Northern Liberties | Pub Food | Entrées: $13-$20
Last Year’s Ranking: 11

It’s true that the waitstaff can be rude. And that no one who works here cares that you’re waiting for a table. And that there’s no printed menu, and it’s pretty hard to see the chalkboard, especially given how poorly lit the place is. But Standard Tap is more than a gastropub. It’s the original gastropub, the restaurant that helped put Philly back on the national food radar in 2000. Almost 10 years later, the Tap has stuck to its simple mission of great local craft beer, good local food, and prices that are ever more appealing as our 401Ks swirl the drain. If you go at an hour when there’s no competition for tables, it’s a downright relaxing place to be. After a microbrew or three, you’ll realize that Standard Tap not only has a strong sense of place; it gives us a sense of current Philadelphia. Order: Steak frites. 901 North 2nd Street, 215-238-0630.

See User Reviews, Hours, & Other Details • See Menu

Join the Conversation on the Restaurant Club Blog

Photograph by Jason Varney