the Pub on Passyunk East

Not bad, though we went for dinner on a really insanely busy night so I would be interested in going back when things are a little more calm (and be able to hang out a little longer/​try some more beers).
I had the chicken sandwich which comes topped with sundried tomato pesto and herbed goat cheese. I liked the flavor combination but thought the chicken was a little dry/​tough. My friends seemed to really like what they ordered, so mine may have just been off.
I liked the space itself, and it’s nice that they have some outdoor seating. Good location as well.

Miserable pair of bartenders. Fine service but they either didn’t want to serve us or didn’t want to be there. Tipped over 20% regardless.

Great low key atmosphere. Food seems to be much better in the last few months. Whatevers changed in the kitchen recently, keep it! Obviously people go for the beer, but stay for its twist on common pub food… two thumbs up!

Went with my girlfriend here on a date. The place is not romantic. But hey why do all date spots have to be fancy. If you want that there are plenty of icecream and Italian restaurants on east passsyunk. This place make you feel like you are at a cozy pub enjoying what a real bar should look like. It sort of reminds me of kyber pass pub. We got 2 beers and split the seitan cheesesteak. It was incredible. The sandwich had so much flavor and on top of that came with this great sauce. Also the fries were fried perfectly. I generally avoid fries but I couldn’t stop eating these. Overall very impressive bar with a good draft list and a baller sandwich.

Beer connoisseurs, this is your heaven, especially if you’re the dive-​bar-​liking kind. The beers — there are many. If you’re not sure where to start and don’t want to look like an amateur ordering an Allagash White, then get the friendly bartender to recommend something — you won’t regret it!
Yes, this place is a dive bar by many people’s standards, but they have lots of seating and you can certainly bring your little ones or big ass parties, as the POPE boasts huge booths, which are great for accommodating anyone and everyone.
As for the food, the pierogies stood out on my recent visit. The burger is good and I enjoyed the fried green tomato topping. Great place to go for a chill night out.

The beer selection is great but the food is bland. I’ve been here on three separate occasions, and I really love the look of the bar. It’s a great, dimly lit hangout, but the vegan cheesesteak is one of the worst I’ve had. Their veggie wings are okay, but it’s not enough to make me want to come back. They had a Shepherd’s pie a few years ago that was decent enough, but the menu changes up and I haven’t seen it back since. I’d come back to hang out and drink but certainly not for food. You’re better off going down the street.

Great veg options! Love the dim light and overall décor. Great location. Outdoor seating. Good staff.
But… The bathrooms smell like someone peed on the walls, ALWAYS.

Still as good as it was in 2014. Chesapeake Fries, Loaded Nachos, and POPE Burger are a must!

Yummy burger. Yummy beer! However, when you walk in the place, the waitresses working the dining area looks at you weird and doesn’t greet you (maybe it’s their thing). I’m not offended because my loud ass will ask if I have a question right away lol. Overall, a chill spot when I don’t wanna go to the SPTR. I like sitting outside (only when there isn’t mosquitoes!) and chatting away with my guest without having to yell over loud music.

It’s kinda low key. A good place to grab a beer and hide for a bit. It’s dark. Interesting mix of people. Decent prices. Not much to say other than that.

Stopped in on New Years Day, it was pretty crowded with young hipsters, but there was seating in the back for us so we sat and ate.
The falafel was awesome, Reuben was good but a little light on the corned beef, but what we had was tasty. I can’t say enough good things about the POPE burger. The meat was delicious, perfectly cooked (medium rare) and the cheese and fried tomato was also delicious. The price is right too, and the service was excellent. Really glad we went! Will definitely be back.

The «Pope» as we call it, is one of my favorite bars in Philly and I was thrilled to make it there when I was visiting this weekend. It is right in the heart of Passyunk Ave and a great spot to hang out! They have an impressive beer selection– a variety of bottles and drafts. I absolutely love how they display their beers too. There is a board above the bar which shows all of the bottles they have and it is separated by type of beer and listed with the price which is just the way I like it as I am pretty picky! Their draft list on the wall is also great as it shows you not only the beer name and the price, but also has a little image of what type of glass it is served in so you have an idea of what you’re paying for.
I’ve really only ever had apps here and I would say it is typical bar fare with a little personality. Nachos, fries, chicken fingers, etc. Their seitan «buffalo wings» are honestly just as good as any boneless buffalo wings I’ve ever had! I’ve heard their other food is good as well.
While I like the bar area, it can tend to get kind of crowded in there, so I always tend to migrate to the back room which is a little more intimate if you are with a group.

Great selection.
The staff was very helpful and allowed us to try a few different beers before selecting the gingerbread ale. I got the Ruben also which was delicious and almost too much food to eat. The beer selection kept me there for additional hour sparking my interest. Great vibe from this place and the staff.

I love POPE! The dark somewhat quiet atmosphere is perfect for a date night or catching up with a friend. This reminds me of a typical lower east side of manhattan bar and for me — that’s a good thing. The service was friendly and efficient and the food was tasty. I know everyone raves about the restaurants in Passayunk, but I have truly found them to be hit or miss. I liked POPE a lot and will be back!

I went to POPE’s block party on Pope Weekend. They had a nice beer selection outside, including the plenty of Holy Wooder by PBC. It wasn’t too crowded while we were there, and the music was nothing that I recognized. The food selections left so much to be desired that we decided to dine elsewhere. I didn’t even go inside the bar, but it looked rather dimly lit from what I could see peering in the door. In short, good beer, that’s about it.

This place is dirty and sticky at all times. I like the beer list a lot. However, the food just turns me off. It is so dark in there too that if you come when it is light outside, you will feel like you are in a giant cave, which can be fun but not so much in the middle of the day. I would come again, and will, for a beer or two, however not to eat.

Somewhat average bar with above-​average service, from John and John. The food is pretty good for the most part, but I would not recommend the zucchini feta. Lots of beers to choose from and plenty of seating. The only bad is that there is no parking in this area, as you probably already know. I’d recommend that you give them a try, definitely worth it.

Half hipster bar and half neighborhood bar. It’s kind of off the beaten path if you aren’t very familiar with Philadelphia, but that keeps it from getting overrun by annoying people. The beer selection is extensive, the bartenders are friendly, the décor is pleasant and there are a couple TVs for sports watching but not so many that it interferes if you couldn’t care less. In addition to the bar, there are eating areas both inside and out on the sidewalk (not much to see outside however). Food looks good but it’s hard to decide whether to eat here or mush on up the road a couple blocks to cheesesteak central.

Randomly my friend and I picked this place last night. Pope themed bar with tons of beers that I have never seen before. They had money from around the world hanging around the bar. This place looked small at first but wraps around to 3 other small eating area. Pretty cool place. They also offer wifi. Parking is crazy around here.
Food: Crab Fries — fries were a bit burnt for me but still very good with all the gooey cheese and real lump crab meat. Now that is the real deal when it comes to crab fries. The sauce that accompanied the fries were perfect. I really enjoyed it.
Fried Zucchini Balls — These were a different flavor in all. A mix of shredded zucchini with Parmesan cheese and some other stuff. The sauce was a cool flavor of what I thought tasted like cucumber and hummus. Very unique flavor. I also liked this.
The beers from the tap were well chilled and poured fully. The shots are strong. Both John and John were very hospitable. Very nice bartenders. In the end I asked for a glass of water. Drank it and they refilled it as I drank. This tells me they are very attentive. Great bar, great atmosphere. I even saw Pope France’s there and Pope John Paul blessing us with good drinks and a good time. Lol.
I’ll definitely be back. Gotta try the tomato soup.

Love the beer selection, ambiance and the POPE burger. This place rocks!

Easy place to lose track of time in. Legit felt like we were dining in a medieval dungeon, but with a really good beer selection and solid drunk food.
I like that they offer some weird ciders in addition to the extensive beer list. Tried a pineapple one last night– weird but good but weird… but good.
Food-​wise, the Chesapeake fries are actually a game changer. I was getting so full on those alone but I could not. stop. eating. I have this weird love affair with all things aoili and these came with some sort of spicy aoili that made me keep dipping until I wanted to vomit.
I also had the Caesar salad with grilled chicken which was a good sized portion and very light.
Fellow diners sampled the pulled pork and chicken sandwich (this one looked so good– will probably try this next time).
PSA: The tomato soup is essentially a bowl of warm marinara sauce, perhaps due to the fact that it’s vegan? A little cream would go a long way here, methinks.
Service was so friendly, and our waitress even ran outside to give us our box of leftovers because we forgot them on the table.

Came to this place on ⁸⁄₂₂ and what started off as a great night turned to an unpleasant, annoying evening.
After ordering a beer and cheese fries to start off the night, I found a piece of hair in the cheese — instantly turned off. I politely told the waitress and she took away the plate and asked if I wanted anything else. I ordered a beer along with my party and 30 min later, still no beer or waitress. She finally came around and forgot to put our order in. We got our order relatively quickly after that.
Now the bathrooms — most disgusting thing ever. The smell of urine was so potent that it made me lose my appetite completely. We didnt stay much longer after that.

Some co-​workers and I came to POPE for a casual lunch on a quiet Wednesday (it’s always nice to get out of the office) and had a nice meal.
Weekday lunch is obviously not prime time at POPE, but we still had a great server who was attentive and friendly. The menu had a nice variety of options (smaller and larger options, as well as meat, vegetarian, or vegan-​based options.)
The house-​made veggie burger intrigued me. Because it was house-​made, I was hoping it would have a great texture in which I could distinguish some of the veggies inside the burger. It was only ok. The burger was clearly a ton of pureed vegetables/​beans that were turned into mush and then cooked on a flat-​top. The burger itself had a great crust, but was lacking in texture and flavor. I did like the fried green tomato on top, and the bun was nice, albeit smaller than the burger — which made the burger hard to eat.
Everyone seemed to enjoy their selections: some regular burgers, Pierogies, smoked salmon BLT, and grilled chicken sandwich.

I’ve been here a couple times for drinks. They have a great selection of beer for reasonable prices. They have a few tables outside and tables next to open windows, so it’s great to people watch during nicer weather.
The food is average at best. Their chicken fingers and periogies were standard. Other than that, the POPE is a great place for a laid back night of drinking.

I’m writing a review because I have had 2 bad experiences in a row now. The first time I was served cold fries and cold toasted BLT on a slow day. So I don’t understand how I could get cold food when there is no one here but the girl replaced the fries with fresh warms ones no extra charge.
We went back today and it was busy. The food took forever and it bland and the bacon we order was burnt. Also very disappointed in the beer we got and the service.
Not sure it we’re ever going back.

Finding a dive bar you jive with and also can trust the food is not the easiest thing to find. Luckily, as long as you avoid the housemade vegan cheese, you should be fine.
Always, always a solid draft list. Seitan option for nachos (which, a fair warning, is a HUGE portion size for the half as well as the whole), solid fries, and various other vegan/​veg-​friendly options.
The secret quiet room next to the bathrooms is my favorite find this past weekend. Avoid the getting trashed dudebros and still manage to run into friends.
Now that the weather is nice, outdoor seating and giant windows inside? Totally game.

Great neighborhood bar that I’m sure I’d frequent if I lived there. It’s dark and loud and yet the bathrooms are surprisingly clean. They had a great beer selection too.

On April Fools’ Day, the Pub on Passayunk East announced that they would be getting four Russian River beers including the Pliny the Younger and Pliny the Elder. I was ready to love this bar for the rare surprise or hate this bar for a horribly mean joke. Luckily it was the first of the options.
Not only was I able to enjoy these fabulously rare beers, I also discovered a new cool spot. Okay, so I didn’t discover it since over 300 Unilocalers have already reviewed the place, but I was able to add a new bar to my own list of cool places to visit.
The décor was cool. The stained glass made me feel like I was in some sort of old religious establishment. The place had an overall gothic, historical feel.
Aside from the four Russian River beers on tap, their beer list was superb. I’m sure the selection changes frequently, but based on what was available yesterday, I think I can safely say they have a superior selection of craft beers.
The bar area got a little crowded so my husband and I sat down at a table in a back room. Soon the room began to fill with other patrons and a staff member came by to see if we wanted a menu. At that point our dinner plans were still TBD, but it only took a few seconds after seeing the description of the chicken sandwich to decide to stay.
I typically don’t order chicken sandwiches out, but the sundried tomato pesto, bacon, arugula and herbed goat cheese had me doing otherwise. It was like a chicken sandwich on steroids. The roll was a large butter roll with seeds. The goat cheese was so creamy and perfect. The bacon wasn’t crispy but added an amazing flavor to the overall sandwich. The chicken itself was seasoned and tender. The sundried tomato pesto didn’t stand out as much I hoped but the preparation of the sandwich worked as a whole. The goat cheese and bacon could have been a little more evenly distributed but at this point I think I’m just being over critical. The sandwich was great.
The service was great too, especially considering how busy the place was. We originally opened a tab at the bar which they were easily able to transfer over to our table. We had everything we possibly needed in a reasonable amount of time.
Sometimes it take a push to get to a different part of town. Thank you to the Plinys for taking me to POPE. It’s a cool place and I would be excited to go back.

Great Bloody Marys and good beer selection. Total Hipster joint. Bathrooms are much cleaner than they used to be.
Service and food is hit or miss.
My most recent visit was the day of the Broad Street run and they were busy but they could have handled it if staffed appropriately. No one acknowledged us when we walked in and it was like a free for all to get a table. We just waited until people got up and took their table as that is what everyone waiting seemed to be doing. It took a while to get a server to come over and clean the table and get us drinks and utensils. It ended up being about a 2 hour lunch when we would have preferred to just get in and out. On this last visit, I ordered the salmon which was a special; it was good but it wasn’t very filling. My boyfriend’s chicken was just ok. I remembered the food being better on other visits we had or maybe I just had more Bloody Marys the other times. I would have had more this last time but we sat with empty drinks trying to find our server for most of the experience.