City Tap House - UCity

No Longer In Business

Went for a Toppling Goliath event for Philly Beer Week. Service was friendly but not all that attentive. Large space, comfortable seating and long wrap around bar. Good sized rooftop patio area, though we sat inside. The regular beer selection was above average, nothing extraordinary. But they do host excellent special events.

Nestled in between Drexel U and U of Penn sitting on top of some eateries on walnut st. .... Very clean upscale look hostess table, high wooden ceilings, dining area little lounge area and an outdoor patio overlooking the street/area below (They had open heaters outside at every table for winter) .... There was a decent college crowd presence already by 6-7pm on a Saturday so I imagine it probably gets pretty crowded .... Sat at the long oval bar with copper bartop lots of bartenders some knew their stuff some did not, but they were all very nice... food was pricey but good .... beer list has a good mix of local and us/international micros most prices were 6-7 bucks for 6oz, 10oz or 16oz pours ..... small bottle list ... if your looking for a new place I’d definitely try this place out

City Tap House is in a word, huge. There is a big bar and even bigger dining room to go along with the big outdoor dining area. The beer selection is pretty damn good but it better be if you have 60 taps. Very good selection/variety. I had an Abyss and a Black Butte Porter, but it was during Philly beer week so I doubt they would have those all the time. Either way you don’t find those on tap every day on this coast. The food is good, but pricey. The menu is small but has a good variety. I got the shrimp and grits and while they tasted great the portion was very small for the $12 price tag. I paid less for both my beers! The bartenders/servers were decent. They were attentive but at times they were nowhere to be found. They also didn’t really know very much about some of the better beers on the list. Overall it is a really cool place that I’ll definitely go back to.

So here is the deal. The beer list is expansive, which is perfect because they offer flights. However, when I was there the list was short on top notch beers. A make your own flight of four is $15, a tad pricey for a college section of the town. Also, the service was really slow. I did enjoy the food, if that helps.

Amazing addition to the Philly beer scene! About 60 beers on tap and they rotate quite frequently. I’ve already visited about 5 times since this place opened and I haven’t had the same beer twice. The Philly Beer Week events were unreal, especially the Bells event (don’t judge the service from this event, nearly everyone in Philly was there). Go back when it’s less crowded and you’ll find servers and bartenders that know a thing or two about beer and are always looking to give you samples of something new. The food is excellent! I’ve gotten the wings just about everytime I visited. I’ve also had most of the pizzas and they are all quite tasty. I’ve been with friends who have tried the sandwiches and mussels and no complaints. I’llbe returning again and again.

Visited with my wife towards the end of beer week and was able to get some great brews they had leftover. Solid tap list that looks like it will expand. The food was pretty good as well, burger was nice. Sat outside and it was a great view and night. I look forward to visiting many more times. I do have reservations about what it will become once the students return though.

Hard to beat 60 taps. Many of the offerings are standard stuff but there always seems to be a half dozen or so that are somewhat special or limited. Recent Bell’s event was unreal; they set the bar high with this one. Food was certainly better than your average pub fare. My friends raved about the burgers. Staff is quite knowlegeable with good descriptions and recommendations. Outside patio may be the best place to have a brew in West Philly but can get hot, especially the black marble tabletops. Maybe some tablecloths as the temperatures climb. It will be neat to see the fire pits in action during the cooler months. Interestingly the view from the patio is almost the same as i had from my bedroom of an apartment i had during my junior year at Penn. Walking distance from where i work will make this a regular haunt. Can’t wait until they get their growler license.

I did not go to City Tap House on a normal night. We went during Philly beer week when they had 31 different drafts of Bell’s. The place was packed, at least 4 deep all the way around the bar. Luckily we found seats quickly, because we were told we’d be able to have a table in 45 minutes when it really turned out to be an hour and a half. The atmosphere is nice though, rustic but modern. This place may have to fight to not turn into a college bar since its right in UPENN, but it is set up to have the potential to be another great beer bar in Philly. It did take awhile to get our first round, and it was the same for the people at the bar around us. The bartenders were running around like crazy, but that was because they were definitely under staffed for this event. I would definitely like to check this place out on a normal night.