The Blockley

Great space for live shows. Laid back and plenty of viewing space. SAD STORY THEY’RE CLOSED!

I saw Charlie Hunter and John Scofield Band. I thought the place as fine. The music was crystal clear. I suggest getting to the show early and grabbing one of the high tables on the side of the stage. You can sit high and see the band with out being right in front of the stage.
They have good selection of beers and the night I went the bartenders were moving fast so I did not have to wait long.

I’ve been to The Blockley a couple of times. I’m not the target demographic but when they get something that old folks can enjoy, I’m happy to go there. Last time was jazz supergroup Omaha Diner.
The Blockley has a perfectly good bar and the food from Jolly’s next door is good. I wish they had more seating, but that’s really the only complaint and I’m far older than the average person there anyway. Even the price is perfectly reasonable considering the quality of the bands.

I’ve been to many a show here back in the days when it was The Chestnut Cabaret. It’s still a great place to see live music, and the bartenders seem to do a good job keeping up.
The reason for one star: The box office is staffed by a bunch of idiots! The last 4 times we’ve been here, had to stand in line for 30 to 40 minutes each time. It’s really bizarre, because all they have to do is take your money and make change. However they move so slow and take minutes to just get one person to pay and in the door.
Selling tickets is not rocket science — the management clearly seems not to care about moving the line in a speedy manner. It’s just takes a desire to acknowledge the problem and retrain your box office staff. Come on Blockley management — get with the program!

When I first reviewed The Blockley I marveled over the prospect of a new bigger Music Venue in Philly and liked the look of their food menu. But since that time I’ve found its concert lineup to be one of the more confusing And haven’t really had the time to enjoy their food in the way I thought I would.
The Blockley does have a good stage space and incredible sound when it has the right people setting it up But when it comes down to it its show schedule is all over the place, and not really in the good way. Being in University City it does get a lot of Sublime and Grateful Dead/​Phish influenced bands that aren’t always the greatest. And there’s also a mish mash of all over the place cover bands, hip hop acts, local Philly acts, and national acts who are brand new or old enough that there shows haven’t been picked up by more well known venues. It gets so many different kinds of shows to the point that it really doesn’t have much of an identity. And what they bring in palls in comparison to what venues like Johnny Brenda’s Kung Fu Necktie, Union Transfer, and Underground Arts bring in on a consistent basis.
Still I have been to some good shows, especially from local acts like The Extraordinaires and West Philly Orchestra. But I’ve also been some All Ages shows that were confusing to figure out do to how they’ve cut off the lines between the 21+ and younger crowd. While I’ll likely be back, it would have to be for a standout show that REALLY catches my interest.

This is my favorite music venue in Philadelphia.
I’ve worked as an live-​music photographer a bunch in Philadelphia and NYC and this is the most intimate feel I’ve ever had at a venue, working or not. They have really good acoustics in the place and the stage is only slightly raised. It feels like you’re on it.
Bar staff is friendly and its a great atmosphere. Haven’t been there for anything but a show, but they do it right and get great bands in the process. Bravo, the Blockley. Bravo.

Good: Since my last review, all the good stuff still applies. Live music, good bands, some drink specials, location.
What got better: The customer service and attitude. They have real redbull now too!
Bad: They seem to not have any stouts when I’m there.
Tip: Some bands charge a high cover, $ 20 or more, while others can be as low as $ 8. In addition the websites for the blockley and bands are not always up to date so give yourself a cash cushion.
Gone there several more times to see bands. The Blockley redeemed themselves.

I went to the Blockley at the suggested of a friend of mine named Macy, a true girl about town. She said there was a band playing there called The Balkan Beatbox, and knowing me, she said I would really dig them. And I certainly dug them. If you didn’t know, the Blockley used to be called the Chestnut Cabaret back in the day.
The blockley is a little smaller than the Chestnut, but it is a very nice venue with a great sound system. The bar is well stocked with lots of great beer selections. There is plenty of great seating and a long bar to sit at while viewing a show. The bathrooms are clean and they are attended. The staff is very friendly, even the security. The opening band was very good with a huge horn section. I recognized a few local musicians on stage. Balkan music is a mixture of all cultures in the Balkan Peninsula, Israeli, Arab, Turkish and Roma (Gypsy) And a dose of good old american hip hop fused quite nicely. The headliner act was slammin! I really enjoyed the song «I’m a terrorist» LMAO! I enjoyed the show with a friend I met on Unilocal.She admired my reviews and we met for the first time that evening. (the power of Unilocal!). Upon Leaving the venue, a nice guy who works next door at Jolly’s Dueling Pianos gave me 6 free drink tickets! Guess where my next great review will be?

There aren’t many reasons for me to head into University City, but the Blockley is certainly one of them. I really don’t have a bad thing to say about it. I started going here about a year ago and have been going back at least once a month. The people that work there are so music oriented that it feels like home. They always happen to book some awesome performers as well as some legends (Most recently I saw the Jerry Garcia band). There is plenty of room to get your groove on and the drinks are well worth the price, aka they aren’t stingy on the liquor!
This is the type of place that if you go enough, the employees will remember your face. I always see the same crowd of people certain nights and it is definitely a friendly and lax atmosphere. As the long as the blockley is there, I will most certainly keep coming back.

I fucking love Blockley. It opened the last year I was at Penn and it never got quite the hype of Drinker’s West, which is unfortunate. I thought it deserved a hell of a lot more credit than it got.
The place is fucking monstrous. You could fit a full time band on the stage and still have room for a breakdance fight or five. It’s new and fresh looking, but like I said, way, way too big for the number of people that actually come here. The bathrooms are classy as fuck, and it’s probably one of like three bars I would ever consider taking a shit in.
The food is something else. It’s fast, tasty as hell, and cheap. Burgers are ridiculously good, but try everything — they have appetizer specials all the time in an effort to get people in the door. Fuck Drinker’s, go to Blockley

Been here twice. Once for happy hour and another for a Penn sponsered event.
Drinks are a bit pricey but they tend to be heavy on the liquor so it’s a tossup. Large space which hosts many different bands regularly. Nothing amazing or someplace i’d automatically choose for a night out. I’d come again if I was invited I guess.

I like the Blockley a lot. They have a good mixture of shows, cheap tickets and a loud sound system. It can get crowded for big shows so expect to wait a little for your next drink or to get in the door if that is the case.
They have a lot of craft beer on draft as well as standards like rolling rock and pbr. You can definitely have a fun night here and not leave with a hole in your wallet from the bar. There are plenty of bathrooms so even when it is busy there is rarely a line.
I had one awful experience here, being hit in the face by a hula hoop (very hard, I had cuts on my face) which makes me a little nervous every time I go back, but it seems like they aren’t letting as many nonprofessional hoopers in so that is a big plus for me.
I have been here 5 – 6 times in the last few months that I can remember, and will continue to frequent this venue. Also parking on the street is always pretty easy to find in addition to it being fairly close to my house.

I was with a group of about thirty people, we had just come from an all day convention. We had set up our «end of night festivities» at The Blockley Pourhouse, so they set aside a room for us — that’s where the accommodation ends with this place, though. I wasn’t really a fan right from the git-​go. We wanted to order a couple appetizers — they ran our credit card and then AFTER «remembered» that they actually had run out of those appetizer options. «But, you just ran our card, so — are you gonna refund us?» The bartender told us that he couldn’t do that, but we could order something else off the menu that was close in price. So, my boyfriend got the lentil burger. I then ordered the potato skins and he ran our card a second time (… wait, weren’t we already charged?). The food arrived staggered. My boyfriend and all of our friends got their food — but I didn’t. When they were all nearly done eating, our waitress FINALLY reappeared and we asked her where my food was. Apparently she had «forgot» and it had been sitting at the pass the entire time. When it arrived to our table the potato skins were cold, soggy, and the cheese had congealed on the top. I was so hungry that I didn’t care — I just ate it. Furthermore: the drinks were way overpriced and the service was absolutely pitiful. I would NEVER go here again (expect maybe to end my evening with «one last drink» before heading home and regretting said last drink, of course).

This is one of my favorite University City bars. If you’ve read my other reviews, then you know that I am not a fan of the Penn undergrad crowd. Blockley baffles me in its lack of Penn-​y-​ness. It’s only a block off-​campus, but is almost entirely devoid of the frat bros and heeled girls that plague Smoke’s and Blarney.
Reasons I love Blockley:
-$ 1 mixed drinks on Thursdays.
— awesome live music. I’ve caught a few of my favorite local bands there in the past few months, and it’s a great setting for shows.
— good drink specials.
— great crowd. It’s usually a mix of Drexel students, locals, and people there to see whatever show is going on.
— it’s a big place, so even if there’s a big crowd you have space to move around and get to the bar.
— so many stalls in the bathroom! Bathrooms can make or break a place for me (I hate those bars with one bathroom. Seriously??). Also there’s a bathroom attendant in the ladies’ room, and some assorted toiletries to use, which I think is just plain cool.
So go! You’ll have fun.

Great place to see a show. It was crowded but not overly crowded and I found space to dance. They had a good variety of draft beers but I never bought one so I’m not sure how much they charged. Bathroom had neat stall doors and a nice attendant. The sound was pretty good too. They have a few good artists coming through and I would definitely go here all the time if I lived in Philly.

I’ve been to this spot through its many reincarnations over the years. Currently its The Blockley, which has a cool back story if you go to the website. I was here in December for a Winter Beer Fest which was great. This bar is huge and has an extra room with a secondary bar, so there really weren’t any lines for the beer, just for the food.
Most recently, I stopped in for a pre-​Night Market drink. I got to University City a little early and it was super hot, so I didn’t want to wait for my friend outside. It was pretty empty besides a few people who also looked like they were waiting for the Night Market, so I don’t think this place gets much of a Happy Hour crowd.
The bartender was pleasant, my beer was $ 5, would not make a special trip here, but would come back for an event or for live music.

Hi, if you weren’t already just a drunk college scene, Wanna Drink Promotions made sure you went off the deep end.
I used to come here and it wasn’t so bad. Then came Wanna Drink Promotions founder’s birthday, with the bikini contest, crude questions and humor, and flashing.
Then I came last week for $ 5 rum and coke pitchers. But you were out of pitchers. I handed you an empty one from the bar. «We can’t use that,» as you handed WDP founder a pitcher of tequila something.
And the fabulous WDP controls the bar scene all night, telling girls to get on the bar, take of their dresses, dance on the stage with their drinks and take off their tops. Sanctioned, with microphone, «take off your tops, ladies…»
Ugh. You’re so gross.

I don’t really go there to drink, but I definitely go there to eat. Their burgers are AMAZING, and when I ask for medium-​rare, they actually serve it to me medium-​rare, which is something pretty… rare. :) They also have great specials throughout the week.
The place is big enough to have great dance parties, but since not that many people go there, it feels too big and empty and awkward.
But the food is SO FREAKING GOOD.

I went here a few week ago to see my friends band. Turnout was fairly light, as the Eagles were playing the Giants that sunday night. I’m always interested in a new performance venue in Philly, since so many or our live music destinations are hole in the wall type places.
Blockley is in kind of an odd location, a bit off the beaten path of University City. I was initially surprised that it is quite big inside. The room is very open, with 2 raised seating areas with large tables and benches, and a long, 2 sided bar. There’s also a substantial stage that looked like it might convert to seating, and a lot of standing room.
As a performance venue, I found that the sound was pretty good, but they did’t really have the lighting you’d expect for a medium sized venue. I bet they could fit 200 – 300 people inside, and would love to see the get some high profile acts in.
They had a good selection of beer on tap, with some local brewers represented. The bottle list was mostly domestics. The menu looked intereresting, but they were out of rolls that night, so much of the menu was out of play. They offered to serve it atkins style, but that didn’t really work for me. I ended up having the jerk chicken nuggets, which were good, but not what I expected. They were a plate of marinated chicken chunks, with a mango salsa. Good, but not really the finger food I was looking for.
I’d like to go back there on a busy night to see what it looks like bustling. It has a good college bar feel with the bench tales and the open space. I hope they start booking more live shows, because it seems like a great music venue.

I’m sorry. I just can’t get into the Blockley.
Sure, the food’s good. It’s just SO BIG and bro-​y. It’s not comfortable.
If R5 really starts booking shows here, I’ll give it another shot.
Until then, no thanks.