Boot & Saddle

Mac and cheese was real dry and cheese didn’t have much taste. A few months ago I ordered a corn dog and it the center was still cold. They gave me a new one which was good. Pirogies were good, could be more on the plate tho

Went for the comedy night with Andy Sandford, and it was a really nice, fun event. I decided to go on a whim and hadn’t been there before so didn’t realize it was a standing type of venue. It makes sense now considering they are a music venue. If you don’t like standing, they have a few tables to the side though you’ll have to come early. All of the comics were pretty entertaining. The only annoying thing was for some reason when the host spoke between each comic, it was super loud and shrilly. But the sound level for everyone else was fine, still not sure how that happened. The venue seems to be pretty lax about time. On the event page it says 7:30 but it didn’t start until 8:15 ish. It worked out fine though, I was hungry and discovered a really great mexican place a block away.

I’m really fortunate that this is my local bar. This is one of the best happy hours in the city. Tues-​Sat 6pm-​8pm so you can almost always make it even if you get stuck at work late. Good selection of beers, solid food and fantastic bands. The tots are where it’s at.

Came here for a show recently, I did not eat or drink anything so I can’t/won’t comment on that, but as a venue I had a great time, sound was good, room was not overly crowded even with the show was sold out. It was warm, even with it freezing outside & me in shorts. So dress appropriately. And they do have a coat check ($ 2), despite their website saying they don’t.
They do have re-​entry, which is nice & not very common these days. Be advised there is no seats or anywhere to put drinks down in the venue portion.
Parking was a nightmare, so be prepared for that if you’re unfamiliar with the neighborhood as there is limited street parking & no lots nearby. I finally found a spot on S. Mole St, which actually had several open spaces & has no time limit after 10, so check there if you have a narrow car.

B&S is a great bar and concert venue for a lot of smaller acts coming through town. The place definitely has a hipster vibe to it, but the staff are friendly! They have a great selection of drafts on tap and an even more extensive list of cans (can’t take glass in to the show!)
We stopped in with a larger group and we spread out between several high top tables in the bar. The waitress was adept at keeping our glasses full, even when fighting the throngs of concert goers leaving at the end of the show.
I had the mac and cheese off the pub menu and it was fantastic! Presented in a ceramic bowl and baked with breadcrumbs on top, it was a perfect appetizer to split with your girlfriend. You know, the kind that says they don’t want anything to eat but then gradually consume half of your world beating appetizer. That kind.
4 stars only because of how dark this place is. There aren’t really any windows and the lights are cranked down to the lowest setting on the dimmers.

This is now my favorite place for live music now that the First Unitarian Church now longer hosts R5 productions. Spare and non-​commercial in feel its an intimate space for music. The bar itself is preposterously hilarious with most the original Boot and Saddle country atmosphere. Really brilliant. Good draft and can list and no issues bringing beer into the music space. It’s gonna be loud in this tiny space and I bet it’s hard to get the sound quite right, but it’s an authentic rock experience and at $ 12 bucks a great value. Why wouldn’t you check out a band you know or one you’ve never heard of for the price of a couple beers?

The opposite of pretentious. Just straight shooting staff with decent pour skills. I’m grateful I live within spitting distance…
I have not watched a live show here, this review is only for the bar.

Finally got to go here for a show, and the place was cool. I arrived early so I can get their happy hour special. You can get drafts for half, as well as cocktails from 6 – 8. The bartender was friendly, and always made sure I had a drink. The food was okay, a bit expensive. I got just a hot dog with cheese and fries, so it was decent as a quick dinner. I then venture to the back room for the show and it was tiny, but the acoustics were good there. This is an awesome little venue in South Philly that was much needed since most of the good venues are in Northern Libirties/​Fishtown.

This review is for the venue.
Boyfriend and I came here for a sold-​out show. We arrived a little early, hung out at the bar, and made our way to the back room when it seemed the band was starting. There was barely any room for us to fit, but we shuffled in and after a minute decided it would be more comfortable to just hang out in the bar area and listen. We got seated, we enjoyed our beers, and then the doors to the stage area closed. And then the bar music got turned up.
I have admittedly not been to every bar to see a band play, but every place I’ve been allows you to hear the band no matter what part of the bar you’re hanging out in. It’s a great way to enjoy music without having to spoon with half of Philadelphia and/​or wear someone’s beer when it spills.
This goes double for a venue that is clearly too small for the number of people who have paid for tickets.
So we said WTF? and squeezed our way back into the venue, only to find there was even less room than before. My left shoulder landed in someone’s armpit, and when another couple of people pushed in behind me, I was literally (and I literally mean literally) unable to move. I don’t require 3 feet of personal space, but the ability for my diaphragm to expand when I’m breathing is a kind of a plus.
Towards the end of the show, we found out there was some room at the front, that even the band was trying to get the crowd to move forward so everyone could fit. But people weren’t moving, and despite the fact that there were people who could not fit into the space, the guys manning the door insisted the door stay closed.
B&S, if you’re going to be that unforgiving, please learn how to manage your crowds.
Or, you know, sell fewer tickets.
We wound up meeting/​hanging out with a bunch of other people who couldn’t deal with the space/​crowd/​stupidity of the situation, so the night wasn’t a total wash. Still, we each basically paid a $ 20 cover charge to sit in an average bar and listen to a jukebox. Absurd.

Honestly, Boots and Saddle is a Philadelphia gem; great concert for barely any money; the food is good and the drinks are good and reasonably priced; I randomly checked their concert venues and picked a few I liked and I don’t regret it! I will def go back! (fyi; they have happy hour from 6:30 — 8:30pm; before the concert starts!)

I came here a bit ago for a concert and was sooo impressed with this venue. It was the perfect size because I felt like I could really get close to the stage, but the sound quality was still good. Sometimes, the music got a bit too loud for my taste. But hey, it’s a rock show – what do you expect?
Drink specials are amazing during a show! Half priced drafts and $ 3 cocktails? Absolutely! Cocktails and beers seem seasonal, but we went during winter and I got this delicious hot toddy and there was also a warm apple cider drink as well. Really great to go grab a couple quick drinks before your show :)
Going back again tonight! hoping to try some food this time.

Great bar, great atmosphere, great preservation of original details mixed with new décor. Kind of love that its not really near anything else.
One major issue though– the acoustics as a music venue are pretty terrible. I don’t know if its because of all the tin used, dimensions of the room, or the mixer, but every band sounds like a garage rock band… high distortion, lo-​fi. Bands that Ive seen at Boot and Saddle Ive also seen at other venues, and at those other venues you can hear the intracacies of the instruments much, much better.
If they fixed this, easily 4+ stars.

Saw my boyfriend’s band play here with a few others and the sound was incredible! They also raved about how helpful, yet laid back the sound guy was.
I loved the food, was a little confused about how to get a table and the staff was so busy that I couldn’t ask «do I just sit where ever?» (You do just sit where ever). I ended up getting the veggie chili cheese fries and they were obviously perfect!

The Old Fashioned was pretty bad. Overly sweet and not worth it. I’d stick to bourbon or rye next time. The beer list wasn’t terrible, I was able to find something that I liked.
We came to see a show, but were too late. We got there right as it was ending. The venue space seemed nice, simple but thought out for the space. The bar has a gritty but put together look to it. Service was quick enough.
I’ll be back for a show. Maybe we’ll actually make it next time.

This place is great and never too packed. The happy hour is later than most 6:30 — 8:30 and on Saturday! The food is a good deal and delicious. In fact I had a my birthday happy hour there last year on a Saturday and it was perfect for people coming in and out. Our waitress was awesome and kept track of everyone!
A ton of small music acts come through here most nights of the week with pretty reasonable ticket prices ($ 10ish). The concert venue is in the back and is small and intimate. Perfect place to experience new acts! Plenty of bike parking, plus it’s right by the Ellsworth-​Federal stop on the Broad St. line.

To the owner (s): Great bands. Terrible bartenders with no happiness in their lives whatsoever. We come here to get away from it all. Your bartenders remind me of my last case of the shits.

Went here with friends and had a really nice time!
They ordered draft beer while I had house wine and we enjoyed two burgers and two kielbasa dinners between us. Everything was tasty and our service was good! All in all a fine experience.
Although clearly remodeled with a hip food menu, my only bock was at the prices. I guess the days of $ 4 house wine and draft beers are over in this town. Maybe I’m getting old and cranky now that I’m married, but I just think it’s hard to go out and spend $ 8 on a glass of white wine when you could buy the bottle 2 blocks away for $ 10. I suppose I shouldn’t take this rant out on Boot & Saddle specifically since it’s a pandemic everywhere in South Philly now! Oy!
Anyway – I will gladly return with friends again – but I warn you to check to make sure there aren’t any bands playing if you’re not into «loud». (Oh god… I am getting old & cranky, aren’t I???)

Suuuper stoked to see this place open again. South Phila needs more venues, and here’s one. Fantastic beer selection at decent prices. Some great bands playing in the back room, and the sound is really fantastic. The food was even solid and I just grabbed appetizers.
Truly a good time had by all.

I’m reviewing this solely as a music venue and bar, as I have not had a chance to try their food yet. We came here this past weekend to see Bear Hands and Miniature Tigers. The tickets were being held for us at will call (a.k.a the desk right outside the door). They were surprisingly easy to pick up. What was not surprisingly easy to get here was a drink. I found the bar to be very crowded and the noise level was a little killer. I considered sending my drink order in via carrier pigeon.
All in all, I did enjoy the show and I think this is a good space. I think the stage is a decent size and even though the acoustics aren’t fall-​on-​your-​face perfect, they’ll do for an indie or alt band. I imagine this spot is a tad bit more low key when there isn’t a show in the back.
I do see myself coming back here in the future, and I will update my review accordingly once I have the chance to sample some of their menu!

If I were a Philly local, this would likely be my regular spot. It’s a pretty neat bar that doubles as a music venue and I instantly loved the interior. I couldn’t stop myself from gushing over the awesome rope lighting over the bar. Just really fun.
I drove up to meet my friend and see the band Strange Talk since I had missed their DC show in the summer. We had some drinks and snacks while we waited for the bands to perform.
We both had the roasted pumpkin & kale soup and then had the whipped goat cheese with sesame crackers and the hash browns with a smoked cheese sauce.
The soup was very good but I did have one minor issue with it. I believe the soup has a miso base — which is not a problem as I love miso, but I suspect that this is why they serve it with an Asian soup spoon. Since the bowl is shallow and the spoon is thicker on the bottom, it became really difficult to actually get the pumpkin pieces and the broth onto the spoon without using your fingers to just pick it up and put it on the spoon. I think at the end, I may have just picked up my bowl and drank the last of the broth that way (hopefully no one was watching?). Also, because I struggled with getting the soup on my spoon, by the time I did, most of it was cold. So… maybe ask for a regular spoon?
The whipped goat cheese was lovely but the real star of the night was that smoked cheese sauce served with the hash browns. My friend ate the hash browns but I used the last of the crackers to scoop up that ridiculously delicious smoky cheese. (Can you tell I love fromage?) It was that good.
I’m not really a beer kind of girl but they had a decent list. I instead had a cocktail that I believe was called the Salty Dog (?) – I can’t quite remember now but it involved salt (surprise?), grapefruit and vodka. I had these all night. Delicious.
The bands were all fantastic– I just wish more people had come out to see them! The sound system was pretty good for a smaller venue. Hopefully down the road, they maybe change their lighting a bit because even the bands appeared pretty dark up there — unless that was the band’s request — then I take that back.
In any case, I loved the Boot & Saddle (friendly staff, delicious food & drinks) and I hope to make it back up there to see more bands.