to come out. With tapas, the plates are usually just brought out as the kitchen finishes them...there is no real order to the madness and it's usually on the service is usually pretty quick. However with this meal things were a bit different. A few plates were brought out to start with. We then had to wait about 20 min or so for the next dishes to come out. Then it seemed even longer after that...about 30 minutes. Finally we were waiting for our last two courses and I kid you not this took about 1 1/2 hours to get the last course and dessert! Overall we were there from 8:15pm til 11:30pm! I don't know if they were having kitchen troubles or what but it was absolutely absurd how long it took. We even had to track down our waiter a few times to order more drinks because he was nowhere to be found. Some people at my table were almost ready to get up and leave near the end of the meal.
The food was not fabulous but there were a few stand out items: the seasonal salad which had chickpeas, radicchio, cauliflower and potatoes in it (had a Mediterranean flare) and the empanadas with dates & bacon (very sweet, yet savory).
Overall it isn't a bad deal for $30 a person for the amount of food you get. We ordered so much alochol to account for the time in between courses so that jacked up the bill, the food was so-so and the service was completely out of whack. If I venture back here I probably would order off the regular menu and see if its any better.
I've been to Bar Ferdinand 3 times, and let me say, Amada still owns Philadelphia Tapas for me. Don't get me wrong, Ferdinand is delicious- but for what you'll spend, it doesn't have me doing summersaults. Also, I wish I could give specific tapas recommendations, but I honestly can't remember too many! I do recommend their sangria though...
wow. second time back was not as good at all. Both service and food were mediocre. I'm being generous with a 3 because its philly and I had a good first experience.
Probably my new favorite place to eat in Philly. I went a few weeks ago for dinner and each serving… Read more »
This place is really sweet. The food is just as delicious and inventive as Amada and a lot cheeper. My friend and I tried 6 different tapas as well as a pitcher of Sangria (happy hour half-price before 7pm).
We tried the following...
*Skewers*
1.Monchego Fritto. Absolutely delicious Membrillo stuffed with monchego cheese and served with frozen apple foam. The waiter was super knowledgeable. He explained to us that a membrillo was a small type of apple.
2.Filete a la Parilla. Perfectly cooked fillet mignon in a pistachio pesto you couldn't get enough of.
3.Filete a la Parilla. combination of monk fish and pork belly heavily seasoned with rosemary . It was my first time trying monk fish. I have always heard monk fish be referred to as the poor mans lobster. I would say the texture of the fish reminds you of lobster but the taste wasn't even close. Maybe the Chef didn't do it justice. Regardless it was delicious as well.
*Fried Croquettes*
1. Salmon Crouquettes. Very tasty, served with an amazing dip which I imagine includes sour cream cucumbers dill capers and a few other things.
Specials... Goat Cheese dip with roasted garlic and pine nuts. Possibly the best dish we tried.
*Hot Tapas*
1.Calamares Rellenos. Squid stuffed with shrimp, leaks and served in a sage brown butter. YUM!
2. Fish of the Day-Battered and deep fried soft shell crab. Served with some kind a BLT salad stack. This was a very poorly constructed special. The crab was fried a bit to long and the batter was supper salty. The salad apart from the salty bacon was a very poor match to the soft shell crab.... It also came out with a very basic tartar sause. Boooooring. I was not impressed.
Aside from the crab dish everything was wonderful.
We left full and totally satisfied.
Oh and our 7 course meal and Sangria cost us $66. :)
I love tapas so I was beyond excited to try this place. Shares a patio space with El Camino (read: awesome outdoor seating) but like El Camino the food is sooo soo disappointing.
So for the positive:
Yummy sangria- check. And even more importantly pitchers are half priced during Happy Hour- even better! Wine and fruit 50% off- its hard to not be pleased.
Great outdoor seating- check
Friendly helpful waitstaff- check (although i think we scared them off with the work talk, but they carefully approached our table at just the right times for drink refills)
As for the tapas- this is where I was beyond disappointed. We tried a variety of meats, cheeses, sandwiches, and of course the paella. Many of the tapas were fairly good, but nothing really stood out. As for the paella, a well prepared paella really speaks highly of a good Spanish restaurant. Unfortunately the paella here was a bit of a mess. The flavor was completely off.. Did we really order paella?? Maybe I enjoyed one too many sangrias-happy hour can be dangerous..
At any rate its definitely worth a try- just go during happy hour!!
Bar Ferdinand is hands down one of my favorite restaurants in the city. I've probably been there 30 times and have never had a bad experience. And as they are moving more towards local and sustainable food, I'm only growing in my appreciation for their work.
I find the inventiveness and quality of the food to be top-notch, and at surprisingly affordable prices. My boyfriend and I always know we want a few dishes before we even sit down:
1) The manchego with apple foam- so simple and delicious. Who knew apple foam even existed? And the sauce is amazing.
2) The monkfish and pork belly. The fattiness of the pork belly and the meatiness of the monkfish play off of each other perfectly, and they are just deliciously seasoned. I salivate thinking about them
3) Any of the lamb dishes. Always tender and lovely.
If there are specials, we always jump on those as well. I recently had a salmon special that was so fresh and well prepared it barely had anything but oil, salt and pepper and it was fantastic.
My best experiences there have been during the Thursday night chef's tasting. The first one we did was with a wine pairing, and we got to meet and talk with a rep from the Spanish vineyard and the local distributor during the meal. Each dish was paired well with a different variety of wine. One stand out from that meal was a carrot flan with black currants and a small salad. I though it sounded crazy, but it was amazing.
The most recent chef's tasting included a tomato salad that even though I don't like tomatoes much, I thought was delicious. Asparagus plancho- just asparagus and egg yolk- made me jealous that I could never make something so simple taste so good. We had rabbit for the first time there, and they did a stellar job. And halibut that was tender and flavorful.
I'm also starting to really love the creativity of desserts. Recently they've had a special popsicle with chocolate and vanilla sea salt that even if I don't have the room, I have to eat in full. And the chef's tasting included a goat cheese panna cotta that I hope ends up on the regular menu- yum!
Bar Ferdinand really is the perfect spot for dinner if you love trying new, fun dishes without completely breaking the bank. The casual atmosphere also means you don't have to worry about jackets and ties to have a great night out. I love this place!
Bit of a schlep for me, but will definitely come back for the paella!
The chef with the handlebar mustache is a doll!
Bar Ferdinand has to be one of the most beautiful and delicious restaurants in Philadelphia. At least, in my experience.
The restaurant is gorgeous. Everything about it is perfect.. the lighting.. the decor.. it's just great. The wait staff is VERY friendly and knowledgeable. Same goes for the bartender.
The food.. well.. I could probably write about it all day, but instead I'd rather just say go try it for yourself. There is something for everyone. I seem to find a new favorite every time I go.
Along with the awesome food comes an awesome wine list... and.. Half price bottles of wine on Mondays? What a bargain.
The next thing on my agenda: Trying the brunch. I've heard it's fabulous.. and only $15 for 4 tapas? Hmmm.
The atmosphere is great for either casual dining or for a fancy date! More importantly, the number of tapas to choose from is great... and they were all delicious! One of the best ones was like an empanada that contained dates, bacon, and cream cheese (3 awesome things in a pastry shell.. you can't go wrong!).
Bar Ferdinand is a GEM in Northern Liberties....and its an excellent (& less expensive) alternative to Amada.
If you love Tapas, you have to give this place a try! I recently went with a few friends and had an AMAZING time! The services was quick and friendly and the food was great. The place is a lot larger than it looks from the outside and their wine selection is impressive.
What we ordered:
Sangria - Awesome
Patatas Bravas - Delicious! Home fries with marinara and aioli
Filete a la Parilla - OK, wasn't our fav that night. It was a little bland
Datiles con Tocino - Amazingly good! Mini empandas with dates and cheese...great subtle balance of flavors
Montadillo de Costilla - short ribs...SO GOOD
Cane a la Parills - Excellent! Grilled skirt with a mini fried egg (different but delicious!)
Gambas al Ajillo - Another winner! Garlic chilies and shrimp
Paella - THE FAVORITE OF THE NIGHT!! We had to re-order more!!
I absolutely recommend this place and will definitely be going back soon!
Oh boy, this place sure was worth the cab fare! A group of 8 of us went here a little while ago and all of us left completely satisfied! The sangria was delicious, the atmosphere was trendy but not overly stuffy, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. The vegetarians in our group had plenty to choose from (not always the case) - i HIGHLY recommend the manchego cheese with apple foam on skewers - so delicious we ordered a second round!
I would certainly go back - if only Bar Ferdinand was closer!
This bar was fun. Of course (because of recent events) MJ was on the radio and the bartenders/servers started showing off their moves... they were great. A couple of regulars came in and started telling us about their band "bong hits for jesus" and we thought, with a name like that, they would have to be interesting.
So the crowd and the staff made this a fun place for a date.
First of all, the beer selection is amazing. And for those who aren't interested in the beer, their wine, sangria, and mixed drinks are really refreshing. There is no canned Bacardi mix here. The food is absolutely amazing... and what can be better than sampling a variety of fresh, innovative tapas over good beer? This is the type of place that you leave and immediately start planning your next trip back. If you don't want to spend that much, go during happy hour. We spent $60 for 4 plates of food, 3 beers, and 2 glasses of sangria.
Did a late (~9:00pm) dinner on a Thursday evening, and was pretty happy with the offerings from Bar Ferdinand. Started with a bottle of '04 Rioja Crianza (nice light red wine) as well as an order of Aceitunes (Spanish olives), a plato de queso (cheese plate), and a surtido de carnes (ham, chorizo, and cured pork loin plate). The surtido de carnes was just okay/nothing special. The star of the cheese plate was the cheese paired with the candied Marcona almonds (a soft cow cheese, I think).
From there, we moved on to an order of the Pollo a la Plancha (seared chicken in an orange & ginger marinade), the Montadillo de Castillo (braised short rib), and, of course, an order of the Manchego Frito (fried manchego cheese, frozen apple foam, and a walnut puree...what everyone said I HAD to try). For me, the best dish of the three was definitely the Manchego Frito...followed closely by the braised short rib. The chicken was good, but had a little too much of a black licorice aftertaste for me to REALLY enjoy it.
All in all, I was pretty darned happy with the experience, and would definitely expect to find myself back there in the near future.
I've grown up eating Spanish food and my expectations have been marked by my dad's cooking: he's from Spain and was also a tapas chef. I knew Bar Ferdinand wouldn't disappoint, but I certainly didn't expect them to measure up to my pops. Thankfully, I've found a home away from home.
I wasn't ready to splurge, so I stuck to my favorites: patatas bravas (similar to home fries, but topped with aioli), carne a la parilla, the short rib (I don't remember the fancy name) and churros con chocolate. Everything was perfectly cooked and perfectly balanced. Nothing was too salty or sweet and the flavors popped as they should.
In an effort to stay within budget, I asked the waiter to recommend one of the $8 wines. He suggested the tempranillo/merlot blend. One of my favorites so far.
The ambiance can't be beat either. They have mosaics with bulls and I have an obsession with the phrase: el toro heroico (the heroic bull), I feel like it conveys the perfect image and paradox. Anyway, that's neither here nor there.
All in all, last night's meal came as an unexpected surprise and will lead me back for many moons to come.
Good service, nice tapas, serene atmosphere. I love their array of wines, although they did not have pinot grigio. I had some kind of squid(bells) stuffed with tuna and for a dessert type tapas, I had mozerella cubes deep fried with some kind of light ice cream sauce. I wish I rememebered exaclty what the dishes were called. The presentation and chill atmosphere was nice.
Once again the yelp reviews were an awesome help and guide to conquering untraveled territory for this stomach.
On a beautiful Sunday evening after dancing up a storm in the Piazza with the Sundae promoters and djs it only seemed natural to wind down with some sangria and light fare tapas.
We ordered many of the menu items and nothing really disappointed, but except for the manchego frito and spinach empanadas, most did not super wow us either. It was all good and the service from the beautiful server was even more reinforcing of a good choice to how to enjoy another Philadelphia evening.
The patio is a great place to sit and people watch as there are many beautiful souls in even hotter skins floating about this part of town.
Delicious food that is more authentic than other Tapas places I've been to recently such as Amada. Definitely not as gourmet or epicurean as Amada, but good in a different way. I have never had a bad experience and would recommend making a trip to eat here. The wine and drinks are also great!
Our first impression was some slow service as it took well over 20 minutes once we were seated to get drinks ordered... However, once the food was ordered it came fast and the waitress seemed to be a bit more attentive. Everything was good but the standouts were the stuffed dates and the filet skewer with pistachio pesto. The tuna cebiche was good but did seem to leave a little to be desired compared to some of the amazing cebiche I have tried in Peru. I'm just nitpicking though. Pricy experience but I guess that's what happens with excellent tapas! Oh, and a good beer and wine list (and sangrias, cocktails, etc.). If we hadn't had a frustrating wait at the start our experience may have been 5 stars.
Even though it was barely 65 degrees, we got a table outside. I noticed that No Libs residents sure love bull dogs, huh?
Brunch special: $15 for a combo consisting of 4 pre-selected tapas.
I got Combo #3 which consists of:
- 2 egg benedicts with a thin slice of chorizo, 1 leaf of spinach, slice of baguette toast and hollandaise
- fried potatoes with tomato sauce and mayonnaise (tastes a lot better than it sounds)
- house made granola with dried fruits, nuts and yogurt. (I felt guilty for my gluttonous lifestyle)
- thin piece of "toast" doused in butter and tomato/garlic olive oil. (I would not call this a "tapa")
I also ended up devouring another friend's chorizo with red wine sauce. I couldn't help it; I'm a sucker for chorizo. I topped off my hangover / wastey face brunch with a mimosa. The mimosa seemed like it had some Tang mix in it but it was tasty and consumed with no complaints. Orange juice is a breakfast item, no matter what's in it. This was more than enough food to fill me up and there was no wait for a table. Totally worth a brunch trip to No Libs.
This place is ok in my book. I was here the other night for my sisters Bday party. We managed to run the bill to 400 bucks between the 12 of us, but we all had a damn good time. I was feeling rather adventurous so I tried a plate of duck hearts to quench my curiousity. They had a slight chewiness to them, but a good flavor. I felt like a civilized Bear Grylis. I also got the Monkfish with porkbelly skewer. That was amazing. My friend was telling me how the pork belly reminded him of foie gras a bit. He had gotten some baked cheese which blew my mind. My girlfriend had ordered this zucchini dish which was staggeringly awesome. But the the very best thing I got was this cured pork dish. It was very similar to prosciutto, but it was soft, sweet and buttery and oh so delicious. I need to find a wholesaler of this stuff.
Oh yea Decor is pretty swell. I would give this place 5 stars but the last time I was here me and my sister gave them 2 credit cards to split the bill and they took my card and charged me twice instead of charging her. I'm willing to forgive them of course, but it did put me through a hassle.
But that is no reason to not come back. The food here is amazing, and I always have a great time. I recommend you check it out.
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