New Wave Cafe

I’m in the food /​hospitality business and can be hyper critical of both. This place has it down. Cool but not too cool to be friendly, chill and happy to be accommodating. Impeccable hospitality and truly friendly service from the bartender who guided me thru beer options, the person who delivered my meal, the owner who was making genuinely friendly smalltalk with anyone. Even 12 am food is done with pride and standards. Much better than I expect to find at that hour — surprisingly better at any hour than one expects for bar food. So glad to find this rare balance of high standards and chill service right in my neighborhood!

I would recommend going elsewhere for better service… like McDonald’s.

always lively and bustling with a crowd ! new wave knows how to keep their customers happy. bartenders are quick and friendly, remember your orders and are knowledgable of the products they are selling. the food is standard bar food, nothing shocking but good ! table service kinda slacks which is why I’m giving 4 stars but I’ll keep coming back

Great place! Very clean, friendly bartenders and plenty of room to hang out. Nothing is over priced (typical city move), a full range of liquor and beers on tap. I haven’t had any food from here, that’s why it is only a 4 star.

If you don’t have a Sunday spot for brunch and football, give this place a shot! Awesome beer, awesome food and awesome crowd! I will definitely be back.

Great smaller sports bar. My fiancé and I went to watch an MSU game and the crowd was fun and nice to chat with. The service was amazing– our female server was so friendly and on point. I asked her suggestions regarding beer and food and she nailed it. Seriously some of the best service we’ve had in this city. Beer is very reasonably priced and good selection. For bar food, it’s a great place (make sure you get the tater tots). Pleasantly surprised, will be back.

Good place to watch a game. Usually full of friendly regulars. Food can be hit or miss, I think it depends on which chef is working that day. Fine beer selection. Darts/​pool in the back. Kid friendly is you’re just eating. Sidewalks seats available in good weather.

My favorite neighborhood bar and restaurant. The staff is amazingly friendly, and make the place what it is. Their drink selection is really great and reasonable. The kitchen is open late and has standard bar fare, but also does a lot of specials that are pretty amazing. The crowd tends to be really friendly and fun to be around as well. Go, hang out, have a pint and some food, and just enjoy the atmosphere. (Especially in the warmer months when there is outdoor seating.

I first started going to New Wave about 2 years ago, which at that time I would’ve given a 5 star experience. However, they have since changed their menu (and not for the better) and their service is no longer anything to brag about.
Unfortunately, I will not be rushing back to New Wave for lunch or dinner anytime soon. I will admit that they have a great selection of beers, which will be the only thing I end up going back for.

I’m a little torn on this place because I think had I ordered something different, I would’ve liked it better. However, service could have been better too. We sat outside and it took a long time before anyone acknowledged us. Then it took a long time between the server bringing us our water and menus, disappearing for a while, ordering our beers, and then actually getting our beers. It wasn’t particularly busy and it was a Sunday, so I’m not sure what the hold up was.
After a long day, I wasn’t craving anything heavy or greasy, so I opted for the taco salad that comes with strips of steak. It was just okay. The French dressing made sense with it and the steak I did get was flavorful, but there was so little of it. Honestly, most of my salad was just lettuce, which duh it’s a salad, I know I’m supposed to get lettuce, but there was hardly any other type of interesting topping, minus the few pieces of crunchy tortilla strips strewn about. I was hungry by the time I got home. For the prices that seemed above average for a corner bar, I wasn’t really impressed.
My boyfriend ordered the chicken finger appetizer tossed in buffalo, and they were delicious. Hearty pieces of chicken in a delicious breading and the buffalo sauce reminds of the great boneless buffalo sauces you’d get back in Scranton– sweet with a nice added spicy kick. We said if we ever came here again we’d just order a crap ton of buffalo wings because if that’s the sauce they come in, I’d be very pleased.
I’ll give it another try for the wings or maybe one of the sandwiches that sounded delicious and update my review.

I’m a bit biased towards New Wave since I met my fiancé here, but I just met some friends here for dinner/​drinks recently. I’ll go off of that meal:
The beer is fabulous. SO many draughts and bottles– you absolutely will NOT dehydrate at this establishment.
The servers are also on-​it! Before our pitchers were empty, she was taking our order for the next one. Food came out quick, plates were taken as soon as the last person finished eating… like a fine ballet!
I ordered the fish taco appetiser as my dinner, and I have to admit it was very gringo execution. I kinda admit partial fault for that as it was kind of a weird thing to order though.
I also really liked that they left us alone to chat and have fun and relax. I didn’t feel rushed at all, and as a result I definitely ordered more.
I’ve been here for brunch, dinners, lunch, snacks, waiting for a table at the BYO across the street, and long nights of intense drinking etc. and I’ve really never had a bad experience.

Sadly I have loved and been going to this bar for years, this past Tuesday at their 30^th Birthday Party I was treated very badly by a co owner who works there. I was outside telling my friend a story being very animated. I was told that I was being too loud and I was not allowed back in. I said I had a tab opened and if I could not go back in that I could not pay. The co owner said not to worry about my tab, to just leave. A bar tender named Mary Anne slammed my credit card down and was rude to my friend saying «they don’t fuck around» and actually charged my credit card without authorization. The rest of the staff has always been friendly and kind to me, but this night has completely changed my perspective of this place. I am putting in a dispute for the credit card transaction and never going there again.

It took us about 25 minutes to be seated. The server was rude. He brought our food after almost an hour. We ordered medium bergers but what we received were rare!
I’ll never go back there!

I’ve lived in Philly for 4+ years now and have experienced all the young-​pro neighborhoods. That being said, this is by far the best neighborhood bar that I’ve lived around. Great beer, great tvs, great food, pool table and darts, friendly bartenders, play quizzo on Monday nights, plenty of bar seats, outside seating during the warm months, etc. basically everything you want in a bar.
The beer list is great and constantly rotating. The food menu goes a few steps beyond your normal bar food; catfish BLT is a top Sammy choice for me. Don’t have a single complaint about this place. Def has that neighborhood vibe, which is something I always enjoy.

This bar has a nice vibe, decent seating, friendly service. The reason for the 3 stars, well the food. This kitchen uses quality product, our salmon was cooked nicely, many restaurants tend to overcook salmon… Scallops could have used slightly more sear, fresh cut fries great, the crab Mac and cheese was a miss… The general issue with the food is under seasoning… We had to add salt and pepper to everything except the fries, and more than once.
The Mac and cheese had a lemon flavor which was off putting for Mac and cheese and also masked the flavor of the lump crab that was added… Also, it’s nice that the modern Mac and cheese has new cheese mixtures but all macs should have a good sharp cheddar or else it’s just going to be lacking.
Overall, it’s definitely a step above average pub food but the recipes need to be tweaked, mostly to enhance flavor

This is my boyfriends favorite place, and it has become a favorite of mine as well! Really great place to meet a group of people or for a chill night out. The food for more of like a pub is really good. Everything I have had is great. The catfish sandwich is really outstanding. I also love their fries.
Its really fun to go and play pool, darts or watch a game. Overall, a great neighborhood bar.

Whether you’re looking for a spot to enjoy drink specials at while playing a game of pool or darts, a gastropub with good craft beers and slightly better than standard pub fare, or a solid sports bar to revel during a game amid South Philly regulars; you’ll find it at this neighborhood institution.
In a big way you really do get more than kind of bar in this Queen Village watering hole. The main attraction is the center pub that’s just off a dive thanks to its well rounded craft beer selection, that caters to plenty of colorful locals and regulars. The second is its dining area which features plenty of gastropub staples, as well as a tasty menu which may border just a bit on the excessive. Add in a game room thats complete with a dart board, a classic pool table, at least one arcade game, and plenty of bobbleheads; and you have a good spot to chill with friends on a slow drinky weekday.
With 20 appetizers, 9 salads, 12 sandwiches, 7 burgers, 6 large plates, and pizza options, the menu is pretty freaking large and hard to chose from. But it does have plenty of winners among it like the fig & prosciutto pizza, Texas burger with jalepenos and BBQ sauce, crab mac and cheese, and Guinness battered fish and chips.

Cool, hip, neighborhood bar with great pub grub and service. My friend who knows I am interested in moving to this neighborhood in the near future, suggested I try this restaurant/​bar. So, as I was nearby getting my haircut on South Street, I decided to try it today for lunch. Most people were sitting on the bar side but I wanted to sit at a table. It’s decorated with album covers moatly signed from the 70’sand 80’s time period.
They have a variety of foods, I tried the Chicken Italiano sandwich which was sauteed garlic, spinach, red peppers, chicken and provolone cheese and it comes with side salad or fries. I decided to get salad. Free refills on Diet coke. Waitress was very nice and attentive. I will come back in the near future.

After a recent event, two handfuls of Unilocalers congregated (read: took over) the pool table area. I’m glad, because the space surrounding the bar was pretty congested. While I am fine with standing around in a bar – in fact, prefer a bar to lounge, for example – I don’t enjoy doing so in narrow spaces. This isn’t The Skinny and we’re not in New York, so to such circumstances I say Nay.
That said, the staff behind the bar were on top of the high-​traffic situation. The place is in good shape, and I had a good time failing at pool. Otherwise, I find the place a little odd. Kitschy, even: Women walking around with complimentary shots and a reindeer hat. Christmas decorations stored under the pool table. Yeah, you bet we found that stuff, New Wave. And we decided to wear it for a while. Because we are Unilocalers and we are silly. And what is with the name here? It really makes no sense.

I, too, was one of the Unilocalers corralled to New Wave after the Cavanaugh’s event last Thursday. Based on the name (café??) I didn’t know what we were in for, but it turned out to be a great place for a late night gathering.
Like Lindsay V., I also purchased a Dogfish Pumpkin Ale and was impressed with the bathroom situation, as well as the efficient and nice bartenders despite a packed house.
I also was being a huge fan of «back corners» that night for whatever reason, and found a nice, cozy back corner near the pool table that happened to have a TV showing the Flyers game. If I’m holding a beer, I tend to suddenly become a sports fan, so it was exciting to have prime viewing! (I believe the Flyers won. They did get a goal while I watched. So that was good.)
If ever in the area again, I’d definitely stop back in – perhaps earlier in the night to try their food!