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I was invited out for a quick bite after having to go file paperwork in the city. The person I was with suggested Tavern 17. They said it was a nice little place; good for sandwiches and a good happy hour drink special.
The Atmosphere was nice and the menu looked good as well.
I order a Bison Burger (medium rare). This is where it went downhill. As I patiently waited for my burger - I finally received it and was disappointed at the first bite. Why bother to ask how you will like it cooked if you are going to bring me a well done burger.
After sending it back - I may have finally gotten close to medium. I didn't bother to stay for anything else there as my opinion had already been set on the place. Maybe this was an off night - not too sure.
I might try it again if the mood hits me - though looking at everyone else's review - it looks like we have had bad experiences there.
I've tried this place many times because of it's location & price.
3 Reasons I will never be back:
1. Dog Menu - Advertised online and in my local dog shop, I came to try it out. They couldn't find the menu, and didn't seem to care. I remembered they had chicken on the menu - for $2.50. They told me it was boiled and had no oil. It was greasy and gave my dog the runs for 2 days!
2. Several times I've had the same waiter outside, and he's terrible! If he's not in the alley talking on his phone or smoking, he's mixing up my order and forgetting my drinks.
3. The WORST offense of all - there was a small unsubstantiated charge on my credit card. It wasn't the tip and appeared one week after I last visited. I complained, they denied, I complained again, they asked for proof, I sent my statement, they didn't call back. After a week passed I spoke with the manager of the Warwick and he credited my account.
There's a reason it's normally empty.
So I think it was in Philly Weekly were I saw the original advertisement for "Yappy Hour" at Tavern 17 and I was super stoked. Finally a place where myself and my canine companions could kick back and relax after a longs day of work, however I was totally underwhelmed by the hole experience. After seeing the full page ad in the paper I figured that Yappy hour would be a hit, but when Rex, Lulu and myself arrived much to our disappointment we were the only people and canines there.
We stayed for about an hour and no one else showed up
The did have really reasonably priced doggie items for $2.50 (chicken,beef,turkey) that were perfect for Rex and Lulu to chow on while me and my boyfriend sipped some cocktails and munched on some sliders that were also reasonably priced at $2.00. The service took forever and although I did appreciate the dog friendly venue the outside seating was so small and cramped my dogs were definitely blocking the side walk where people walked by.
Hotel bars are almost always mediocre, and this one fits the pattern. We went for dinner, and the food was fine but nothing special. The "pommes frites" seemed like the kind of run-of-the-mill french fries you'd get at a cheap diner. The sliders were decent but not spectacular.
The service: also mediocre. Our order took a long time to arrive although they weren't busy. We decided to share a dessert and they brought it out with only one spoon.
We were seated next to the wine cellar yet the only drink list we received was the cocktail list. Which we were no longer interested in after noting that the "French 76" contained sour mix where it should have had champagne.
It's not a bad restaurant, exactly. If you happen to be in the area and you want burgers and beers it's not a terrible choice. But there are better options.
First off I have to say the bar is were I drink at. I love the drinks and the bartenders. The one bartender that stands out is the Mike (tall, dark, and handsome). He has to be the best bartender in town and a BIG plus for Tavern 17. That's the only reason I drink at Tavern 17. The guys are jealous and the girls just stair at him. I often wonder why he would work at such an average bar at best. He should be bartending somewhere on the square or a hot nightspot. But as long he bartends there I will drink.
Now lets talk about the food. Very, very average. Ok lets say it POOR. Whoever did the menu or is the chief should be fired. It's just not GOOD at ALL. Tavern 17 has potential but if the food keeps up the way it is I can understand why people would just stop going. The owners should get a clue and change the menu.
The best part was the live music by the band City Rhythm. Otherwise the striped bass over polenta left a lot to be desired. The carb dishes were better than the healthy ones we ordered. Truffle fries were excellent as were the pieces of buffalo mozzarella that were deep fried. None of us finished our entrees. We left about half of the portions on the plate. The s'mores dessert was dry and tasted like they had salty dry peanut butter sauce over them. What disappointment.
Not the best place to find fine dining, but at least the atmosphere was inviting. There was karaokee going on while we were eating our dinner, so if romance is what you're looking for, NOT the place for it!
The food on the other hand was pretty good. We both got different salads, and I must say, their cheese selection is pretty eclectic. Everything was served fresh and the waiters all seemed very pleasant. If you want a casual meal before a movie, this would be a good location. If it's something a bit more formal (or if you're trying to impress someone :), I'd look elsewhere.
Ooohh, you guys came here for service! ...and to eat with your dogs!
I didn't.
I came here for the cheap happy hour beers and sliders. The bears were cheap, the sliders were yummy, and the place is lovely. I would never pay full price for the stuff though. The place is nice and the location couldn't be better.
this review is based strictly on drinking at the bar for 2 nights this past weekend, so take it for what it's worth. our first night we had the biggest ahole tender who thought his s didnt stink. ive been drinking in bars (like most of us have been) since well before i was legal to, and this guy w his ponytail was the worst ive ever had serve me! what a f'n jerk. the next night service was slow at best. only reason we went back is cuz we stayed at that radisson. again, mr. ponytail.....you truly are an ahole, jerk, expletive. stay in philly please
I have to admit that my experiences here were similar to the other Yelpers. I would hope that business owners cared enough to do their due diligence to constantly improve and satisfy their customers. It only makes sense to take the criticism and turn it around to something positive... such as revamping what needs to be changed.
Yes, this place has a sleek modern design and is centrally located in Rittenhouse Square and that is pretty much where the stars of this review stops. The food was good but nothing to rave about. Actually the organic chocolate waffles were better than good... totally yummy and their Ceasar salad w/ grilled Salmon was delicious (definitely 4 stars). But the service was incredibly slow and unattentive, hence the lower rating. It really is too bad, because it reeks potential.
God this place is just awful. It is a hotel bar--fine not all hotel bars suck (see Chase Lounge review). The staff isn't really friendly at all, and the patrons are just plain blah.
Now that they no longer have Karaoke, I will never go here again.
I've been here a few times as well. The scene is not very alive for weekend nights given its location. It is a nice place to go if you want a glass of wine or a semi-quiet conversation.
They have flat screens, but sometimes with movies and TV shows on, so if you're into watching those with no sound and closed captioning, this is the place for you!
It seems that most of the patrons are hotel guests (it is inside the Radisson), but I can't confirm that.
it tries to act like it's more than a hotel bar - but really it's not. OK, they have a nice wine room display, but so?
so many other better options spitting distance away
We went to Tavern 17 because we were staying in the hotel and as part of our stay we received a $25 food credit. When checking in we noted that on Sundays from 5-7pm the bar had a happy hour which included $2 sliders and $3 drafts/house wine. We sat at the bar; it was pretty slow with only about five other patrons all sitting at the bar. The bartender was nice and attentive. The bar itself was about what you expect for a hotel bar.
We ordered the cheeseburger slider and the pulled pork slider, both of which were incredibly dry and unremarkable. We also ordered the fry trio, which came with regular, sweet potato, and a fry topped with parm and truffle oil and three dipping sauces. They were fine, just fries nothing special. Of the five happy hour drafts, two were out, and the house wine was ok. I'm not super knowledgeable on wines so I won't really give an opinion. Overall unremarkable food, probably wouldn't recommend it, unless you were using your food credit.
Tavern 17 is a yuppie bar. Inside, you will find old botox faced ladies with Anna Wintour hair and Chanel blazers, trust fund girls dressed in new Alexander McQueen coats and Jimmy Choo shoes, rich old men and their kept girlfriends, douchebags in Ducati jackets, and investment bankers who wear khaki pants.
On Friday, I got to witness all of these people doing karaoke. It was pretty horrible but kind of awesome. I'm used to karaoke in dive bars and karaoke in not-so-divey-but-still-working-class sorts of bars. I never thought I'd ever witness a yuppie singing Run DMC but magic happens at Tavern 17. I sang 'She works hard for the money' and dedicated it to 'all the gold diggers'. I was drunk.
I actually had fun and would probably go back because I sort of like going to places that I really do not belong. There are a few things that really suck about the place, though:
- The woman bartender with the dark hair was pretentious, nasty, and miserable to deal with. She had maybe 2 guys in her section and everyone else was sitting by where the other bartenders were. I totally know why, too. She gave my friend a hard time because he wanted to order a burger. She told him that they weren't going to bring it to him and he's going to have to watch the bar for it. She also had a problem with me, apparently because she was totally rude to me as well and I had to go to another bartender after dealing with her.
-You need a KEY to use the bathroom. The bathroom is FAR away from the bar. You have to cross a giant hotel lobby to get there. WTF?
- Snooty assholes. Some of the people were super cool and I had a lot of fun talking with them. There were a few snooty assholes. Like, this one pricey woman who looked like she was 30?, had a wannabe Jackie O hairdo, and was dressed to the nines for some reason? I asked her who designed her coat and she shot me a 'like you can afford it' sort of look. She didn't even answer me. Well you know what, bitch? I can buy it off of a factory worker in Hong Kong for $60. In fact, I probably will just so I can go back and wear it so you'll have to leave and change. Ha! She also smoked cigarettes outside and threw her empty pack on the ground!!!! Who does that? Someone asked her 'Did you really just do that' and unaffected she said 'Yeah, I did.'
Obviously, I am NOT their target customer. I have a soul.
BUT Ann Coulter would love this place. Hell, she's probably been there.
Grade: 2 1/2 stars.
I can only speak to their brunch menu, where I had the waffle flight. The presentation deserves 5 stars -- very pretty. The taste, eh, more like 3 stars. Nonetheless, despite the server spilling a full glass of ice water down my dress, it was a positive experience. It helped that we had a nice outdoor table on the sidewalk on a delightful day.
The bar is really stylish, the menu is fine. But the service was downright rude. We sat at a table in the bar and ordered food and drinks. Not sure why they seemed annoyed to serve us. We got the wrong food, the wrong drinks, and got no apologies and little to correct the situation. We even had to ask a few times for the correct food/drink. Not sure if it was just an off night, I doubt we'll go back.
I have been here twice - the first time was when they first opened and it was great - maybe 4 stars. We had $1.70 sliders and fabulous ginger & pineapple cocktails. We sat on a sofa in a corner of the bar and had great service.
A few months later we went back - this time for Center City Sips. The place was PACKED, the menu (food and drinks) had changed and the service was just awful. A 1 star experience.
Thus, I am giving them 2 stars and I will not return.
So, like I said, my friend and I got food poisoning here.
Well, the managers did a full investigation and couldn't find anything wrong with the tuna and passively refused to accept the fact that I got food poisoning from their food. They kept saying things like "We apologize that you had a bad dining experience." Apparently there weren't any other complaints of food poisoning that night. However, I find this impossible as I am 100% I got Scombroid poisoning from their tuna. I even have pictures of the hives I got.
Anyways they apologized over and over and tried to make it up to me with a gift certificate. That was all nice and good, but I really just wanted my bill refunded and for them to acknowledge the fact that they served bad tuna. Oh well.
This bar, like everyone said, could be great. I thought the atmosphere was nice and the waitstaff… Read more »
I had the single worst restaurant experience ever when I had breakfast at Tavern 17 last fall. In fact, pay attention to the date...I will never go back.
The place looks nice, but that's where my experience with good ended. My breakfast companion and I ordered our breakfasts. They didn't bring any liquids. Then I had to ask for silverware. Then drinks again. Then the toast I ordered. It got worse.
The coffee they brought was cold. Not just a little cooler than normal. Cold. So, after 10 minutes of trying to find our waiter, I told him the coffee was cold. After some bluster, he took the cup in the back (I should have known better) and after a few minutes brought out the same cup microwaved. Boiling. So now it was stale coffee at 211F. I told him I wanted a new coffee. It got worse.
The manager came out. And what they brought me, and I'm not kidding about this, looked like dishwater with coffee grounds in the bottom. I've had Turkish coffee, and this wasn't it. They did something to it. And I didn't drink it.
After all that, they had the nerve to charge us full boat. It was almost $40. I didn't leave a tip, but I did leave a note that predicted that they would be out of business. I'm honestly surprised that they're still in business.
Really funny part that day? Their sign was spelled TAVRN 17. Too stupid to even buy a vowel. (I uploaded a picture of their sign. It's in the gallery.)
I will never eat there again.
I went here a few time last year and the service was really awful each time, but the the food was pretty good. The bartenders and waitstaff seemed much more interested in talking amongst themselves than in serving customers.
I tried again last and the service was somewhat better than before. What's strange though is that the menu was much smaller and some of the items I liked before were no longer on it. I ordered the only steak on the menu and it was awful. It was medium rare like I requested, but tough and tasteless.
The one good thing about Tavern 17 is that if every other place around Rittenhouse Square is busy on a Friday night, you can still find space here.
I must have run between the raindrops here as everyone seems to hate it, but in 3 tries, I have had a friendly welcome. timely service, good food and excellent coffee. Do I try it again?
if you want unhappy waiters who are not interested in service and overpriced food, this is your kind of place.
we came here because we wanted a bar with tvs to watch the election results tonight.
but...i mean, seriously, a server who can't describe their food? and shakes their head passively when asked what they liked from the menu? bad signs. at least fake some enthusiasm.
oh wait, how about the $3.50 that they tried to charge us for bread (when we both ordered entrees)?
or wait, even better yet, on the menu, it said my "crispy sea bass" was supposed to come on a bed of polenta...and instead it came with a curry sauce and rice and bok choy? now, i may not be craig laban or some other food critic...but i do know the difference between rice and polenta.
yes, i should have complained. instead, i was so angry, we paid the bill and left as fast as we could (so i could come home and yelp and save people from the disaster that this place is!).
Kudos to the Radisson Plaza for putting a few coin behind a redesign of their restaurant. I'm often times disappointed that compared to it's big brother 99 miles north east (NYC), Philly has yet to fully steer their culinary scene both big and small towards modern venues.
Well this place delivers with gorgeous private dining areas with candelabras evoking a castle like feel, a 360 degree rectangular bar with off-white leather seating and a glass enclosed wine cave. There's more casual seating around the 17th street side for lounging with a drink. Think hotel bar. Dining seems to be somewhat of an afterthought the way the bar hogs the spotlight and the central location though.
Wow, people are harsh. For what it's worth, Tavern 17 had great appetizers and salads-- I loved the calamari and the grilled Caesar salad. FYI, it's really grilled-- giant pieces of lettuce that you have to cut up. It was still delicious, though. Good service and a giant appetizer portion of the calamari.
Came here a few months ago. Only because they were doing 1000 points on Open Table. It was also nice that they sent you a coupon for a free appetizer per person with your Open Table Reservation confirmation. My wife and I shared a bowl of soup and the crisp lavosh bites (which was huge). Both of us enjoyed the sandwiches that we got but they seemed pretty small, especially compared to the large appetizers. For dessert, we had a couple of the little sliders. I thought they were a little pricey for what we got.
I recently revisited Tavern 17 because of the cute dog menu they offer and I knew my dog would be happy. I had been here before and was not impressed but like I said I knew my dog would enjoy the little offerings for himself. We sat down outside and waited patiently for our server. I was the only customer at the time. The server finally came out and told me that he had to check if they were offering the dog menu. He found out they were offering it but he couldn't find it. I wanted to tell him to go and Google the restaurant he works at and find the dog menu on their website. Which is what I did prior to coming there because the only reason I decided to go come there was the dog menu! I asked him what beers he had available which seemed like a ridiculous question by the look on his face. I ordered the turkey panini which was horrible because it was cold on the inside. When the bill came I realized the server charged me $5 for my dog's hotdog! According to their website everything on the dog menu is $2.50! I found myself spending more money than I wanted to on a lunch that I wish I never digested. A word to the wise don't go to this place there are so many other places worth visiting.
Tavern 17 could be a great bar. It is not merely a hotel bar. It has a good location at 17th and Locust, a nice layout, a good wine list and good menu, but it seems to be not quite there yet. As two previous reviews mentioned, the space is gorgeous and it is obvious that the Radison has invested in this bar.
However, the service is patchy and can be unexpectedly slow. The new manager seems to already be improving matters, so I'll have to go back again in a month and see how things are. When these changes are made, I'd suggest it strongly as a nice place to have dinner and drinks with a date or as a place for a business lunch.
An oddity: the bathroom is located a short walk across the lobby of the Raddison Warwick and you'll have to ask your bartender or server for the card key to get in.
Disclosure: I know someone who works there
Update: the service has improved, as has the menu. Unfortunately, the "lite jazz" is still on the sound system. sigh. Is there ANYONE who likes lite jazz?
You know the feeling when you really want to puke up but can't? That's how I feel after just returning from Tavern 17. Everything was terrible. First we attempt to sit in a row of seats squished so they literally touch each other. Then, the "family style" appetizers arrived, consisting of 3-5 pieces of fried stuff per every 8-10 people. Some of us ate, others were left out. Then we wait. Then, the sauces for the appetizers came out, long after everyone had already finished the appetizers. I am fairly sure they were store-bought and microwaved, but it didn't matter since we were done with the over-fried, cardboard-like appetizers. Run out of the lovely luke-warm tap water that was already on the table before we arrived? Too bad! We wait some more. By the time we were getting ready to order a pizza to be delivered into the restaurant, we got our... BREAD! This was, of course, after they took away our small plates, so there was nowhere to put our bread. We wait some more. And more. Some people got their main dishes--the chicken (advertised as 1/2 chicken with pears and string potatoes) was different for everyone that ordered it, and resembled quail... though it wouldn't surprise me if it was pigeon. Uhh... I just almost threw up again. The vegetarians got panini sandwiches (normally a lunch food?), and others got dingy-looking salads that were wet and browning. We waited around, most of us left. Those that hung around got a "dessert", which was a pound cake from CVS with canned peaches on top and a spray of whipped cream. They ran out of canned peaches and gave others an unidentifiable canned replacement fruit. This cost $30. Un-freaking-believable! I have NEVER had such a bad meal before. Some people said this place has good happy hour sliders, but that is just not possible. NOTHING good could have ever come out of the same kitchen. It was like a Chef Jeff project (ex-convicts-turned-chefs) gone wrong, terribly wrong. Do not ever come here!
I only had a few drinks here last night but I will say it's a very trendy place. I felt immediately under dressed, but we were meeting some friends here. It was beautiful inside. A big gorgeous bar, a beautiful wine room and such elaborate bathrooms. The bartender was a very sweet girl who knew her stuff. They have a very extensive wine list and a pretty interesting menu. One of the house specialties that looked pretty interesting was a Orange Marmalade Smoked Salmon. I will definitely go back to try out the food...but it's a great place to have a drink as well!
I had a highly enjoyable muddled pineapple cocktail here, the food was ok and the mojito was not that impressive.. but i'd go back just for the pineapple drink
A friend & I went for happy hour one evening after work. The decor is definitely that of a hotel bar. We each ordered the house wine, an assortment of the happy-hor sliders and the frittes trio. My friend said the tuna slider was great. I had the beef and the crab: The beef was very dry and very small even by slider standards (the bun overlapped the meet by about .5" all the way around. The crab cake slider had potential but was way over-salted. The fries were hot and pretty tasty, but two of the three sauces were kind of bland and too similar to each other. We also tried the desserts since had a coupon for free ones. The fruit crisp was great...warm, flavorful, full of fruit and had a great texture. The "s'mores" were another story: the peanut butter sauce was decent but there wasn't enough. The brownies, though, were like the little bites you can get from Entemann's or Tastykake. Outlr server that evening was very nice, but not very attentive, which was a problem since we were the only ones in the bar for at least part of the time. He and his fellow servers were fixated on the popcorn machine in the back for a while and it was hard to get there attention. With all of the other happy hours in the city, I don't thik I'll try this one again.
I was working late one weekday in cc & took a dinner break with my fiance here during part of happy hour. I cant remember what day of the week it was but it was fairly empty. Although the interiors have a glam-ed up sleekness to them, it definitely has a hotel- vibe but just a bit- I felt like I was an out of towner just being there. The server was good & helpful; he even gave us a last call for happy hour drink prices. The happy hour beers were $4 or 5 and the drink specials come in mini glasses for $1.70 & there are wine flights all the time, 3 for $10. I had a panini since there weren't many (any?) other veggie options & it was delicious & overly filling. Fiance had the burger flight with 5 different meats to make up for my vegetarianess. We also split a great appetizer. I only give 4/5 because I felt like I was a tourist in my own city- the waiter asked if we were on vacation (um, no, we work around the corner). I would recommend for a single diner or a couple of friends looking for good food & quiet chill drink or two.
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