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Categories: Restaurants, Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Society Hill$1 16oz. Pabst Blue Ribbon pounders every Friday,…
Mon-Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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Its Tuesday night. "Oh Shit! Is it too late to get some tacos?!" Yesssss Taco Tuesdays are so good. You can find me pushing through the crust punks, tourists, and babies momma's that populate south street to grab some tacos and drink PBR. Tattooed Mom's is such a good bar in such an unfortunate location. Regardless this is a must see bar in Philadelphia.
The owner, music, food, drinks, atmosphere, craft nights, and people make this one of Philadelphia's best bars.
People thought this was:
This is the best bar in Philly.
The upstairs is the perfect dive while the downstairs is respectfully cute/cool. The jukebox has everything from Naughty by Nature to the Subhumans. The drink deals are great. The bar food is solid with vegan options. The two couches are comfortable and make you feel like you are drinking at a house party rather than on sometimes-douchey South Street, especially when you have your feet on the coffee table and the couple sitting next to you is making out.
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I love the craft sundays. I have made a corn bird, argyle sock puppets and was all' geared up' for the PBR robots when life got in the way of my good time! Love the food and the PBR tallboys. Love the diorama. Love the music.
I wish I could post pics of my sock puppet and a nice bit of bathroom graffiti.
Tattooed Mom is a great dive where one can rock drafts from PBR to Sierra Anniversarys. There were some fine ladies, friendly locals and a lot of texture in atmosphere. Works for me.
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I love this bar. The decor, the waitstaff. The grimy upstairs.
The cheap food and beer.
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This place is pretty great. It's a very relaxed atmosphere which is great for hanging out. They have pretty cheap drinks, especially PBR. I thoroughly enjoy cheap drinks. I haven't really checked, but I don't get the feeling they have a lot of beers to choose from. Beer (other than PBR) doesn't seem to be what most people come here for though. The bar tenders and waiters are friendly, sometimes surly and quick. The food isn't the best, but it's not bad either. They have a lot of veggie and vegan options and different food specials everyday (I think). You will find bowls of candy on the tables, usually dum-dums and chocolate at the bar.
cheap booze + cheap food + free candy = WIN
The decor is eclectic and fun, just like their patrons. It's a decent size as well. I'm told there is an upstairs with smoking, but have never ventured up there.
Give this place a go, it's fun!
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You could picture sid vicous sitting in one of the bumper cars in with his nancy in the back room.
I mean bumper cars. It attracts all walks of life and ages. It is a younger crowd but nobody really cares. If you like dive bars this is a good one. Say hi to Sparks.
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Yeah, I guess I can give Mom's five majical stars. It's got what I'm looking for in a bar.
Things like: tatted up drunk dudes that I want to bang, fatteningly delicious food, drink specials, sushi-grade jukebox(es), smoking area, filthy rockandroll graffiti, surly cocktail waitress.
They also have some things that I didn't necessarily want, but make other people like it a real lot. Things like: roller coaster cars, carpeted non-sketchy area, pool tables, and toy figures.
An area of contention is a thing that, as far as I know, they DON'T have....ROCK AND ROLL DANCE PARTIES! ROCK AND ROLL DANCE PARTIES! Come on, the smoking room is perrrrfect for that shit! Just think of the possibilities for iniquity!
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I really like this place for the following reasons:
1. Tater tots -- just like the cafeteria back in school and just as good as you remember them.
2. Cheap beer.
3. Lots of color and weird decor.
4. Lots of colorful and weird patrons.
5. Dum dum lollipops and made-in-China toys to play with -- no one else does this and it is SO SMART. We play throughout the meal/drinks.
The only reason I didn't give five stars is that the service is kind of iffy sometimes. It's never horrific, but it's rarely phenomenal either. Which, maybe amazing service is not what you want from a dive bar, but I do. That said, it's totally livable conditions and we eat/drink here at least once a month.
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Well, I feel like a real lush for having back-to-back reviews in which my drunkenness played the starring role, but, as my mother would say, them's the breaks. Sue G., Hunter (my boyfriend), and I stumbled (literally, at least in my case) in here after the incredibly awesome UYE at ZoT last night (thanks to Bill for organizing!). Unfortunately, however, ZoT managed to run me pretty dry, so I was happy to find a cheap dive that was close by. Though I usually turn my nose up at shitty beer, I was too drunk at this point to care. The PBR went down like water.
I enjoyed their decorations. It reminded me of an old ice cream parlor, just with booze instead of ice cream. The people there were... interesting, to say the least. They made us laugh, and not much beats laughing at people when you're drunk.
I don't remember seeing many games, but there was a big bowl of Dum-Dum lollipops in front of us, which brought on a welcome wave of nostalgia.
Extra star for the mouse-friend that scuttled across the floor, which drove Sue to push her beer as far away from her as possible and yell at the bartender. Good times.
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Nested amongst the print shops and cheesesteak joints along South Street is this great little dive. The first thing I noticed was the decor, which is unlike any bar I've seen. First off, carpet?!? In a dive bar? Are those action figurines on the shelves? Are the walls seriously this disgusting sea green color? Are those G.I. Joes on the bar, with little jumping frogs and spider rings? Are those Buddah statues guarding the liquor? Is that a naked lady painting above the bar?
Confusion soon turned to awe.
I was handed a $1 PBR Tall Boy by the disgruntled and tattooed (who would've guessed?) bartender, and started up a conversation with a tattooed regular (see a theme here anybody?). A sports discussion came up and I jokingly brought up how the Penguins (my team) were playing in the Stanley Cup, and got the full wrath of two Philadelphia sports fans. Wouldn't recommend doing that. We reconciled over our multal love of Yeungling and the naked lady painting.
The next day, I awoke with 2 G.I. Joes in my pocket. It made me smile.
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"Punk's not dead, punk's noooot dead" at Tattooed Moms.
Great place to get pissed... I can't speak for the food, although I've had the veggie wings (pierogies) over at Sugarmom's and those are always good. I usually go upstairs when i'm there, just because I love all the punk nostalgia plastered all over the walls. It's a fun place to start or end your night... the beer is cheap enough, and it seems the bar food selection is decent. If you're into gritty bars, and appreciate the legacy of the punk scene, you must experience Tattooed Mom's.
People thought this was:
Mom's is the perfect example of how a South Street bar should be (or at least how they all used to be!).
Downstairs is a warm and comfy lounge/bar area to converse, drink and eat with your friends or complete strangers. There is nary a bad vibe every in the building. The menu is tasty bar fare including cheese fries, chicken fingers and possibly south Philly's best pirogies.
Upstairs is a different world altogether. Upstairs looks of the long, lost dream of Punk Rock. 2 pool tables surrounded by old couches and walls littered with graffiti welcome you as you come from the downstairs lounge. There's a jukebox on the wall that is sure to have even the most tightassed of music critics favorites listed. To your left are a few steps leading to the bar, which is always packed, but everyone is nice enough to let you through. The bartenders are also very aware of the area and will often yell over the crowd to get you a drink if you can't get to the bar. Drink pricing is standard Philly style. Imports seem to run upwards around $4-$6 while drafts and domestics are cheaper. There are always specials going on, mostly involving PBR's for a couple bucks.
If you keep walking past the bar you come to the upstairs lounge. This is classic South Philly Punk style and reminds me why I love this city. A few ratty couches and low tables are interspersed with tilt-a-whirl and bumper-cars. Lets not forget the graffiti here either. Everyone from Elvis to Joey Ramone to Jesus is drawn or hanging somewhere on the walls. This room also has access to the upstairs bathrooms which people seem to have a hard time finding.
So come down, bring your sharpie, your friends and a good time. Tattooed Mom's is one of the last bastions of what South Street used to be.
People thought this was:
Tmom's scores big on bar food. The burgers are awesome because they use potato buns, the fries are awesome because they're waffled and the corn dogs are awesome because they're corn dogs. Mom's also has a vegetarian/vegan menu to boot! There's almost always a drink and food special, so you're never really missing out.
2 pool tables upstairs and a back room where you can smoke. At Tmom's, you can do drunks 'n' crafts and they let you graffiti on their walls. It's a throw'em back establishment and they typically play great music (The Smiths meets crust punk). It's a weekly refuge for me.
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I've been going to Mom's for over ten years, and it's generally a great place to hang out, have a beer, and get some good bar food. The burgers, tacos, nachos, and waffle fries are always very good, and they almost always have cider on tap.
I avoid Mom's on the weekends, though, because the hipster quotient is way too high for my taste, and people are usually crammed in the place like sardines. Weeknights are the time to hit Mom's
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Fact or Crap?
The game Fact or Crap is awesome and needs to be played while enjoying inexpensive beer and standard bar food enhanced to awesomeness by the game Fact or Crap.
Fact, although redundantly
Tattooed Mom: frequent this bar when in the mood for an escape into childhood games, inexpensive beers, standard "fast food" bar food and a simple charming dive meets hipster atmosphere.
People thought this was:
A truly great Philly dive!
I've been going to Tattooed Mom for years, and there's a reason I keep coming back. First...they have a good mix of beers on tap...including a few local Philly beers, they have good service. Anyone who says they don't...probably doesn't know what a dive bar is. They have a sneaky-good menu. There are lots of veggie & a few vegan friendly items....and you can't beat the pierogi special!
The crowd tends to lean towards the tattooed, punk culture...but don't let that mislead you...this is a great drinker's bar. There is no pretense...despite what a few mis-guided people would have you think. Everyone is welcome here.
Also...kudos for the whoop-ass jukebox.
People thought this was:
Mom's is a dirty dive bar upstairs (which allows smoking) and a charming colorful saloon downstairs. The place also has really good bar food. My favorite is the vegan BLT with extra vegenaise (I don't know why, I'm not vegan, but I like the fake mayo way better than the real stuff), always with a side of waffle fries. Taco Tuesday is a great deal with half-price margaritas and dollar tacos, as is the pierogie Wednesday with pierogies for a quarter each. I like to come here with my friends and act cool with all the punk rockers upstairs. Just kidding.
People thought this was:
love this place for a chill drink. it's trying a little hard to be a dive bar when it isn't. the decor is eclectic. you can meet a lot of interesting people there. the bartenders hook you up.
I'm the 88th person to review Mom's, so you don't really NEED me to tell you about it, but I love this place so much, I just feel compelled to tell you anyway.
This is pretty much my favorite bar ever. Yes, it can get a tad hipster/scenesterish, depending on when you're there, but I think what I like about Mom's is that it's not a fashion show, it's not a popularity contest - pretty much all walks come here, and they're in too good a mood while they're here to judge you, because it's such a fun place. People who don't like hipsters can go to Mom's and inadvertently befriend one. And hipsters may walk out with a new "bro" pal or "dude" friend. You never know.
In addition to good vibes and nice staff, TM's gets an A+ for the deliciosity of their bar food and kitschy, weird, dirty garage band/basement vibe decor.
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I take everything I said back, (except the part about terror sucking. they still suck.)
I had never been to the bar, and so a bad first experience on behalf of my significant other left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and the desire to never really go here.
But! He took me here on pierogie night, and once again on cheap burger night and the food and the cheap beer made up for everything. Plus there was a lack of douchebags, so that ruled.
And I love the little crappy toys and dum dums everywhere!
Also their veggie burger was fantastic.
I will come back to you, and I will come back to you often.
People thought this was:
Some beatdown hardcore douchebag in a terror shirt (seriously dude they suck) stole my boyfriend's… Read more »
The epitome of a dive bar, but in a good sense. Small but cheap selection of beer, some finger food, pool table and bumper cars - what else does one need??
Taco Tuesday makes my week better. The food at Tattoed Mom is cheap and delicious. You could make most of this bar food in less than 30 min in your own kitchen, but the fact that someone else made it, makes it so appealing. The Spanish fries are great.
The food is super cheap, making it a great place to go in the summer after work. There are great specials each weeknight. You don't spend much money, but you sit in AC with your roommates and enjoy yourself.
Nobody loves you like the Mom's.
Whether it's Taco Tuesday or Sunday Afternoon Arts and Crafts, it's Good Times at Tattooed Moms. Super involved in the communiy, they come out to or host events, and they give back! (Geeks Who Give just had a Game Night there for Philadelphia Futures, it rocked, and we have the pictures to prove it http://www.flickr.com/...) Whenever they show up in my twitter stream, I actually get a craving for a peirogie & a lionshead - Now that's some good marketing! On my birthday, they actually brought out Birthday Pierogies, with birthday candles that I had to blow out. http://twitpic.com/1xb5h Only one word for that kind of love: Epic.
So I ventured here with a few friends one night and I really enjoyed it. Well, I enjoyed most of it. The drinks were cheap (around 5.50 for a single mixer) but they weren't big at all, which was a down fall. I downed two Soco and Diets and wasn't feeling a thing. It's nice that they have a smoking section upstairs in the back, and I didn't even mind the death-metal screamo music playing, what I did mind was the wealth of creepers sitting alone staring at me and a group of guys who thought it was a good idea to teach each other the proper way to "scream." I would've enjoyed sitting one the first floor, where the music was better and the crowd was a lot less to handle, but I guess when you go into a place looking the way it does, what are you suppose to expect?
I have been frequenting this place lately and have decided to give it a review. I have tried many things on their food menu, tacos, pierogies, cheesesteak, hummus, burgers, etc., and everything has been pretty great. My absolute favorite menu item is the chicken steak, it is simple but really good (and half price fri, sat, and sun @ lunchtime :)). Every day they have some sort of special going on so you can always eat and drink for little money. My boyfriend and I just got tacos and two drinks for dinner for less than $10.00! The service can be a little slow and unpleasant but it almost brings character to this place. The decor is also cute and you get cute little party favors to play with!
People thought this was:
Went yesterday afternoon for the Philly Sewing Collective Sublime Stitching event.
Service was great. Only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is because my sandwich was burnt to a nice, rust color (fish sandwich). I could barely eat it.
Met the owner for the first time, he was really nice and just wanted to make sure we were enjoying ourselves.
So I had to come back and change my review because my experience last night was really pleasant!
Horray for good reviews!
People thought this was:
sorry I am just not a fan. The bartenders have been rude every single time I have been there,… Read more »
I am probably biased because I am a huge fan of dive bars in general, but who cares.
I love this place because it is big, it's cheap, and it's everything you would expect. The bartenders I have experienced have been great and the entire atmosphere has been comfortable.
I love a good hole in the wall and it delivers. If anyone is traveling from Chicago and sees this review, it is highly comparable to Delilah's in Lincoln Park!
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Cons:
Creepy dolls behind glass that may haunt your dreams
Rushed unfriendly service that will have you clutching your half-full beer as they breeze by.
Pros:
on Wednesdays...
2 dollar 16oz bud bottles
Delicious 25 cent fried pierogies.
9 pierogies and a bud please. I'll take the nightmares to go.
People thought this was:
i love this place. it's just a chill, laid-back, fun place. I don't know what it's like on the weekends, but on the weekdays, it's just been a great place to hang out - quiet enough to be able to converse with your friends and laid back enough that you can laugh so hard that you snort. bud and pbr are pretty cheap, but other beers aren't (a strongbow is $6!) i also love all the toys that they leave on the tables. maybe i'm easily amused, but i can spend all night spinning plastic tops or putting fortune fish in my friends' palms.
pierogie nights are now 50 cents each (up from 25 cents). still delicious!
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MAJOR props to Bobby and Tattooed Mom's for taking such good care of us last night. Me and my crew had a dissapointing time at Center City sips prior to coming to TMom's. This was my first time here and I knew from the first moment that I walked in that I was going to have a great time there. The interior has so much character to it, with its graffitied walls, old school memorabilia, and plastic toys scattered all over the place.
We were also pretty much starving once we got here. Good thing it was pierogie night, which means they were $0.25 each! The piggies that we are, we were able to scarf down 15 of these in a matter of minutes. And that comes out to a total of $3.75!!! mmm and are they delicious with sriracha sauce! I don't remember the last time I've had pierogies, but now that I know about TMoms, I'll definitely come back for more.
And to top it all off, we got a free round of drinks on the house! Good company, good service, good food, good drinks. Makes me let out a happy sigh just thinking about it.
People thought this was:
You can tag up the walls, has the best bathroom graffiti I've ever seen, they manage to play the Notorious BIG each time I come (which was pretty constant this past summer), $1 PBR deals, $4 mixed drinks and plus opportunitites to do arts and crafts while wasted? SPLENDID!
The prices are comfortable, bartenders are cool, and you meet a miscellany of interesting people each time. I've come here with different crowds and no one feels out of place.
For the record, you can smoke in the back. Bring a sharpie with you and profess your love or hate for someone on the wall.
People thought this was:
Wow. I was not prepared for the awesomeness of Tattooed Mom. We had an unofficial Yelp Happy Hour here - read: about 20 of us took over the place without any warning. There was one server, Bobby, tending to all of us, and he did an amazing job. He got our food to us quickly, ditto for drinks, he split the tab several times, and not once did he even seem the slightest bit frazzled. He was downright graceful and cheerful the whole time - he even brought us plates for the amazing UNICORN CAKE baked by Jenna C. Needless to say, I am extremely impressed by the service.
My food got lost and I ended up waiting about an hour to actually get it, but the pancake-sausage thing on a stick was actually totally awesome. (Curiosity overwhelms my sense of reason sometimes, but this strange food had a satisfying payoff.) The pierogies were also excellent, and for 25 cents a piece, you couldn't go wrong. I don't even like pierogies, but these were little fried pockets of heaven. Mmm... trans fat.
The atmosphere was absolutely perfect for the event. I found it to be a little campy at first (it's very obviously owned/operated by the same people from Sugarmom's), but since it's on South Street, the camp works. It meant we could act totally ridiculous and not get thrown out. So feel free to bring a lot of friends, play with plastic novelties on the table and relive your childhood nostalgia, or get racy and start ladyposing next to the leopard-print cushions on the couch... Mom wants you to have a good time.
People thought this was:
1/2 burger and veggie burgers on Monday and Thursday!
Taco Tuesday!
Pierogie Wednesday!
$1 PBR pounders on Friday and Saturday nights!
Crafts day and other theme events on Sundays!
Tattooed Mom is indeed a bar that gives you an abnormal excuse to be happy everyday of the week! Grant it Sugar Moms does too, But I feel that Tattooed mom does it with less smoke and pretentiousness. It also doesn't do it in a basement and brings out a better crowd.
I should have bought that up in the last review. But hanging out with 20 plus of the Yelp crew, eating Unicorn cake, basking in all the incredible figurines and artwork, and encountering an incredible server named Bobby has helped me up my love for Tattooed Mom.
People thought this was:
One time when I was in the bathroom I put my friends band sticker on the toilet plunger. I did it… Read more »
Stopped in here the other night after a show at the TLA. It's the only bar on South Street that I have any interest in entering. The beer is cold, the lollipops are free, and there are TONS of options (for a place that serves comfort 1970s mom bar food) for vegetarians and vegans, which I love.
Now, if only they wouldn't run out of tater tots EVERYTIME I go there, I'd be a happier girl.
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Ok, so I am going to be a little biased since Mom's is my FAVORITE hangout, ever!
I am absolutely addicted to Mom's cheap Veggie food and PBR specials. There are always food specials going on including $3 regular and veggie burgers on Monday and Thursday, Taco Tuesdays, Pierogie Wednesdays, and half price sandwiches on the weekend during the day. There are also tons of beer specials and even when there's not everything is reasonable.
Free craft Sundays are the perfect place for cheap fun. They have a craft table open to guests including coloring books, felt, construction paper, and even GIMP! There are also tons of great board games to play while hanging out and once a month they so a specialty craft like making sock puppets or ties for father's day.
The atmosphere is both chill and artistic punk at the same time. The memorabilia is everywhere and ranges from a bumper car in the front window to a 16" Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man on one of the shelves. The little alleyway has some great exhibits of crafts past including two robots that strangely resemble c3po and the robot from Mystery Science Theater.
You'll notice a lot of different crowds hanging at moms including what's left of the dwindling Philly punk scene, bike messengers, your indie artists and even some of the "newer" South Street crowd is making their way to the bar for a new experience.
The bar tenders and wait staff are all great without a doubt. Add a blend of old school punk, new wave, indie and even country tunes from the jukebox and you're set for the night.
Thanks, mom.
People thought this was:
This bar pulls no punches. It doesn't represent itself as something it isn't, and most people here don't either.
The food is nothing to write home about.. then again, I don't think they boast about being a five star restaurant.
The atmosphere is good, and the staff is good, too.
This is a good place to go, although I'd pick going during the eve over the day.
A Philadelphia staple! The owner, a woman in her forties, has pink hair! That says a lot about the place. Some of the punk/ dive bar culture has disappeared from South Street since the Cadillac Grille and other places have closed, some of the older stores have moved or closed, and its a sad thing. I don't think most people want South Street to be gentrified, and it has moved somewhat in that direction. They even removed the gum tree just so they could expand the side walks and put in red lamp posts! But anyway, I'm really happy Tattooed Mom is still there. There is a great lunch deal on Wed, 50 cent perrogies! They have a good jupe box and comfortable seating if you go there for drinks. And, an added benefit, friendly staff.
People thought this was:
$1.50 tacos? Awesome. $1.50 PBR tallboys? Awesome. (Only on Tuesdays? Hey, I can't get drunk every night anyway, whatever.) I love how the downstairs feels like a totally different place from the upstairs. If only the rest of South Street wasn't so awful.
I'll have to go back and try this sausage-wrapped-in-a-pancake-on-a-stick business.
People thought this was:
It's easy to hate on South Street bars, but similar to what Nate F. said - TM has remained consistently awesome despite the area's rapid decline. The downstairs and upstairs provide two very different climes for drinking - I usually opt for the sea foam green downstairs for lounging on the couches and conversation, and upstairs for pool and drunken cigarettes.
The food isn't particularly anything special - it's bar food, but GOOD bar food at that. Like most have already mentioned, the pierogies are top notch - so much I went for the Wednesday special last night. And I love the basket of condiments they give you. I'm a sucker for condiments.
Good times all around.
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