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Categories: American (New), Lounges [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Rittenhouse Square, Penn CenterMon-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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Do you need a low-key place to watch a college football game without too many loud customers around? Then Smith's is the place to be.
As they were our hosts for another Cal Alumni football viewing (against UCLA this weekend), we were able to coordinate with the head bartender, Ashley, for a good corner spot in the back area. We were able to get our own big screen TV with audio (big plus) and enough real estate for our group to hang out at. Ashley made sure that we had the channel we needed and even got us audio for the ballgame...great job as always.
Our server, Brooke, who in her first day on the job was great in promptly taking care of our orders. She was also fantastic in checking up on whether we had enough beer around at our tables. The alums that came out really like the spot as they commented that we could actually watch the game comfortably and not be overrun by other groups that were watching games (such is the case at other sports bars).
In terms of food, I went with the chicken sandwich again...and as always it was delicioso. Brooke even made sure to let me know when it coming and kept us all informed about our orders.
Everyone was pleased with the set-up and we hope to be back soon for another Cal alumni football viewing event.
Last fall during my search for a bar to host Cal Football viewings for the alumni club, I search… Read more »
Been here a few times before going to a show at Helium.
Love the dark wood and layout. Attracts a big happy hour crowd, and has loads of tvs so this place will appeal to anyone.
Food was good---there's even a turkey sandwhich that is served on a soft pretzel roll = HEAVEN. I've also had the pizza, ate it all myself, and it was delicious.
Came here for the phillies game on monday and really enjoyed myself. We got in for happy hour and it $1 off all drafts and half priced on certain apps. I loved the brie with apples and the boneless buffalo wings were fantastic.
Our server was very pleasent and attentive. It looks like they have about three TV's on every wall which makes it easy for everyone to watch the game. It was a great night and the phillies did well so the whole bar was in great spirits.
Great local bar!
a friend had Smith's cater a party once and WOW! The chef had a specialization in a South Asian background and we all (being Indian) really enjoyed the twist on the food. After the party, the owner of Smith's invited us all back to the bar and it was really a blast. the bartenders were really enthusiastic and friendly. I've been here before that night too and always had fun. its a good crowd and the service is perfect.
Smith's is a great happy hour bar for week nights. The waitstaff and bar staff is nice and friendly. The food is always very good. I am not a happy hero that stays too long but whenever I go I want to stay longer.
Smith's is a good center city spot that i hope is around a while! Go to Smith's for Happy Hour.
It's a pretty good go to spot. Has a menu that offers a variety of foods. The drinks are pretty good. Service is okay. Pros: Big tvs, good crowd when a game is on. Cons: can get tight when crowded.
My crew returned to Smith's for happy hour on Friday night. Both bar areas were packed with people who were happy to be out of work and starting the weekend on an unusually warm March evening. A table opened up and we sat down to order some apps. The boneless buffalo chicken and bacon mac and cheese* were both pretty awesome. Our server was friendly and fairly quick, although she forgot special requests like sauce on the side, etc. Overall, it was a solid happy hour and everyone around us seemed to share that sentiment.
*Several hours later, I returned home and tried to recreate the culinary delight that is bacon mac and cheese. My findings? Microwave bacon and Annie's whole wheat shells and cheddar do not a gourmet bacon mac and cheese make.
Okay, Smiths. To be fair, your establishment is pretty swank for a sports bar and my brain did… Read more »
I blame Smith's 100% for my increased waist line and decreased bank account. Let me explain. Until recently, I couldn't have named one player on the Phillies without a quick google search. Granted, I'd gone to the stadium a few times, drank for 6 hours in the parking lot then stumbled into the game. Throughout the games I cheered when the crowd cheered, sent out several dozen drunken text messages ("woo!!!!") and typically left before the 7th inning to continue imbibing at Mcfaddens. Then, this championship season rolled around.
Realizing it's potential to boost my social life (i discovered men enjoy sports. who knew?), I hopped on the beer soaked bandwagon (don't judge me). That's where Smith's comes in. Every day of the playoffs and world series I hopped onto a cushioned bar stool at Smith's and ordered an assortment of delicious food from the menu (boneless wings, crab wontons, pizza, sandwiches etc. etc.) and an aluminum bud light bottle (2 bucks on special). By the end of the series, as I staggered down broad street (decked head to toe in brand new phillies merchandise), high fiving and hugging sweaty drunk strangers along the way, I was 10 lbs heavier, dateless and broke. Very, very broke.
The food is great, the beer is cheap on game days, the bartenders are friendly and the tvs are shiny. I don't know what more you need. I'm currently having my own mini economic crisis and thus am abstaining from all things happy hour related. So go to Smiths and let me live through you. And try the gorgonzola buffalo chicken pizza. It'll change your life.
I went to Smith's yesterday and I'm convinced that it is the worst place ever.
EVER.
Ok, granted everyone and their mother was there watching the Phillies playoff game. But I have been in much busier bars where the bartenders and waitstaff hustle to get done what needs to be done as quickly as they can.
I walked into the place and went straight to the bar to order a drink for my fiance and I. Simple stuff --- a lager and a Bud Light bottle. I was standing in a sea of Phillies fans, but only about one person back from the bar. The bartender could clearly see me at the time, but was too busy serving about 20 beers to some dude who was passing them back to his friends. Ok, FINE. Thing is, though, she was serving them with the quickness of a sloth on valium. Finally, 20-beers guy gets all of his beers to all of his friends and I start to have high hopes that I'm next to be served. She completely turned away from me and sauntered over to the other part of the bar to wait on some other guy... and then another guy... and then ANOTHER guy. I finally gave up and one of my fiance's friends sucked it up and waited in the cluster of people and got us drinks from the slowest bartender on the planet.
After that first beer, I wanted another so I decided to attempt the whole song and dance again. Same deal, only I stood on the other side of the bar right in front of the cash register. I figured, "Hey. She's gotta put the money in the thing so she HAS to see me." Same deal all over again. She completely passed over me and waited on guy after guy after guy with the motivation of a tree slug on heroin until finally, I got fed up and I needed my booze and had to resort to getting her attention by yelling, "HEY! I have been standing here FOREVER and all I need is a lager and a Bud Light bottle." To which she responded after she looked up at me with the attentiveness of a turtle on 50 vicodan and a whiskey chaser, "A lager and a whaaaaaaaaat????????"
ARGH. *NEVER AGAIN*
Oh so you haven't been to Smith's yet?
Get off your ass and go. NOW.
One of my fave spots in the city, good for a pre-gaming and planning out the night, a casual dinner/drink with friends or a just to chill and watch a game. I'm not a huge sports fan, so many sports bars make me pretty uncomfortable. There's none of that here - the atmosphere is the perfect blend of welcoming and enthusiastic rowdiness, and strikes a great balance between "Cheers" and something out of Sex and The City. I've been just fine sitting by myself and waiting for a friend to come in. The food is yummy- I'm a big fan of the fish sticks, which sound much more childish and basic than they are. The spring rolls, pizza & tuna burgers are pretty high on my list too.
But the important part: The. Drinks.
Yes, they're a little pricier than the average "neighborhood bar", but you get who and what you pay for. The "who" are Ash and Steve. Besides the fact that both of them are hawt(!!!), Steve is hands down one of the best bartenders in the city. No hype, no exaggeration. I'm very, very picky about my liquor and he makes me like things I swear I've always hated. Also, his drinks are creative (have you ever had elderflower? How about a strawberry thyme martini?) without being pretentious. There's a really good blonde bartender too, but I forget her name - sorry!
If you're lucky, you might bump into Mr. Smith himself on a slow weeknight.
They have Magic Hat on tap and Wii bowling in the back room.
D-O-N-E!
This is probably my favorite place to watch a game in City Center. They have a ton of TVs and really great food. No seriously, the food is good. We're talking about crab spring rolls and scallops and Cobb salads and burgers and flat bread pizzas here. All the food is upper scale bar food. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with some greasy chicken wings but the food at smiths is a little more upscale and I like that. Also the salads are huge. Like I got a Cobb salad and couldn't finish it
They also have an attitude. That's right I said it. I was in there watching the sox vs. the Phillies last night and the bartender was getting annoyed that my friends and I were all Red Sox fans. I'm like, look it, just because your team has over 10,000 losses doesn't mean you have to hate on the defending world champs. Ok smiths, the Phillies, may have taken the first game, but the Red Sox have the last word. And then after the Sox have the last word, the Celtics will silence all of the NBA and declare Boston the greatest sports town in all of the world.
they get an extra star because i just remembered they're the closest bar to my work and happen to be open during the day. this could come in handy sometime.
in super mario bros. 2, you had a choice of four characters: toad for speed, luigi if jumping was… Read more »
nice, clean bar with cheap pints. not entirely convinced it's the best use of the space, as the bar area was pretty tight, and the seating area seemed non-existent during the Wednesday night I hung out here for a couple of hours. seems like a good place to grab a few drinks, then move on - I am surprised by the number of people who reference this as a 'good place to see the game', because while there were TVs on with the Phillies playing, I never saw a vantage point that was terribly conducive to hanging out and watching for more than a score update.
maybe I was on an off night, or only saw a portion of the whole place, but this to me is a solid 3-star joint in a 4-star neighborhood
My gfs and I agree, this is a good first date place. It's reasonable, centrally located, and its unassuming.
I could see why people like to watch the games here. But that wasn't my draw. What would have me coming back is the service. The bartender, who doubles as a waiter, really gets involved. He was excited to recommend his version of a cosmo instead of my go-to raz. stoli approach. He was so confident that I'd like it, that he offered to buy it for me. He was right--when I go back, I'll be sure to order HIS version of the cosmo.
I had a very poor experiece here. While the place itself is well done and the crowd solid, the food and service were absolutely terrible.....
Dont go.
Great place to hang with your own group of friends. Went there on a Saturday night. There are two halves. One with booths and the other with a dance floor and lounge area. There were 8 of us, so we owned the dance floor. The bartenders got into it with us on the dance floor. All of the booths were full and it seemed everyone there was with friends. I didn't try, but assumed it would be hard to meet new people here.
I totally agree with Heather M.
It's a very nice setup to watch sports or hangout. On Sunday's it shows the Cleveland Browns games (the other games are on/no sound), but they're a pretty entertaining crowd :) $2 Yuengling lagers and $5 secret nachos round it out awesomely I think.
such a shame, the food here is so good. service, however, is another story. i was here on the first friday in september for happy hour. this place is spit in half, with the sports bar side to the north and the restaurant/lounge side to the south.
for the first hour or so the bartender was taking care of the entire sports bar half of the place alone. that would explain why 20+ minutes after i ordered a drink my friend had to go the bar to ask about it, only to be told they were out of the mix they needed.
we thought service would improve as two waitresses and a busboy showed up. wrong. we did eventually get a delicious order of polenta fries and a carne pizza. both were so tasty!
in the time it took us to get one round and the food, though, the table next to us had no less than two occupants leave without ordering after being ignored for long periods.
when we finished eating no one cleared our table, and it got to the point where we cleared it ourselves, putting the empty items on a nearby table. when the phillies game started they offered dollar hot dogs. we made the mistake of ordering them as well, and were rewarded with another long wait despite the additional staff on hand.
when the dogs arrived they did so without condiments. we ended up sharing ketchup among three tables as no one was getting proper service.
finally, when they ran my friend's card for the check they entered the wrong amount. fortunately, she noticed and asked they fix the amount so as not to grossly overcharge her.
i certainly would have left too if i hadn't already selected this as a meet-up location. the food was very good but the management and service needs a complete overhaul. completely unacceptable.
also, be aware that the menus on their web site are not updated. i tried to order a drink from their published happy hour menu and the bartender looked at me like i was crazy.
Great happy hour spot and perfect for a big group. Food was tasty and a clear step above standard pub food. Lots of big TVs around and nice, clean decor. A definite classy alternative to Noche or Drinkers.
Stopped here for happy hour with friends. Nice looking crowd. Too bad they were 'out' of so much --- basic cocktail ingredients, ingredients for most of their 'special' cocktails--- and pinot grigo ----- I ended up ordering a diet coke after my first 3 selections met with "we're out of that." We decided to head elsewhere after round 1, so we didn't try anything from the food menu.
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Logan Square
Category: Pubs
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: American (New)
my drink and my two step, my drink and my two…
