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Category: American (Traditional) [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Logan Square, Fairmount, Franklintown, Spring Garden, Art Museum DistrictChili's® Grill & Bar is as bold and flavorful as the food it serves. The energetic, fun atmosphere makes it the perfect spot for a... more »
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First time I wished Yelp offered the "half star" because they probably deserves 3.5. I really like Kite and Key-- nice service staff, great beers and decent food, but it never really wows me. One beer currently on tap that does wow me is a Farmhouse Saison. Delish saison-styled beer. To top, they offer $1 off all drafs from 5-7p happy hour.
Food is good. I reccomend eating an appetizer opposed to a full-on meal. Nachos have a unique twist: black chips topped with Mexican Chorizo sausage, chunks of avocado and Chihuahua cheese.
I have not heard much about this spot. That, and the fact combined with it's an inconvenient (for me) location are the two main factors I've never made the trip. But I'm here to try and convince you not to make the same mistake.
It's always nice to see a good beer bar, and especially one that is close to me and open for lunch. The Kite and Key impresses on two beer fronts: reasonable prices and excellent selection. Dan stayed with the $5 16oz Hennepin pours, while I had my first Nugget Nectar of the season (on cask) and Bell's Double Cream Stoudt ($6 apiece, I believe). Their website isn't updated as often as the taps, but it gives a good idea of the type of variety offered. It's almost exclusively American craft beer, which is right up my alley.
The food menu offers standard dishes. The menu opens up during dinner, with the menu almost doubling in size. We split an order of wings to start. We were served large, breaded hot wings. I wasn't impressed with the wing, sauce, or price ($8.5 for seven wings). Must miss.
My entree was an order of three fish tacos. The presentation and portions were good, but the flavors were lacking. It was good, nothing else. I understand that this dish is something that should only be ordered within walking distance of the beach, but it could have still been better. Dan ordered one of his favorite entrees: fish and chips. A plate full of shoestring fries was topped with several large pieces of breaded grouper. I like the choice to use grouper because it's a more flavorful fish than cod or haddock, which are commonly used by other restaurants.
The atmosphere here is great. There are several TVs with different sports on, including hockey and club soccer. The bartender provided great service. Granted, we were two of five in the whole place. I'm sure the environment changes quite a bit on a weekend night.
Bottom Line: I was impressed with my first stop at the Kite and Key. They might not have the food to make me keep coming back, but they certainly have the beers. I'm glad to have discovered another respectable stop in the seemingly barren Logan Square/Fairmount area (but there are a few great ones, to be sure).
This place is white! Everything from the walls to the plates to the people. It's whited out! Now I'm not hating, I'm just observing. I didn't really feel left out or nothing because Korea was with me along with a little bit of China and California. So all in all, I didn't really feel left out or anything but yo, all I'm gonna say is if you're looking for a good, brand-spanking, whitewash of a time. This is your jams!
They are in possession of a solid selection of draft brews, which explains my overall comfort level. Surrounded by Asian nations and an Asian state, with taps in tow, one could not help but feel familiar. Prices are decent but I did expect things to be $1-2 less than what I was used to, being a NYCity Slicker and all. The waitresses were attentive but I couldn't help but notice that every time they came over to check on us, it seemed like they were American tourists wading through a sea of foreign-ness. I think one of them actually brought over chopsticks. No, I'm just kidding. That didn't happen.
Sorry for the racial tint in which I've reviewed, but I just wanted to Yelp it like I saw it, and the eyes through which I've witnessed said events resulted in a good night. It's definitely a pre-game type of place or maybe even for post-game festivities, though I would imagine if I had won any sort of game, my post-game celebration would definitely not be here. So remember folks, pre- not post-, but only if you like white toast.
Great beer selection. I've eaten here a few times for lunch/dinner and the food was decent, but not great for the price. It's a great location and the opening of the front windows' is awesome in the summer time - I'll totally keep going back for the beer and atmosphere.
I went in search of Fish Tacos. Based on looking at Yelp reviews all over the city, I picked this place to be very promising in delivering me good fish tacos within walking distance of my job. (I work at the Comcast Center)
As promised, Kite and Key did have Fish Tacos and they are good. Not the best I have had, but they show well.
For 9 bucks and change you get three fish tacos. They are not small either. Since Kite and Key uses flour tortillas instead of the traditional corn tortillas for their tacos.
There was good flavor, but I am a fan of a little more spice and originality. The fish breading was also a little strange to me. I like fried fish tacos, but the breading on this fish was almost like a cornmeal breading, producing a texture that I did not care for.
All in all, it was a filling lunch at a good price. But I will continue my Philly fish taco search!
A classic pub, all nice and open in the summertime. It feels welcoming.
And the jukebox is excellent. Something for everyone (and the group I was there with certainly had eclectic tastes).
I only enjoyed drinks in the bar area, but the menu looked awesome as well.
The only thing bad I can say is that I'm very embarrassed and disappointed in myself that I didn't pick up on the Ben Franklin reference in the name sooner.
When this place first came around to my neighborhood, I went there maybe 3-4 times in the span of a couple months. It later lost its novelty and its somewhat awkward location precluded me from returning. I just went back today and had brunch there. I was not surprised that the brunch was good, I ate the eggs bennie's and someone else in my party had french toast. We were sitting around watching the Eagles play pretty much all afternoon. I was smiling from the flavorful Bloody Mary cocktails.
I will probably reacquaint myself with this place for dinner or for evening drinks.
Kite and Key offers a nice, unassuming place for a beer or a bite to eat. Since it's off the beaten path, it wasn't too busy on Sunday night when we went for dinner around 6.
We sat up in the restaurant area, where there are about 10 tables, and there is also a bar area right by the door with a bunch of high tops and bar space. Apparently when it's not storming (as it was on Sunday night), they will open up the big windows in the front as well.
I had the Franklin Burger, and the boyfriend had the chicken salad sandwich. The burger was good, and served with a heap of french fries. The chicken salad was pretty bad - it was completely dry, and was flavored way too much with lemon. They should take it off the menu it was that bad. For dessert, we tried the chocolate beignets, which were delicious. They were brought out steaming hot and served with a white cream sauce and a dark chocolate sauce.
I would love to go back on a nice summer evening to sit by the windows and have a drink. Not an extensive menu, but it has a nice selection to satisfy your taste buds.
Consistent food, good beer, instead of going to Sabrina's try this place out for a change!
Every time I come here i'm surprised that the food is as good as it is. It's kind of a weird location, and I think they get a lot of the overflow from Sabrina's, but I think they probably deserve a little more attention than they get. The wings are really good, as is the brunch selection... I have yet to be disappointed. I've really only been here for brunch/lunch so I have no idea what kind of crowd comes here in the evening.
The only thing about this place that really bugs me is the lighting... it's dark and dreary... but not in a cool way like an english pub. During nice days they have the doors up front open, but still something isn't right.
Also, the jukebox is notable - They had me at the Walkmen, which had the #1 slot. Cool.
I wasn't really thrilled with Kite & Key. I came here for brunch. It was a hot, muggy day in September and the ventilation was off (at least in the back of the restaurant) so not only was the air thick and hot but there were flies milling around our table. I ordered the standard breakfast (bacon, eggs, potatoes.) The potatoes were odd, they were maybe sort of like tater tots but with a strange after taste. The bacon and eggs were ok, nothing special by any stretch of the imagination. The wait was out of control. Considering we ordered nothing more complicated than a burger, it should not have taken nearly as long as it did. Of course the stifling heat didn't help. Maybe our experience was an anomaly but I would probably not go back. Two stars because our waitress was nice.
I'll keep this one fairly short, but it's not going to be all that sweet. I'll start with the good: The service was excellent. Kristy, our server, was friendly, prompt, and attentive, and the food and drinks came out quickly. It was a beautiful day, so we were enjoying the outside seating area (despite the not-so-pretty view of the beer store and the dilapidated Rose Tattoo). Their beer list is fairly extensive and includes selections from such powerhouse breweries as Rogue and Founder's.
Unfortunately, my grilled chicken sandwich was not up to par. The chicken was nicely blackened and was moist enough, but the Kite and Key is apparently anti-sauce. Neither my sandwich nor my friend's sliders (he got the combo: crabcake, beef, and pork) had any sauce. Who wants to eat a dry sandwich? Furthermore, I asked for honey mustard and the best they had was Dijon. Don't get me wrong, I like Dijon, just not as the primary condiment on my sandwich. Where's the aioli at, yo? They didn't have any other kind of bread besides white, either, which was kind of annoying. No options for sides besides fries, so I gave most of them to my friend... they kind of reminded me of McDonald's fries.
It's a shame the food wasn't too good, especially considering the prices (which weren't cheap), because I enjoy the setup and the atmosphere inside. They just opened pretty recently, so hopefully they'll step it up a notch.
3-4 stars - I will give them 4 as our service was excellent (we came on the Sunday night of July 4th weekend) and the food was surprisingly excellent.
Our party of 3 sat in the back dining room which was a/c-chilled to a crisp. Bet that comes in handy on crowded nites - but it was DEAD at 6 PM on that particular Sunday.
We started with a DELICIOUS order of chicken nachos and they were served with blue corn tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole and a good amount of melted cheese. YUM!
My friend ordered the grilled chicken (her usual - she's been 3-4 times and unlike other reviewers - she likes the grilled chicken here), my husband got the pork burger and I got and LOVED the (fried) fish tacos. At 3 tacos per order for $9.50 - that was very fair.
The only culinary "oops" were the twice-fried french fries. They were hard as rocks and cold. Kinda greasy and blah tasting. I bet they sat around due to the low-turnover night. I bet they taste better fresh outta the fryer. Too bad.
Oodles of beers on tap and by the bottle - even a choice "by the cask". Hubby got a Blueberry wheat pale ale - which tasted great.
The chocolate beignets and other choices tempted us from the dessert menu, but alas, we did NOT order dessert as we were too stuffed to manage it.
Less pretentious (and less cutesy) than Pub & Kitchen - this is not a gastro-pub - it's simple bar food with a fresh tasting twist.
I live walking distance so I'll be back for sure!
Came here with two friends on a Sunday night. Not much seemed to be open at around 9 pm, but one friend who lived in the area suggested we check it out. Service was pleasant and attentive. It wasn't very crowded, but full enough that it didn't seem dead.
Having had dinner, we ordered the strawberry brown butter cake and the chocolate beignets. Both were pretty good - there were 7-8 beignets that were served with three dipping sauces. Nice variety of sports to watch on the nice flat screens while the girls I came with chatted.
Would've also been nice to have sat outside. Maybe next time.
2.5-3 stars..
It's an average little bar/restaurant with the regular bar food items that aren't great but don't suck. They have an okay beer list.
At least from what I got (the mussels), the portions here are pretty big. There wasn't just a scant number, but a genuine heap of mussles that I couldn't finish!
Also - don't sit outside. At least during the warm season. We did and the size of mosquitos here was pretty alarming.
I didn't love it here.
The food seems decent, maybe a little expensive (almost 9 bucks for eight chicken wings) and I'd like to see a little more variety. The website advertised daily/nightly specials but the 'specials' we were told about are what is already on the webiste menu. Lame.
I'm not sure if EVERYONE (except us) in the restaurant ordered fish last night, or if this place always smells fishy, but it was bad. Like low tide out on the wharf.
Great Fish Tacos!
Who would've known!? I moved here 2 & 1/2 years ago after spending about 5 years on the west coast. The first thing I missed was the great mix of flavors found in the fish taco. Logically, in the past 2+ years if I see a fish taco on the menu, described as the traditional baja style, cabbage, lightly fried white fish, pico de gallo, corn tortillas, lime... my mouth starts to water and I get my hopes up...but every single time I've ordered one in this city, I've been completely disappointed. Frankly, I've oft times been grossed out by what has come out of many a kitchen, claiming to be a fish taco.
So, you can imagine my surprise when I had an good one, finally, just down the street from my house.
I went to K&K for the first time this week to reconnect with the girlfriends...honestly we just picked it because it was a mid point for everyone.
The atmosphere was pretty quiet. Not bad but not great either, with a decent beer list. This place would be pretty unremarkable if it wasn't for the food. Our hummus plate app was great, and the fish tacos did not disappoint.
So, as odd as it may sound, if you are craving something remotely close to the fish tacos you get in Southern California...Kite and Key is the place.
Just grabbed a quick lunch here with one of my favorite people. It will do in a pinch for a decent burger, fries and a beer. Bonus points if you want to listen to good music and watch a little ESPN during lunch.
I've heard good things about their Sunday football crowd.
Cheers, B
Summary - Solid addition to the neighborhood, with some issues to work through. Good potential though.
Pros - Above average food; fills a gap for this part of town
Cons - Beer/Liquor list arguably needs expansion, and better inventory stocking needed for current list
Details - Checked out Kite & Key for dinner and drinks recently. K&K is in a weird spot, located in what's considered "Franklintown" - arguably one of the areas of the city most ripe for economic and cultural expansion. Not quite Art Museum, not quite Logan Square, but desperately waiting to be swallowed up by the expanded city center that has been growing steadily in recent years.
But until that happens, Kite & Key sits as a lonely new gastropub on a semi-desolate, West Callowhill block. If there was ever a block in need of some energy from the aforementioned expansion, this is it.
Fortunately, K&K does a decent job of creating it's own energy. Any time I've been by, there's been a good crowd, with a remarkably refreshing demographic mix - in other words, it's hard to label the place as catering to any particular age/social/economic group. All are welcome.
The food menu has all the staples of a modern gastropub, and most are done well. Food-wise, K&K easily beats out the less refined local pubs. It also delivers comparable (if not superior) quality to that of the ubiquitous "chain" pubs that are popular both in and out of the city. While none of the food will blow you away (it's not meant to), it will certainly fill and satisfy you.
Of course most people aren't going to a place like Kite & Key just to eat, but to drink, and the alcohol situation must factor heavily in the rating. And in this area, there is some room for improvement. I hold a city bar to a much higher standard, and while K&K is on the right track, there are noticeable gaps in their liquor/beer menu. For instance, my group encountered multiple instances where a particular "higher end" liquor or beer was either unavailable or out of stock. To preserve my anonymity for this review, I won't list exactly what we asked for that wasn't available, but trust me when I say that these were brands that would be found in most center city bars or restaurants.
Regarding the beer menu specifically, as I mentioned they're on the right track, but I'd really like to see some expansion here. Obviously Buds and Yuenglings are going to be your bread and butter, but creative, higher end beers are going to create buzz and word of mouth, and ideally I'd like to see the premium imports list grow significantly (there are many more excellent Belgians out there that would be right at home on this menu, for instance).
Lastly, I found the décor to be somewhat utilitarian; the interior design did little to promote any particular type of atmosphere. Minimalist designs certainly have their place, but a good decor can encourage a fun and positive mood, even if you're the only one at the bar. K&K has work to do in this area.
Overall, Kite and Key has some growing to do, but they're off to a good start. In less than 9 months since opening, they've established themselves as a solid pub/restaurant in an underserved area, attracted a strong following (particularly the coveted "young professional" demographic, which is well represented most nights), and in my opinion they've worked out any cuisine issues that may have existed early on. But now they really need to take this to the next level.
In other words, Kite & Key has learned how to do "neighborhood spot" well, and for that certainly deserves a visit. But as someone not from that neighborhood, they've given me very little that would encourage me to go back anytime soon. With some tweaks, however, I can see them turning the page from being "just another Philly bar/restaurant," and becoming a "destination spot ", one that can actually siphon patrons who might have otherwise gone to Rittenhouse or Old City.
Final Rating (Great/Average/Poor) - AVERAGE
Ben Franklin, beer lover (and founding father) would approve. Still, some work is needed, in order to form a more perfect gastropub.
Date of Last Visit - February 19, 2009
BW
Rating Breakdown:
Food - 6/10
Drink - 5/10
Atmosphere - 4/10
Service - 7/10
I was pleasantly surprised by this place. I heard that the place that used to occupy this space was a disaster. It was a soul food place.
Now it's called Kite and Key and it serves pub food with a fresh twist. My grilled chicken sandwich with fresh tomato and red onion was excellent. The fries were right out of the frier and crispy. My sister's steak was more rare than she liked so she sent it back. They returned with a much better medium rare steak which she enjoyed. I also had the arugula salad with giant pecans on it - fresh and filling. We went on Valentine's night at 10:00p.m. There were three of us. Our friend had the fish tacos - three came to an order. We also had the chips and salsa with guacamole and blue corn chips - a nice change from the norm.
The server was on top of things. We left with a good impression of Kite and Key.
fish tacos are a must. they have this cool sauce that they give you to put on it...
we sat outside, which was nice, since it's pretty quiet. atmosphere outside (and in general) is pretty unpretentious. service was excellent and there was an excellent selection of beers on tap.
they are a bit keen on the breading / frying thing....
I've only ever been here for lunchtime/daytime, so I can't comment on the late night goings-on here.
The staff is always wonderful- kind and attentive and helpful. Beer refill-age happens quickly. And the food is genuinely good. Did I just say that I come here for lunch during the workday and yet know how quick beer refills are? Um. Nevermind.
The fries are delicious. The outdoor/up front tables are great. And the bathrooms- some of the nicest in the city. I always make note of bathrooms.
And the name- how cute is that?
Altho the waitress was super nice, it was a slow service lunch... and my food was borderline terrible... grilled veg open faced sandwich (in theory, soooo sooo good) but even the salad it came with was icky. Not a lot of veg options here. However 3 other people had excellent lunches there (ex: pulled pork). They do have a lot of TVs, all sports, if you like.
So in conclusion, my food was blah & the service was sloow, but it was a cute clean cut bar, so I'd usually give 2.5 stars but.... they have the elusive exclusive chocolate brewed Yards porter on tap! So 3 stars it is.
In summary, great.
Plenty of outdoor seating, which I love. If for some reason you can't get a seat outdoors, there is open air seating in the main section of the bar.
The gastropub food has not disappointed but then again I've only tried the mussels (YUM!) and the chicken and brie sammie (lower case yum). The $4.50 stoli drinks are what keep me coming back. And heck the place is super convenient to moi. Only downside, smokers. They don't smoke inside but the certainly smoke real close to the outdoor seats and I don't like my meals with a side of tobacco.
I give it four stars for serving an underserved hood and providing a mush needed watering hole on West Callowhill. We jsut got drinks but they were cheap, cold, good and served quick. Menu looks typical pub food.
It was packed on Friday night at 10PM with a great young professional crowd. It was very loud.
I agree that West Callowhill is in dire need of more places to hang out. There are plenty of spots popping up all over the Fairmount area, this particular portion of street is like a big concrete blank spot next to the awesomeness of Sabrinas.
Kite and Key is the first (of the more I'm sure will come) decent drinking spots over there. We sat outside, which is slightly tainted by the emptiness of the rest of the neighborhood. It was nice out, though, and the service was fast, friendly, and likeable. Beers were cold and delicious, as was the wine.
My girlfriend and I tend to severely judge bar food on the basis of wings and calamari. Two staples of the happy hour appetizer experience and no place of business should have any real excuse for not perfecting such traditional staples. We went with the wings for our first visit. The big complaint about them is that they are those creepy full body wings that look like fried bats. I'm a carnivore, but it just skeevs me out to break apart the joints of a chicken. And the celery was the type you would pass over if you were shopping for it. It was obviously old and poorly stored. It's mostly garnish, but....
My shrimp po'boy was pretty damn delicious, minus the overabundance of mayonnaise, and the gnocci was worth trying. I caught a glimpse of the inside on my way to the bathroom and the interior looked nice.
I think once they iron out some of their shortcomings and get some company on West Callowhill to create a little street life and ambiance, Kite and Key will be a really good time.
First time I came here was the night the Phils won the NLCS, on a really hot night in mid-October. It was weird to have the bar open onto the street so late in the year, but as I'm a fan of open floor plans and sidewalk seating, it was great ambience.
It also made for a great view of the sea of red shirts and screaming fans spilling out from the inside of the bar out into the street in celebration. Plus, I got to meet NBC's own Kristen Welker and Justin Pizzi (fellow Prep grad) over a couple brews later in the night.
The service throughout was timely and courteous, despite the growing number of attendees and the late hour making for some surly drunks. It helped that we snagged a table in the rear but within a few feet of the bar in front and the kitchen in back.
Beer prices were respectable for the higher-end pints ($4-6) but we settled for good old fashioned cheap Miller Lites after Nomar weakly popped out to end the game and give our boys the league title.
As usual, I sprang for the honey BBQ flavored wings and chicken finger apps and they were both awesome. From what I saw of the food on other people's tables the portions were very filling, so I can't wait to have an actual entree next time I go.
The bar is in an unexpected place, just north of the west end of Center City but south of Fairmount, real estate practically begging for a place like this to draw a crowd.
If you choose to have a bit too much of a good time and leave your car, just remember to cab or walk it back early in the morning or else you'll be stuck with a ticket.
A pretty extensive beer list but no GUINNESS? Alright I will drink a Founders, but you lose half a star! and you lost another half star b/c your crab cake was all filler and no killer. And you lost a whole star b/c you had my hopes high when you had gravy cheese fries on your menu- yet you had the audacity to serve shoe string fries ?! But you had decent mussels.. whowhatafunk making mussel's buffalo style? You did Kite and cheers to that b/c adding blue cheese crumble and hot sauce to anything can only lead to good. Best mussels in the museum district- way better than Belgium Cafe's tasteless bowl of shelled shit, but not as tasty as Standard Tap's and Chickie and Pete's mussel and red sauce- which I could drink by the gallon. Their rendition of chili was interesting and pretty good- no beans and shredded meat. Overall a solid addition says I.
Just tried this place. Decent beer selection, mostly priced $5-$6 (more for the ciders, etc). Small selection of dishes, but good food overall. It seems like it will fit in well with the neighborhood.
The front doors open up to a large outdoor seating area, which is very welcome in the city in the summer months.
My biggest complaint is that there was nothing on the walls to absorb the sound, and it was very loud and hard to hear the waitress and other people at our table.
A fine place to grab a Hoegaarden and catch the game on the numerous flat screen TVs. Beers were brought promptly and we were left to our own devices until our pints neared empty at which point our waitress reappeared.
Kite & Key is a friendly new pub without a lot of pretenses. Their beer list ranges from Yuengling to St. Bernadus, and they have a modest, but sufficient menu. So far, its a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
The K&K is near my place of employment, so my coworkers and I have found ourselves there twice in the last month. We have tried both their regular and their Cajun french fries as well as the edamame. I was pleased to see that they had Magic Hat as well as the more fancy La Chouffe. Service outside is a little crazy, it was like our tables weren't assigned to one person, which meant that frequently one of the nice women would come by and ask us if we needed anything. This is good for a large group because we don't always drink at the same pace but, simultaneously, sometimes it's not that great to be checked up on so much.
Disappointing. Servers were unknowledgable and drinks sat empty without notice for easily ten minutes. And it wasn't busy. Girlfriend ordered a mid-rare burger, which came mid-well. Fries were absolutely pedestrian. The corn on the cob was emaciated. Two stars for the decent Fish Tacos, but I really can't recommend the experience.
Yes I do like if for their beer selection, fine tv view, friendly beer servers,little above average for sandwhich, since that is only food I have had there. They must get rid of those looking bad shoe string fries and bring in some monster streak fries. Also make sure the fries are defrosted and cooked too. Also great when all doors are open and it is warm outside.
Was here the night the Phillies phinally clenched the World Series! My friend and I got the last available table right in front of the tv's. It was great atmosphere and I definitely want to come back on a nice day and sit in the open-air room. Our server was super friendly and made sure we were never lacking anything. They have a great beer list and a lot of beers on tap - I tried 2 Belgium's - I remember one called Le Cheuffe which I really enjoyed. Also they have Golden Monkey is bottles, yesss! For food - decent - I got the nachos which were just ok, they used cheese whiz which I do not like and the chicken tasted spongy but they had a good avocado dip on it - it wasn't guacamole at all which is what they were trying to pass it off as...but the dip was prob the best part of the nachos. My friend enjoyed the crabcake sliders and the fries were phenomenal! Aside the nachos I'll def be back.
Neighborhood: Fairmount
Category: Pubs
Neighborhood: Logan Square
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Fairmount
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Logan Square
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Logan Square
Category: Indian
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