- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
The Blarney South Bar & Grille
Rating Details »
Categories: Bars, Irish, Sandwiches [Edit]
Neighborhoods: South Street District, Society Hill328 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 413-8294
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sat, Sun
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
13 reviews for The Blarney South Bar & Grille
Was on my way to Jim's when I saw a sign that said "Voted #1 Cheesesteak." I'm typically a sucker for such high-class marketing tactics but I vowed not to be this time around. However, it was Saturday, I was thirsty, I just had a slice of Lorenzo's, and a beer sounded nice. I walked in.
Sat at the bar and took in a Guinness ($4.55) and a Harp ($5) to accompany my Ben Franklin Deluxe Bacon Cheesesteak, which was the regular Philly concoction with an addition of friend onions, Jameson BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato, creamy coleslaw, a Dill pickle spear, with a side of Idaho fries. It was good except the bacon was non-existent, no creamy coleslaw, the onions not fried, the pickles possibly Dill but definitely not spear, and I realized that cheesesteaks with anything but cheese and steak is not good. Who puts freaking tomato and lettuce on their steak? I just did but I mean, I'm a New Yorker, I can commit a Homer in a city not my own.
The bartender was pleasant however. I peppered her with a few questions about beers such as, "What's the difference between a 60-minute IPA and a 90-minute IPA in the Dogfish line?" One is brewed longer. I was also informed that a 120-minute and a 150-minute exist with each half-hour bringing stronger flavor and potency. I also asked about the peculiar way she was serving my Guinness as she was using the backside of a peculiar looking spoon to allow the dark frothy liquid hit my pint the right way. She informed that any bartender who does not serve a Guinness in this manner is [silently shakes her head].
All in all, the place was comfortable and it wasn't too crazy on this lazy, Saturday afternoon. I think all the Phillies fans were getting drunk elsewhere on South St. trying to forget the Yanks* kicking their candy asses.
---------
*I'm a Mets fan but I will happily root against the Phils anytime.
Down to earth Irish bar.
The food is not great, but it's inexpensive.
Bartenders are always great and all traditional Irish beer and whiskey is always available. Drinks (especially for South Street) are moderately priced.
Best place to get ready for a concert at TLA or just have a beer while cruisin' down South St.
I was lured in here by the promise of genuine Irish food, and I couldn't have been more let down. I ended up paying $20 for what amounted to a tiny cup of thin broth and some mashed potatoes and ground beef.
I ordered their "Famous" Cream of Potato soup and their "traditional" Shepherd's Pie. The soup wasn't cream of anything; it was clearly made with a thin water broth, and the potato bits were all quite uniform and tasted like they had come straight from the freezer.
As for my $11 Shepherd's Pie - it was literally just ground beef in a gravy topped with mashed potatoes. That's it. And there wasn't even that much of it, and the potatoes weren't brazed or crusted. It was a disaster.
Here's a recipe for Shepherd's Pie the way it's meant to be made:
http://en.wikibooks.or...
The worst part was that the way the booths are set up over the tables you have to lean over the table just to eat, so if you're like me and you have any kind of a potbelly, you're screwed.
I will never go back here. It was a waste of time and money.
I've walked by here on a bajillion occasions but never once thought about setting foot in here. But Jillian and I wanted to kill some time over a good beer before seeing The Dandy Warhols and didn't feel like paying $5.50 for a beer pong sized cup of Yuengling just yet. So that was enough motivation.
Despite the rabid Steelers fan Blarney South proved to be a solid offering. We were met with good service, and even met a bartender who was cool enough to prove that he did in fact know how to salsa dance. they had a crap load of beers on hand but I decided to go for a Newcastle since it was one of my faves that I haven't had in awhile.
Judging from some of these reviews I'm probably going to have to stop in and give the food a try sometime (during the Next TLA show which could be MSTRKRFT.). It also looked like they might have a hookah joint upstairs so I'm easily intrigued.
I spent several hours here on a Friday afternoon last April, waiting for a group of friends to trickle into town from various other cities and modes of transport. We had a few beers here before dinner. I was thrilled to find Murphy's Stout on tap.
Much later in the evening we came back here and were pleased to find that it wasn't at all crowded. So this was a good afternoon AND a good nighttime bar, which is a rare find. Plus that Murphys. Mmm.
I've walked past the Blarney South a million times and finally went in. It is located on trendy South Street where there are tons of eateries to choose from. Blarney South claims to be an Irish themed pub, but as I suspected, it's just another bar that has tossed a couple "Irish" dishes on the menu to claim the status as an Irish pub. I would rate the food and prices as good and the ambiance as ok, but I was very aware on South Street and not in Ireland. The Irish offerings include "Steamed Irish Pork Dumplings with Blarney dipping sauce" which were good, but tasted suspiciously like chinese steamed duplings and at a hefty $5.95, I wouldn't buy them again; Bangers & Mash, which I was tempted by, but it was 90 degrees the day I was there, so went for something lighter; Shepherd's Pie (is that really Irish?); Guinness Irish Stew (beef stew with G tossed in so now it's magically "Irish"; and Ham and Cabbage. Other items such as the California Burger and Deluxe Taco Salad convinced me I was definitely NOT in Ireland.
So, since I was let down that none of the "Irish" recipes looked too inviting, I scanned the menu in search of something that looked good, and even though it wasn't Irish, I was not disappointed. I got a wonderful chicken and pear salad with raisins on a bed of greens drizzled with a raspberry vinagrette that was excellent! I actually liked the recipe enough that I have replicated it at home and enjoy it quite a lot. I also shared a California burger with my mom that day, and I have to say, it was the spiciest damn veggie burger I've ever eaten. Ugh.
Very Irish, but with more soul and less decor than Kildare's.
Their fries are to die for (and come in a huge bowl!) and it's one of the few places that serve Old Bay fries. Their other killer appetizer is the Blarney Stones, which are basically little meatballs that you dip in sour cream whiskey sauce.
For dinner you have comfort food like pot pie and meatloaf, which are both good. But for lunch you will get the most bang for your buck with their huge sandwiches. Personally I like Kildare's food better, but Blarney has a better selection.
Good bartenders and good beer at a reasonable price make this pub. The decor is a bit hodge-podge (including the landmark pizza man that guards the door.) On Thursday nights patrons are treated to an authentic Irish music session complete with Fiddles, whistles and, bodhrans. I'v never eaten here (I prefer a liquid diet) so I can't comment on that. The TLA is right next door so the Blarney is the place to go before and after the show. Be good or be gone.
I love the Blarney for their food and beer selection. Believe it or not they make an awesome cheesesteak and I love their potato soup. They have a good mix of Irish fare and and traditional bar food. They have a great selection of beers on tap and I stop in every time I am visit South Street. The Blarney South is the perfect place to have a relaxing, great time with friends while enjoying some great food and drinks.
Nice modest bar place. They were playing some irish? music while my friends and I were there. Good place to have some Irish beer if you're into that stuff (I'm not). They had some great munchies too... had their mussels. It was really good and it was a nice portion as well. Chill here for a nice, relaxing night!
Back in 2003 before seeing a show at The Electric Factory down the street...I had an amazing burger here! Great place and great prices. And it definitley was Irish music, Chris.
I do not like Blarney's at all. I came here to grab a bite to eat before I headed over to the TLA to see a show, and I was not impressed by this place at all. The food was bad, and the bathrooms were horrific. (I know it's a bar, but c'mon, would it kill ya to clean a little bit?)
I decided to visit the Philadelphia portion of Yelp just to give kudos to Blarney South.
We came for a pre-season Eagles game and bummed around Philadelphia a bit. I found a gift certificate for Blarney South on http://Restaurant.com that was a really good deal. 50% off your order for $3. We came on a Thursday night and hesitated a bit in the doorway because the bar is actually situated near the front and we brought our 8 and 12 year olds along with us. They brought us right in and took us to the back, which was set up more like a restaurant. My husband had the most beautiful bacon bleu cheese burger I've ever seen. It was huge with no less than four thick slices of bacon and plenty of bleu cheese crumbles. I honestly don't know how he got his mouth around it, but he managed and it was gone (every last crumb) in no time flat. My older son had a chicken cheese steak, which he said was good, and I had a crab cake sandwich, which was good and filled with crab, but I was yearning for a bite of hubby's burger. My youngest, who just got braces put on a week before and had mouth sores, had potato soup. He told me that I HAD to learn to make it. The fries were great. They were all we had left at the end of our meal and we packed them all into a styrofoam container and took them back to the hotel with us. Service was great. The waitress seemed taken with my younger son (I'm sure it had nothing to do with him playing to her sympathies by refusing to talk and answering with a simple thumbs up or thumbs down) and gave him some extra bread and butter to take back along with some extra soup.
We're craving that burger... I just wish it weren't so expensive! ($8 for the burger, $400 for the plane ticket!)
