Bar Ferdinand

Had a rough day or have something to celebrate or just want to eat out. …this is my destination place. Free parking starts the experience and then the welcoming atmosphere. While I usually eat at the bar to interact with the staff and others, the dining room is equally welcoming. Each time I come the quality is high of both service and food. The set menu is good, the happy hour menu always has a good selection and I often pick something from the daily special. It is good and often great! Go!

We go here all the time. We are big tapas fans, and this restaurant is always our «sure thing». I see a lot of people being picky about details, my bottom line is the place is nice, the staff is nice, and the food is yummy. What else is there?

The drinks were the highlight — not too exciting, but decent. Tried the sangria and it tasted a bit watered down.
The atmosphere is cute and the bar is great to sit at.
Unfortunately the Brussels sprouts were so salty and overcooked, they were impossible to eat.

Great service. Awesome B

girl, please. adorable place, was a trend setter when it first opened, but on my most recent visit back in August for a bachelorette party starter, and the food was pretty bad. we were a large party at a large, accommodating, spacious table and that was super cool. but then the dishes came out. yuck. a few items, inedible/​tasteless/​fatty/​oily. def needs a kitchen/​menu overhaul.

Love this place! Happy hour is my favorite, but that’s what it’s all about — shared plates of goodness, lots of fun cocktails, a good vibe and a really nice waitstaff!

My food experience here is getting worse…
I have been here before for dinner a couple of times. They have satisfying selection of Vegeterian /​Gluten Free dishes. This time one of the dishes was moved to brunch (the best one!) and the rest was severed in a little bit different dish set and was awfully grease. Every single thing we got was swimming in grease… Anytime I eat food so heavy I don’t feel good and regret eating any of it. All I could taste was salt for hours after the dinner.
I’m afraid we need to part ways Bar Ferdinand…

Unfortunately our latest meal here wasn’t very good and it was so disappointing because we just love it here. First thing, we come for the flamenco for our anniversary. Because of hurricane Joaquin the dancers didn’t come in. Ok not the restaurants fault although I did call and ask to make sure. So upon arrival I was a little bummed. Next was the music. Ambiance while dining is HUGE to me! And this place has it going on. Except, this night. The music was so ill-​fitting that I had to say something which is very unlike me. The waitress informed me that their system was down and they were using someone’s iPod. I mean I love the Black Crows and Gin Blossoms… when I’m drinking a beer or shouting pool NOT when I’m trying to have a romantic date night with my husband to celebrate 5 years of marriage. It did actually ruin the whole vibe.
Next, the food. The sangria was completely watered down and there was maybe two pieces of fruit. If that. Very disappointing. As was the menu. It’s been awhile but a few key staples we used to eat have been taken off the menu. Except for the potatoes that is. They were awful. And I’m not one to say those kind of things. They used to be cubed and crispy theses were wedges and mushy. Ugh. That is one of my favorite dishes. Again, disappointed. So then we tried the oyster mushrooms. They were inedible. Tough, chewy and flavorless. We couldn’t eat them. Such a shame because they looked beautiful. As did all of the dishes. My hubby said his calamari wasn’t good either. I wound up leaving hungry, sad and filled with delicious olives and some oily greens. That’s about it. The shisito peppers were good as were the Brussels. A tad on the oily side but flavorful. Not sure why shisitos are at a Spanish tapas bar as I usually associate them with Asian cuisine but they’re a favorite snack of mine so that’s ok. The waitress was accommodating and took two dishes off out our bill. It took us a lot to get out of the house that night having two little ones and a late babysitter. We were REALLY looking forward to this anniversary dinner as we honeymooned in Spain and ate tapas and saw flamenco. So disappointed. Perhaps I’ll try to come back for a glass of wine when I actually know for sure that there is flamenco but I don’t think a meal is in our future which is a real shame.
Not sure if the owners have changed hands over the years but the food for me has really gone downhill for me.
I was just here about 6 months ago with about 10 girls. I brought them here as I always used to rave about it and they all loved it. Flatbreads, scallops, and maybe was it pork belly were a favorite for my friends. I think sticking to old classics is the way to go. The crab and asparagus flan was a hit with people. The apple foam and manchego was too. I personally eat those anymore but I remember them being really stand out. And fix those potatoes!
So sad. Nevertheless my husband and I salvaged the date night with a trip over to Hop Sing afterwards.

What’s the problem with Bar Ferdinand? It’s not the décor, it’s not the service, it’s not the location, it’s not even the food.
The problem is that it’s not sure if it wants to be a restaurant serving Spanish style tapas, or a nightclub. This evening a very loud mix of heavy metal, mixed with southern rock overshadowed all aspects of the experience. The music should be the background not the foreground. And if it is the background, keep it in theme of the restaurant. Some nice traditional Spanish flamenco would be apropos. Not music you would hear at a trailer park BBQ! I’m pretty certain that Bar Ferdinand will be going the way of Darlings Diner soon.

This would be a great date night spot. I visited with a large party (11 people) and while we had a nice meal, I do think this spot is more of a small party type of place.
We inquired about a tasting menu (they don’t offer one) but we were able to figure out a way to make tapas work for 11 people anyway. There were a number of dishes that I tried and there wasn’t a dish that I didn’t like. I will say, however, that I also wasn’t really blown away by any one dish. A couple of the highlights were the grilled octopus and the garlic shrimp, while the lobster deviled egg (it wasn’t a deviled egg– it was a hardboiled egg purée that they served to be eaten with a fork. weird) and the patatas bravas (tasted like home fries you’d get at a diner) were misses.
Service was just ok. I sat there with an empty glass of water for a while and they kept bringing our table the wrong food. It was annoying to keep having to be like «Hey, did anyone order this dish? No…? Ummm. ok». Also, the waitress didn’t really try to help accommodate our group in terms of offering suggestions on how to order to share. Not that it was her fault— we were the ones who rolled in with a big group– but it should be taken into consideration if you are planning to come with a large party that Amada’s prix fixe tasting menu may be a better option if you are in the mood for tapas in Philly.
Speaking of Amada, I would say that I like the food and service at Amada better, but the atmosphere at Bar Ferdinand is a little more laid back and romantic (and the prices are more reasonable). Don’t come here expecting amazing food, but it would make a great spot to grab a few drinks and a few tapas with your sweetheart.

Last Friday brought me again to Bar Ferdinand after many years — most likely since it opened. Finally the weather was very cooperative so we opted to enjoy the dinner by seating outside. Before going there, I made a reservation through OpenTable and was a little surprised to see that they had availability. Was even more surprised to see the restaurant quite empty. 7 pm on a Friday night? Remember that years ago this restaurant was booming.
We sat down and our server approached us to explain their tapas menu. He didn’t ask if we had been there before which is okay. We ordered our drinks first, and then jumped to the dishes. I got to try their Palomino as a TGIF treat. It was a little too sweet for my taste but It could be great for one that’s into cocktails. We ordered:
–Mushrooms with Sherry, Spinach, and Hazelnuts;
–Baked Goat Cheese, Honey, Pine Nuts;
–Gambas al Ajillo, Shrimp, Garlic and Olive Oil; and
–Oven Roasted Magret Duck Breast, Pistachio Vinaigrette.
The mashrooms and goat cheese dish came with bread so we devoured on them completely. We even said: «Oh, we had the goat cheese even when we firts came here!» The only dish I didn’t like much was the duck. I like duck a lot and tend to order it quite often. I blamed it on the pairing with some vinaigrette that was somewhat sweet. Not a fan of sweet and savory when it comes to meat.
Would love to return for brunch here.

Consistently delicious tapas restaurant in Northern Liberties. Have dined for dinner on a number of occasions and always leave satisfied. Some of my favorites are the paella, warm goat cheese with honey, and the flatbreads which are all pretty good. Everything is has great flavor and the romantic ambience of the establishment makes it a good date night spot. It can be pricey, as the case for most tapas restaurants.
Happy hour is a great deal in my opinion. $ 5 sangria and a bunch of small plates for $ 5 as well including meat & cheese board, mussels, $ 1 oysters. Their late night menu seems to be pretty good as well, although I haven’t tried. Overall good restaurant in the area.

Came here for happy hour which is a fairly good deal. We got the sangria, charcuterie and cheese board, the patatas bravos and some oysters. All really good and decently priced. The service was really good too, tho we sat at the bar.
I’ve come here for dinner before and it is very good. One of the best paellas I’ve had, definitely a recommendation. This place is slightly pricey tho especially since it’s a tapas /​small plates menu.

I’ve been here about 5 times probably– and each time I leave feeling like my experience could have been better.
Last time my boyfriend and I stopped in we ordered three dishes between the two of us. The only one that really sticks out is the Pancetta Flatbread– not because it was delicious but because it cost $ 12 and literally featured three extremely small, shriveled pieces of pancetta and an egg. The food cost for that had to have been $ 1– I’m not kidding. I hope the chef doesn’t think he’s tricking anyone…
I wasn’t satisfied and so I ended up ordering the tomato bread and cheese plate just for the sake of feeling full. The cherry tomatoes weren’t cut in half or anything so they just rolled right off the bread when I went to take my first bite! C’mon bro! A little bit of «user experience» awareness would go a long way.
Anyway– we somehow ended up at the Olive Garden in Bala Cynwood the next evening and I definitely enjoyed it more !!! (sorry but it’s true!!). Hip decorations and «fancy» food presentation isn’t always enough to carry a good experience.

I hadn’t been to this place in years so I decided to stop in for some happy hour cocktails and snacks. The sangria was good, but the snacks were amazing. I loved the flat bread pizzas– super thin and crispy. The mushroom one was delicious as was the pancetta with the baked egg, although it was a bit greasier. The baked oysters and the jamon croquettes were also delicious.
This place is perfect for happy hour. The service is great, it’s never crowded, and you can always get a seat at the bar.

Other than the prices, I think Bar Ferdinand is pretty great.
Location: Easy parking across the street at the free Piazza lot. It might be tough on the weekend if they are having an event, but either way, you can probably find something on the street.
Décor: I love the interior of this place. Dark lighting, interesting art on the walls. I love that they can also open the big glass doors when the weather is nice. It creates a nice connection to the outside walkway area.
Service: It’s always been pretty solid.
Food: On our recent trip (the two of us) we went with the following and it was more than enough food…
— Spanish cheese board — delicious
— Shrimp Garlic and Olive Oil — outstanding — about 6 shrimp
— Patatas Bravas — the potatoes were good but the sauces weren’t anything special
— House made chorizo — fantastic, I could have eaten a few of these, good portion
— NY strip with chimichurri — small but pretty solid
Price: The only drawback was the price. We left with about a $ 120 bill and that included a few drinks. I was pretty bummed out that even the local draft beer was $ 5 and it wasn’t even served in a pint glass.
Overall it’s worth a visit for a snack or a full meal.

My fiancé and I dropped in for brunch on a Saturday afternoon recently because i had a gift card ad we were nearby looking at wedding invitations. The place was completely empty which I thought was odd, but maybe they so more dinner business than lunch. We say outside because it was beautiful outside, and we received plenty of attention from our waiter. We ordered a glass of red and white sangria respectively. Both were very good, but the white was killer.
He recommended that we order 4 to 5 plates between the two of us so we had enough food. We did just that, ordering the open faced chorizo sandwich, the date and bacon empanadas, the patatas bravas, jamon croquettas and the churros. It should be noted that the brunch menu is much more compact than the dinner menu is in terms of options.
Overall the food was very good. There were some high and lows along the way though. The date and bacon empanadas were a distinct winner with the combination of smoke and sweetness and very light crust. The open faced chorizo sandwih was also fantastic. The heat from the chorizo was a great complement to the rich egg yolk, and the bread was perfect as well.
The patatas bravas and the croquettas didn’t fair so well for us. The aioli served with the potatoes was great, but the potatoes weren’t crispy which definitely took away from the dish. The croquettas were fried well, but they were overly cheesy and definitely make us lose the taste of the ham. Again the romesco sauce was awesome. Unfortunately the churros wound up the same way. They were ok, but I think they needed better sugar ratio. The chocolate sauce it was served with was awesome.
With all the ups and downs I really want to go back for dinner and try some more of the options. Some things were great and others were just ok. So far it’s not the best tapas I have had in philly, but It’s definitely worth a visit. I will be back!