Brick and Mortar

Dinner here was fantastic, filling, and didn’t break the bank. Everything we had was delicious, but special shout out to the gnocchi and the homemade ice cream (which they brought out on the house for no reason). I’m rarely in the neighborhood, but now I have a reason to be!

Brick and Mortar is a nice addition to the neighborhood, and while it may not be my personal favorite it can be an option for some food and adult beverages. I write this review after visiting 8+ times.
Pro:
Cocktail menu: This seems to be their strong point as they have some great home made cocktails, have a great variety of beer and my lady friend tells me the wine is excellent.
Ambiance: Chill. Nothing crazy. Good place for a group to meet, date, or drinks with friends.
Hostess: Have always been greeted nicely at the beginning of my visit.
Bar Tender Knowledge: They have always been spot on with recommendations
Cleanliness. I have never visited the bar and not seen someone cleaning. Impressive!

I came here for brunch with my buddy and was quite underwhelmed, especially after reading all the rave reviews.
We were pleasantly greeted and given the choice of table, bar or booth. We choose a booth but it was under a speaker so we asked to be moved. That was accomplished and we were shown to another booth right by a serious and active leak coming from the ceiling that was wetting the bench seat next to us and creating a sizeable puddle on the floor.
Our server had the personality of a shoe. We both ordered a house cocktail ($ 10 a pop)-Chrysanthemum. So so and on the sweet side. I had the avocado sandwich and my pal had the house burger. You do not get much food for your money. Both entrees came with the house potatoes which were spicy and good. My sandwich was not even palm size. The mashed avocado on toast was okay, there was 1 small slice of bacon in it and maybe a quarter slice of tomato. I was very glad the helping of potatoes was generous. My buddy’s burger with a fried egg on top was equally tiny; more slider size than entrée size. He did not finish it. We had another round of drinks, Navy Grog this time, and it was also too sweet. We asked to see a dessert menu; there were 3 choices so we split an apple crumble with ice cream. It was tasty, warm, crisp and flavorful but way too small to split and even on the small side for a single serving. Our waitress never smiled, made chit chat or acted like she cared if we lived or died. We won’t be back.

Super cute place, great service and well informed waiter.
Creative cocktails and good prices. Definitely worth checking out for brunch!

So I initially found Brick and Mortar here on Unilocal,and decided to stop by for some falafel after having a few drinks nearby. The restaurant is pretty upscale, I expected a yuppie-​ish atmosphere, and instead got a long wooden countertop and white walls. The staff is very friendly, I ordered the spiced falafel at the bar. My food was delivered to me promptly, and they kept asking me how it was and if I needed anything else. Great atmosphere and approach! The falafel came with tahini yogurt sauce; on my personal falafel scale: 5.5÷6. The falafel was a bit dry, and needed the sauce to add flavor to it. It was also a bit crumbly, but the spices did add a nice kick to it. Too bad I had to catch a bus back to New York, or else I would’ve stayed for a drink!

Great food choice but good food but not as good as the drinks. They were excellent.
Would go back but for snacks and drinks. Good atmosphere considering so open.

In from the suburbs with great friends on a rare night away from the kids, fresh from cocktails at Hop Sing. On entry, somewhat concerned as to ambiance — a lot louder /​more contemporary than our previous spot, and to be honest, that would be there ONLY ding I have on it.
Service = phenomenal. Josiah was completely knowledgeable of the menu and it was clear he was as much a foodie as we were. Another server came by and told us we should trust him implicitly and it was sound advice through and through. The manager was visible throughout the night and stopped at our table to take a photo for us, then introduced us to an after dinner apéritif later in the evening, complimentary.
Food = phenomenal. Slightly disappointed with the falafel — working in New York, you get to know good falafel pretty well, so the benchmark is pretty high. Had the chick peas, and was thoroughly impressed. You wouldn’t think chick peas could be prepared in a way that would make them qualify as an appetizer at a restaurant, but they worked and worked well. Had a meat /​cheese board, then followed that with the pork belly and the gnocchi… Dear God! Pillowy goodness of gnocchi with delectable accompaniments. The pork belly was equally impressive and while we had 3 different desserts — cheesecake, apple crisp and toffee muffin maple ice cream thingy — the last was the best by far.
Bottom line, don’t let the casual atmosphere fool you — this place is said about its food and service. 4 stars would be 5 if it weren’t so loud!

Very enjoyable dining experience.
My wife and I were ‘walk ins’ on a Saturday evening. While the hostess said that NONE of the entirely empty tables were available, she invited us to dine at the bar which was fine for us.
Don, our bartender, was outstanding in his customer service skills — and better in his cocktail skills!
I highly recommend the Tandoori Pork Skewers and the Porkbelly. Both were excellent!
The only strike against Brick and Mortar was that when we left — almost 2 hours after arriving — more than half of those empty tables remained empty.

On sunday my boyfriend and I drove into center city Philadelphia to get something to eat. We didn’t really have any idea what we wanted so we looked up places near the garage where we parked. We walked about 10 or so blacks and came across Brick and Mortar (BAM). The building was neat, very trendy, much different than all the other building in the area. We were seated as soon as we arrived. We both ordered drinks, a cocktail for me and an IPA for him. SInce it was their brunch menu the options were limited. I order the «Bappy» (Egg, bacon on a roll) with barbary homefires. My boyfriend ordered the pork belly benedict. Everything was delicious. The prices were average for the area and parking is street parking unless you find a garage and walk. I would definitely come again and try their dinner menu.

My girlfriend and I went here for dinner and we absolutely enjoyed our dining experience! The place has a nice contemporary feel to it without feeling pretentious and intimidating. Our server was extremely attentive, friendly, and willing to answer any questions about the menu. He was also good at given suggestions on what his favorites were on the menu.
The food here was very delicious and worth every penny. The cheese board and black pudding was a great starter. The pork belly entrée was juicy and flavorful (my girlfriend’s chicken was also very tasty, so I got to get that for next time). The sticky toffee muffin dessert was a nice way to end the meal. Also, they have a great craft list of beers and the cocktails looked good. Thanks Brick & Mortar for a great experience! I will hope to return very soon!

Hipster bar with eclectic menu. Want chicken wings? Fuggetaboutit! Not much that appealed to me as I am not that adventurous but the place was jumping. Nice décor. Great service. My lady and I had the cheddar burgers and fries. Delicious. The Makers Mark Old Fashioned that bartender Lindsay made ROCKED!!! Also the apple crisp desert was delicious. Great place to go if you attend a show at Underground Arts. THANK GOD we found this as the food choices at the venue were horrible.(frozen chicken fingers anyone?)

I met with a friend here for dinner and drinks and it was a good experience. The host was really nice, atmosphere wide open, and the food and drinks were ok. The service was great in the beginning, then was non existent once our food arrived.
As for the food, I got their Short Rib Ends with watermelon curry and wild watercress. Some bites were better than others. Overall it was good. My friend got their Spit Roasted Lamb with rosemary, lemon and garlic. It was good too. We also tried their spicy shrimp appetizer which was ok too. I also got an Old Fashioned which had too much ice that watered it down quickly.
Nothing we had here was all that great or that I’d say is worth running here to try. It got the job done, but I can’t say I’ll be back.

If I rated this solely on the burger I ordered, it’d be a 3, but drinks and service bumped it up to a 4.
That burger had so much promise, and it was brutally underserved by a hard, cold bun. They bake a snowflake bun in-​house, but unless a bun is very very soft, it MUST be toasted! The bun was much too firm, cold, and was a bit unpleasant, although by the end it had become moistened by the juices and tallow mayo enough to be more palatable. That tallow mayo, tho… WOW. So delicious! The flavours of the burger were incredible, and while I would have like the temp closer to my requested medium rare than medium bordering on well, it was juicy and delicious. Kept it pretty classic with no additional toppings, and American rather than cheddar as my cheese choice. It’s so disappointing that the bun took so much away from this masterpiece.
Fries were crispy and perfect, the curry ketchup was a delight, and my cocktail was tart and refreshing. They offer a drink made with lemon juice, house-​infused ginger syrup, and your choice of spirits. Went with gin and it was excellent, though I was expecting more ginger punch from the syrup based on the build-​up from the server. Service was very attentive and prompt with the water refills and I thought the industrial-​chic look was perfect for the neighbourhood.
I’ll definitely return, and hopefully they rectify the burger bun situation in the future. It was our reason for going but everything else on the menu looked tasty and reasonably-​priced. The burger + fries were a steal at $ 13, and well-​crafted cocktails were a reasonable $ 10. Just missed the happy hour. Next time!

For my birthday, my friends decided to surprise me by taking me to Brick and Mortar for Sunday Brunch.
This very charming restaurant reminded me so much of a restaurant you’d see in Chelsea. There was a lot of natural light flowing through because of the white walls and large windows. Its light fixtures were very interesting, as they were shaped in the form of fans and made use of old-​school incandescent light bulbs. There was a lot of wooden panelling. It was very industrial looking — with an exposed ceiling and a very colorful mural on the wall. There was also a bunch of screens with sports shows being shown (this could also be cause it was game day).
The food and cocktails were your traditional fare with a twist. I had pork belly benedict, which was well-​executed. It had brioche bread, pork belly, bernaise sauce and salad leaves, which was very tasty. Half our table ordered this upon the recommendation of the chef and we all enjoyed this dish. We also had avocado toast, which was well-​cooked with a lot of bacon and egg. I had the Inigo Montoya for a drink, an orange juice and egg white cocktail, which had a brunch-​y taste to it without being something you’d expect.
Ultimately, I’d definitely come back here as the food was great and the drinks were amazing. It was also just a very cheerful and happy place to come to brunch with friends.

Went there for dinner with friends. Food was quite delicious and it was very nice open environment, great place to talk and enjoy food, but that’s because I look for places that aren’t too crowded and loud for dining. We ended up ordering a few dishes to share (cheese board, meats, roasted lamb, veggie board, and short ribs) they served everything to make it easier for us to share. The cheese board and meats were most memorable. Also, we had some cocktails, the Bamboo was my favorite. Ambiance was also adaptable, it can be casual if you are coming in for that or it can be a good date spot with good food as well.
Tip: it’s under an apartment building, so it’s a bit hard to spot at first, but place has great big windows, very pretty.

We came down to the BAM hoping to have dinner and ended up hanging out at the bar. We honestly had more fun at the bar than I’m sure we would have had at the table so that took the sting out of being told there were no tables available.
The bartenders took very good care of those in the group that were enjoying the craft cocktails and the rest of us beer guys were satisfied with the offerings as well on tap.
We had some shared apps and the chicken thighs came out undercooked and they promptly took them back and made some fresh ones for us. They were good but I doubt we will get them again. The meatball was awesome. I think it was lamb and veal as it was tremendous. We also had the shrimp which was very good and the cheese and meat plate which was kind of boring, but they were the choices our group made.
Overall we had a nice evening and Brian the manager even came by with a birthday drink for our out of Towner whose birthday we were celebrating, nice touch Brian!

I chose this place after reading about it on uwishunu (for those of you unaware of this blog it posts things to do in Philly — a lot of free events are advertised here also). This place is a gem in an up-​and-​coming neighborhood; don’t let the surrounding empty store fronts fool you. Located in the bottom of an apartment complex, this space is industrial and unique. There’s a brick wall in the middle of the dining room that has graffiti all over it!
The food was really unique too! We shared the Grilled Masala Chicken Thigh, Fries Brava, Tomato Rock Curry Shrimp, and the Summer Salad. They were all pretty good, but the Tomato Rock Curry Shrimp was our favorite! I thought that the theme of the menu was really great — a lot of Ethiopian and Middle Eastern flavors at play here. The service was attentive and polite even though there was a private event going on in the back half of the restaurant. Check this place out if you’re looking for something new!

Beautiful new place in Philly. Atmosphere is very causal sheik with handmade cocktails and rottesserie style local meats and veggies.
Started with the paloma cocktail that was fresh squeezed and my partner got the Moscow mule, which they squeeze fresh ginger every morning for, that was amazing as well.
We got all the bites to start with. The pork was my personal favorite but the steak and chicken thigh were great as well. My partner got the burger and it was DELICIOUS. That’s what a burger should taste like and the ginger ketchup the fries come with I wish I could duplicate. I got the local heirloom tomato salad with their own house made farmhouse cheese on top. I had to ask for more bread just to get whatever was left on the bottom.
The staff was very attentive and friendly and brings you samples of beers if you have a hard time deciding. From what I’ve tried from the cocktails and food I highly recommend at least trying this place once.

Came here on a Saturday night for a few cocktails and late-​night bar snacks. This place is really unique, almost too fancy for its «rough» neighborhood location. However, that’s why I love it! Inside is trendy and new, and was beautifully re-​modeled. I love the décor. For a Saturday night, the place was quite empty, so my party of 3 grabbed a nice round table next to the bar.
Drinks were great. There was Bullfrog on tap, which is a hard to find brewery that I love, so I was happy with the beer! We also had a few rounds of cocktails from their drink menu. Classic old fashion, and some other unique gin drinks created by the bartender. Everything was delicious. Its no Franklin Mortgage, but it was still damn good. We munched on a few small bar-​snacks since the main kitchen was closed. The pork loin and hanger steak skewers were good, but small, with the steak being the best of the two. What stole the show was the dessert, we were nearly licking the plate. Service was great, the server was very attentive and helpful in getting us custom drinks ordered. He was super friendly and really seemed to enjoy our company!
I’ll come back here, and recommend this to others too! I had a great experience and really like the upscale option for drinks in this neighborhood where there’s not much to chose from. Great cocktails, great service, great atmosphere, deserves 4 stars from me!

My first thought coming through the door was, «Oh my, how lovely and trendy» as I smelled that distinct new restaurant smell-​wood and lacquer, burgers and beers, pride and tears. I wish this carried on to a better final though as I was leaving, which was «where are we going next for dinner I’m still so hungry?!»
From the start, this place had a few oddities that I noticed. It was prime time Friday night dining real estate and the restaurant was about half full, and didn’t quite get there during my stay. I was immediately disappointed by the menu as there was a dearth of vegetarian and/​or pescatarian options. The menu is relatively small to begin with, the start of a trend. We were greeted quite awkwardly by a waitress-​in-​training and had time to review the menu and make some choices. Drinks were reasonable, a well crafted old fashioned and a decent beer list.
Alas, this whole experience with ripe with disappointments, as it started out. The menu items chosen were the vegetable board, the salmon oyster ceviche, the kale pesto pasta, and the hamburger. So I don’t even eat hamburgers (its been years), and I could just tell this was a sad one. My friend who ordered it reported that it was indeed overcooked, and to me it just looked TINY. Not like, OMG why isn’t this burger the size of my face wtf MURICA?! But like shriveled tiny beef patty small. The ceviche was decent but not very inventive, and the pasta was more of the same sentiment. Good taste, small portion. Big parsley taste, which I’m not opposed to but it wasn’t even listed as an ingredient.
The largest disappointment of the whole night, though, was the vegetable board. Head chef here being a former chef of Kennett, I was expecting a lot here-​Kennett kicks ass and has a stellar veggie board (and menu in general). This veggie board had 2 pieces of grilled celery, 2 pieces of fried broccoli, and about half of a grilled zucchini tossed with feta cheese. For like $ 12? I expected more. Not only in size but in quality of chosen vegetables and flavor. Also, celery deserves not to ever be served plain, even if grilled, on a vegetable board. I am a lover of vegetables, but come on, it’s celery. It’s the pretty much the most boring vegetable ever, unless its smothered in blue cheese or peanut butter and raisins. Ants on a log was pretty sick… Am I right?
The saving grace was the sticky toffee pudding muffin, served with a sticky caramel-​y sauce and a sour fruit ice cream. Holy goodness that was a good dessert. Perhaps if I had ordered three of them instead of any of the savory courses I’d be writing a different review. That shit was legit.
As we left the restaurant still hungry on our way down the street to get some pizza, I started thinking. I have literally NEVER eaten dinner out twice in a row ever in my life. Sure there’s been dinner, drunk dancing, and then second dinner/​drunk snacks, but not like this. Why would I spend an appreciable amount of money on dinner and drinks and then literally have to eat a whole other dinner? I am, admittedly, a food obsessed fat kid at heart, but this was even astonishing to me. What the what? All being said, I was sadly let down by brick and mortar. Perhaps they’ll change and learn from new mistakes, but it certainly will take a lot to get me back here.