Johnny Brenda’s

Cavernous, dark spot that channels a grungy aesthetic. I didn’t find the locals or the staff to be very welcoming. The beer list was almost entirely local, but not very exciting on this visit (lots and lots of Yards). Prices were OK. This place apparently has decent food, so maybe I’d return as part of a group looking to dine and drink. Philly has so many decent bars that there’s no reason to revisit a place that doesn’t offer an enticing combination of ambiance, selection, and service.

Very hipster friendly dark bar. Everyone seemed to be to cool for school. Small tap list.

Friendly neighborhood bar with a pool table and a nice tap list, lots of local stuff. Punk/alternative/metal in the background. Worth a look.

Good food and service. People have been killing the selection but they have a lot of taps. They only serve local, if you don’t want that go elsewhere. They get a great selection of locals that are always rotating. Upstairs is a small music venue that is a great place to see a small band.

A few pints shared towards the end of the night with Dallas, Ann, Andrew and Jen. Loud bar with pool. Average beer selection. I wouldn’t go out of your way to come here for beer.

Decent selection of local beers, and some pretty good food and service.

Dark and loud with a bar/diner/poolhall feel. Mellow music...classic rock/blues/etc. Small but tasty looking food menu but i didnt eat. Uncomfortable bar stools but they will do for a pint or two. Fairly boring beer selection...a bunch of boring philly are beers by victory, stoudts, troegs, sly fox, etc. Good service though.

In the past few years when in Fishtown I wind up @ Johnny Brenda’s. Usually not during hipster doofus prime time hours. This bar is an oldie in the neighborhood with a fresh upgrade a new kitchen. You can still see the old shot and a beer bar’s bones if you look closely. Johnny Brenda’s now serves a good mix of local beers on draft and eclectic food menu. Prices are reasonable and service is good. Sometimes there is music upstairs and sometimes beer events downstairs. Years ago the closest bar was Fishtown Tavern now there are a few new hip bars in walking distance. An enjoyable Philadelphia neighborhood bar.

Our final stop in the area was Johnny Brenda’s. Heard a lot of good things about this place so I was looking forward to checking it out. We got seated in the corner downstairs at a large table. Draft and Food menu right above our table. Place was pretty dead but it was a sunday. Pretty good draft list but nothing over the top. Service was decent, he came around enough I guess. I decided to go with the grilled caesar salad and two cheddar biscuits on the side. Salad was ok, could have skipped the whole deconstructed thing and just given me a real salad, but the biscuits were even better. Overall a place I will definitely return to at some point. I am really looking forward to checking out the other areas this place has to offer.

It’s not he best beer bar, but I like this place a lot. The ambiance would be perfect, but a bit too heavy on the hipster crowd, which is my complaint regarding the selection: too much PBR irony, good local stuff, but needs a little more taste to really become something that can stand up to the quality all around it. Food is excellent, every time I’ve been. Some of the best burgers and raw bar items that I’ve had in the city. Service is surly and generally dismissive, but I don’t need it to be different here. Prices are generally a little better than comparable places.