Little Bar

Attended this place to see a show tonight.
2 hours later and I don’t have a dime in my pocket.
While bands changed, a cheap plastic power strip broke in their electrical system. I went on stage during the next act to snap a picture of the artist when suddenly all the power failed. music stopped…
No booing, so thank you to a great crowd that night…
For being in the wrong place at the wrong time, the sound guy brought me into a back room and started yelling at me. He threatened me, and threatened to take my camera from me for compensation. He wanted me to cough up 350 dollars to pay for a new speaker (which was making noise until he shut it off.) His veins were bulging with immaturity as he yelled over and over ‘but YOU did it!‘
Instead of taking responsibility for a mediocre power supply to their PA system, this guy had the gaul to shake me down for money. Even worse, he yelled at me, belittled me, and made threats about ‘getting physical.‘
In the end I handed him every dollar I had, 35 bucks, out of my pocket, and I walked home with a bad taste in my mouth.
It turned out that he could have kept the show going almost immediately, but decided that it was a better use of the crowd’s time to sit through 30 minutes of NO MUSIC while I was ‘negotiated’ with.
When I confronted the business owner, who was outside having a smoke, about the shake down I said:
«Hey are you the owner here?» to which he replied
«What difference does that make, why are you asking?»
He proceeded to dodge questions, deny responsibility, and act like I was annoying him. I wanted him to understand his sound guy is a loose cannon!
Very stand up gentlemen over there.

I’ve never eaten at Little Bar so this is solely a beverage and atmosphere review.
It’s no joke, Little Bar is little. But, I like how it’s small. It’s cozy. It feels like you’re in someone’s living room. Lovelove all of the local art around. Beers are really reasonably priced here– $ 3 Kenzinger? Okay. The staff is all really friendly. I’ve seen some friends play shows here and it’s a very intimate venue.
LB attracts a very specific type of hipster: the south philly hipster. If you’re okay with that, on the cheaper side priced beer and good music then you’re a-​okay with Little Bar. I’ll be back.

The person who named this bar was not kidding. It is definitely on the tiny side. That being said, they have a good beer selection, good food, and a relaxed atmosphere. Pro-​tip: don’t sit next to the heater. It’s HOT.

Right when you think you get to know a place well enough to review it, it goes and makes a snap decision that potentially changes it for the worst.
Shortly after I finished my review Pat Troxell of Phonographic Arts sent out this surprising statement that changed the scope of Little Bar forever —
«On Tuesday, Dec. 20^th, 2011, with the intention of pursuing to become a dance club, the owner of Little Bar terminated all management. This also included Phonographic Arts Booking. In turn, Phonographic Arts and the entire Little Bar Staff have lifted their roots to plant them firmly in Center City Philadelphia. And now, Phonographic Arts Philadelphia would like to proudly present The Level Room.
The Level Room will provide Philadelphia with three floors of live entertainment that will feature DJ events and performing arts. Our highly-​anticipated New Year’s Eve showcase with performances by Bleeding Rainbow, Eternal Summers, Creepoid, and many others will be the official Grand Opening, which will kick off a new year of fine events that will also include a Jan 20^th Art Exhibit Opening from Philadelphia Photographer Matthew Gallagher
We would like to express our utmost appreciation for all the support that we’ve received this past year and look forward to the future. See ya in 2012 on the up and up!»
So basically 5 days before the holidays officially kicked into full effect the Scrooge McGrinch of an owner made the horrible decision of terminating the entire management that were responsible for putting the space on the map to begin with. And as a result of such stupidity the entire staff decided to pack up. And in just a short amount of the time the whole cast of free agents where able to find a new location (
) and potentially elevate it for the better with a full menu and everything!
Meanwhile the only thing really clear about Little Bar’s future is that in its stupid snap decision it also managed to abandon things like an impressive looking New Years Eve lineup. The dance club thing might work, but looking back on how well it worked when the spot it used to be, Vesuvio, tried to do it (it didn’t) it probably won’t. and despite trying to go the dance club route, they also bought in a new show booker that does Rockabilly/​punk shows that are nowhere near on par with the diversity of shows that Phonographic managed to bring in. And now things like their menu are completely up in the air.
Little Bar could still turn out good despite such stupid decisions (its too early to call which is why I’m giving the middle ground rating). But so far its looking like Little Bar’s SNAFU is Level Room’s treasure (
).

What an amazing brunch experience. The staff was very friendly, the Bloody Mary ($ 5!) tasted downright artisanal and the vegan migas brunch entrée was perfectly seasoned, perfectly portioned and had a great balance of fresh pico de gallo, thick refried black beans, and fluffy vegan egg. This is by far my new go-​to spot for brunch.

Little Bar is my home away from home. And here is why…
— food that is (almost) as good as my mother’s (they just brought out a new menue that includes funnel cake, fried pickles and… my favorite… Pulled Pork Sliders with old bay fries.
–Huge and wonderful selection of beers
–Great Brunch with $ 2 dollar mimosas
–Great Art
–Concerts almost every night of the week in the back room
–A fireplace
–An amazing staff

The in house made veggie dog was delicious and crispy and served with a lovely garlic aoli and salsa. The salad, packed with slivered almonds and dried cranberries, had a lot of texture.
Fun venue with a chef that cares. 5 stars!

Everyone with a poor review of this place needs to go back and try it again. I have no idea what the other reviews didn’t like about this place, so let me break it down for you. A simple bar with good music, bottle beer that runs 3 – 5 dollars– for quality beers– not PBR. Food that is delicious, albeit a bit ‘bar norm’ think perfect tater tots– i said it PERFECT. crispy chicken fingers, nachos unlike any you have ever had, is that mexican rice in the center of the plate? yes it is.
I’m not sure what’s going on in the back of this place, I believe they have a music space, but I haven’t seen it. It is clearly a large building as it takes the whole corner of 7^th and Fitz.
I think after this place changed from Vesuvio it went through a bit of a transitional period where perhaps it was not awesome, but I feel confident telling you that this place is indeed awesome now, and you should give it another try. OK? ok.

Disclosure: I never ate here when it was Vesuvio, so comparison between the two will play no part in my opinion. That said, some of the negative reviews I’m reading are utterly baffling. Did this place go through some growing pains in the previous months? Because I ate here just a couple weeks ago, and it was the perfect spot to unwind after a busy day.
Biggest (and most pleasant) surprise — the bottle menu. The drafts were strong and fairly priced, but the bottle list is second to none, and incredibly affordable.
The food was more than just bar-​acceptable. The chicken fingers were perfectly crisp and tender, and one order of nachos just wasn’t enough for our group.
This could easily become the Tattooed Mom’s of the Bella Vista area. Whether that’s good or bad is up to you, but I’m personally grateful to have in in walking distance to my place.

Wait, did this REALLY used to be Vesuvio? It’s no longer the sketchy, aging Italian frat boy (possibly Mafia?) bar it used to be. The ugly green walls have given way to dark red walls, dim lighting, and a decidedly speakeasy vibe.
Drink prices are CHEAP, and fingers crossed they stay that way. Festina Peche for for $ 4? Hell yes. Housemade bourbon and rum punches? Awesome. They’ve got a great selection of craft brews and a small menu.
I haven’t been here for a show yet, so I can’t speak for the space in the back, but they have an impressive schedule of events coming up. I have high hopes for Little Bar and I hope they can succeed without drawing the ire of their Bella Vista neighbors like Vesuvio did.

This place used to be called Vesuvios and they had really yummy food. They had bangin’ french onion soup that was different each time we went but was always amazing.
Now its called little bar. which is just that now. They have yucky little finger foods that are too expensive for the portion size. WHAT HAPPENEDD??? Plus it is now cash only. like what? So very disappointing. I’d recommend Royal Tavern for yummy food in a bar scene any day.

Awesome Jazz club, comedy night on Tuesdays, cheap food, some cheap drinks, very comfortable!

The $ 2 Black Bean Taco was delicious! Wish it was a little more filling. Not sure if I would get them again, considering all of the $ 1 taco deals in the city, but will definitely go back for Comedy Night. Also, service was really good, and the waitress was very nice! Also, it was VERY hot inside, no air. If there would have been air, I would have given a 4 star rating :/

Wow. I have not felt compelled to write a review, really, ever, but our experience tonight at Little Bar needs to be documented.
We went because I had purchased the Groupon (for Vesuvio) a few months back. Funny, because two of the other three couples who were in there with us were there for the same reason. The owner welcomed up and seemed very enthusiastic about his new spot (but took about five minutes to trash the Eagles in his explanation of why he changed concepts).
We ordered two drinks (a Young’s Double Chocolate Stout and a Johnny Walker Black) which ran us $ 7 and $ 8, respectively. No bargain there. We then ordered from the somewhat limited menu: One chicken parm sandwich and one «Mediterranean grilled cheese». We waited at least 20 minutes (having been the first of the few in the place to order). Now, I can be very forgiving, but the food we were served truly felt like something a college kid would throw together from whatever he had in his fridge after a late night of binge drinking: This sandwich – which cost $ 9!! – was literally, and I am not exaggerating, a white bread sesame seeded hamburger bun slopped with some tomato sauce and yellow american cheese and a piece of lettuce stuck in a George Forman for a few minutes. Where was the mozzarella and parmesan I was promised?! And who puts romaine on a grilled cheese? I was embarrassed for the chef, and in four lackluster bites, it was gone and I was still hungry. My boyfriend’s was essentially the same thing, with a chicken cutlet between the charred bun halves. The server did not bring us a check, rather, announced our total to the bar; not a big deal, I guess, but I like to double-​check the bill and make sure everything’s on the up and up. We left as quickly as we could and went home to a bottle of good red wine and some leftover pasta.
I feel bad, because the owner seemed to be sincerely enthusiastic about his new place, but I can’t believe someone could serve such terrible food and think it’s OK, especially in a foodie town such as Philadelphia. They need to up their culinary game if they want to survive. We will NOT be returning.

If you don’t like it here, we don’t like you here!

We miss Vesuvio! This great location lost its allure when it changed to Little Bar.
Without notice, the bar become cash only and changed from pub grub to over-​priced not really sliders tapas.
They also no longer have french fries or anything relaxed. It’s now flashy and expensive. Not my cup of tea. :(

The changeover from Vesuvio to Little Bar is nothing but a disaster.
Vesuvio never was an incredible bar, but it was a pretty decent standard bar for a somewhat reasonable price.
Little Bar is a fairly mediocre bar for an insultingly large price. Dishes are small and all around $ 12-​$ 15. Yuengling is $ 4!
Unfortunately, they have done little to back up this makeover than printing up new menus and replacing some signage. They didn’t even put on the cliched «new coat of paint.»
The bohemian feel they are trying to achieve falls flat on its face. This is a sports bar dressed up as intellectual salon.
The worst par is that they have the gaul to do all this and still refuse credit cards. This is cheap, myopic and trying to falsely cultivate an exclusive atmosphere. Just because it’s hard to pay, doesn’t make it an «in-​the know» joint.
The owner is a really cool guy and I hope he has success, but if it’s like this every night, I doubt it.

Vesuvio’s used to be great! These bozos killed the goose that laid the golden egg of huge tvs, welcoming open atmosphere (the back area is now a jazz club — why?), and good and reasonably priced food.
For some reason, they saw fit to renovate Vesuvio’s in the middle of football season and turn it into this.
Now: Stupid, trying-​to-​be-​a-​thai-​restaurant décor, overpriced food that is not as good, no pool table, bad service. It feels tiny inside with the windows covered up. It’s not laid-​back/​cheap enough to be a neighborhood all-​round bar, and not cool enough to be a friday night spot (although the do have a couple of sombreros and some panties thumb-​tacked the wall, good job guys).
At least the cigarette machine is still there.
Can’t speak for the jazz club, but lame, lame!
Basically a disaster all around.

Positive: This used to be Vesuvio, but they had to change the vibe after complaints from neighbors (used to be sporty/​clubby … now they’re gonna start hosting jazz nights … which is all good). Owner is a cool cat. Hummus was fairly generous portion (though not cheap).
Negative: On a single visit they intentional mislead my party into ordering something other than what we intended at a higher price TWICE (though to our credit we caught it both times).
Example:
Q: the beer and shot special, does that mean $ 6 for a beer AND shot? any beer?
A: Yes
Q: I’d like a xxx beer and the shot
A: That will be $ 10
Q: Could I order the hummus
A: Sure no problem … OK hummus and bruschetta coming right up
Q: I know that some toast comes with the humuus, but you’re talking about a whole seperate bruschetta order?
A: Yes

This is in the same spot as the old Vesuvio, it has a completley different vibe. Much smaller, quit, but still a charm all its own, that makes this place a freakn awesome neighborhood bar.
They only have a few taps, but some pretty good beer on hand none the less (60 min, dark horse boffo brown ale). The food is also very awesome, try the «secret» choclate cake with bacon and nutella, trust me.
I wish this bar was in my neighborhood so I could frequent it :)