Rhino Bar

Popped in here on New Year’s Day after taking in some of the parade and what a nice surprise! My parents were with me and after waiting around for 5 minutes for a host to show us to a table, we ended up sitting down at the nearest hightop and a really sweet waiter said it was no problem that we did so. I’m thinking they were a little short staffed that day. They had a lot of beers on tap and the food was the type that anyone could find something they liked, which is good for my family of somewhat picky eaters. I had the chicken drummettes, which were delicious after a night of drinking, my dad had the burger, which he said was great, and my mom had the lobster grilled cheese sandwich, which she loved. This a good casual place to bring friends who aren’t looking for anything fancy. The food is familiar enough and there are plenty of good drink options.
Will definitely be back!

The food and drink selections were phenomenal. The food itself was very good, and the portions were large comparative to other city establishments. Friendly crew, and fast service. A must stop for anyone visiting the area!

Rhino Bar… Where did you come from… When did you show up? I must have missed your arrival.
Regardless, Krista P and I sopped in on a Thursday night for dinner. We sat at the bar and had impeccable service. We ordered the Hummus as an appetizer which was delicious. They even happily brought more bread when we asked.
For dinner, we both ordered the burger. I thought that mine was fine. I didn’t have anything negative to say.
They also had extensive beer list and drink specials for Happy Hr. So I would definitely check them out for HH as well.
I’d give this place a chance in life…

A great new place to add in to the dinner rotation. I try to stick to BYOB’s so as to be friendly to my wallet, but the entrees here are so affordable, I think I spent less than I would at a BYO. We started with the calamari and the brussels sprouts. Both were quite good. For my entrée, I opted for the lobster grilled cheese. It really hit the spot. The service was also quite good. So glad to have this place as a new option.

We have been to Rhino four times now for drinks and small plates. First, aside from the $ 1 oyster/​clams the brussell sprouts with fresno chili is awesome. The potato skins are a meal for two itself and the truffle fries are good but I am not a fry person.
Drins are cheap, cheap, cheap and the bar tenders are nice.

I met a friend for drinks and food here a few weeks ago, after she found them online when we were looking for a bar in the neighborhood. I had no idea I was in for such a treat.
First of all, the waiter was super helpful, friendly – and good-​natured when my friend teased him after he admitted he was wearing fake glasses. (Doesn’t my friend know that’s what all the cool kids are doing now?)
In terms of drinks, I didn’t check out their wine list at all, but they do have a decent craft/​microbrew draft selection.
And finally, the food:
— The mixed seafood ceviche was fresh, light, and had a really nice tangy citrus flavor to it, not at all sweet, and a little spicy. The only thing I would have liked is some plantain chips to eat it with.
–The pan– fried brussel sprouts appetizer was ridiculously good. It was done perfectly, crispy on the outside, and with tiny diced peppers mixed in.
— We also ordered the hangar steak frites, and it came out Argentine style with some fresh, amazing and authentic-​tasting chimichurri on it! The medium rare was tending toward rare, but it was so good we ate it anyway. The frites were thin and almost tasted like they had truffle oil on them. So good.
I saw they have a Sunday brunch menu — something like breakfast sandwiches for $ 3… .
I would definitely go back!

Found Rhino Bar after going around center city looking for a bar to sit and have a drink on a Friday night. We had just been at Good Dog bar which was very crowded and we didn’t even have a chance to take off our coats there. Rhino Bar was the total opposite, we were able to get two seats at their beautiful granite bar. The bar staff were very friendly and the potato skins were delicious. The prices of drinks were really affordable, I got $ 2 yuengling drafts on a Friday night! Will go back again.

I’ve been wanting to try Rhino ever since I heard it was opening. I loved Fish and was excited to try this more casual scene, but was a bit underwhelmed.
We came in for dinner and drinks around 6:30 and got 1 drink in under happy hour which was great. It was not too crowded and the waiter was nice. $ 2 Cider? I’ll take it. I think it was $ 4 well drinks, $ 5 wine, and $ 2 cans so pretty decent happy hour prices.
The atmosphere is minimal, they haven’t changed much from Fish, which was fine.
We got really excited/​overwhelmed with the menu because everything looked so good and reasonably priced. Bar snacks and apps for 4−8ish and sandwiches in the low to mid teens.
THE GOOD.
–The brussel sprouts. They were reallly good: pretty large portion, crispy and flavorful and just cooked perfectly.
— Potato skins with chorizo. They were pretty big too, three large halves loaded with cheese, sour cream, chorizo, and scallions. A bit on the crispy side and hard to eat though.
–French Onion soup was the perfect thing to warm me up. Delicious and not too salty. VERY cheesy.
THE NOT SO GOOD.
–My friend’s sandwich came out awkardly early and we just drooled over her food while waiting for ours. not cool.
–The fish tacos came out soggy and looking like they stuck a fish stick and coleslaw on an uncooked tortilla. They were big but what’s the point if they taste like nothing? My friend was unimpressed and barely ate half.
–The meatball sandwich was also soggy and (although large) underwhelming. No sauce and just kind of bland. Fries were good but a bit McDonalds-​ish. What a letdown.
Next time we’ll stick to appetizers and drinks. I guess this is more pub than gastropub! Maybe things will change when they’ve been around a bit longer.

Though a little oily, the Fried Brussels Sprouts were really delicious with a little vinegar and spice from the hot red peppers. I also ordered the Lobster Grilled Cheese, which was very tasty as a sandwich, but did not maximize the flavor of the lobster underneath the fontina cheese and green tomatoes. I think this is the first time I’ve ever had green tomatoes that weren’t fried… I am from the South and thought they grew that way.

A great addition to 13^th St… I think the proprietors of Rhino (the same that brought you Fish) identified a «gap» in the food/​drink scene in Midtown Village — there was no place to come in and just chill. Not by yourself, and not with a group. Seems to me that Rhino is looking to fill this void, and I think they’ll be successful!
Menu features several shareable items, of which we sampled the brussel sprouts and roasted pork/​broccoli rabe/​provolone egg rolls. The brussel sprouts were SO SO good. You’d be dumb not to try them, even if you have some sort of aversion to brussel sprouts. Crispy, salty, and a little hot with the diced peppers mixed in.
The egg rolls were a very cool take on one of Philly’s classic sandwiches. Delectably executed, and comes with some sort of dipping sauce that added an element of sweetness to blend with the incredible savor delivered by the pork, broccoli rabe, and melted provolone.
Before jumping to the next wave of food, let’s talk about drinks. Happy hour. 4−7pm Monday through Friday. $ 2 canned beer. Get some. Nice selection and right prices = a must. Happy hour also applied to wine and mixed drinks, but I didn’t think the special was anything too special, otherwise I’d have remembered what it was.
Okay, back to the food… she got oysters (served all day everyday) and I had the wings, which came highly recommended. My first three were great! They felt more like ribs, which is different for chicken. But then they got a bit gritty, and I don’t know why. Chatted about it with the bartender, who was awesome. She really adds a great vibe and identity behind the bar.
Overall a great first experience. Place is new, so there will be some changes to the menu coming soon. Learned that they’ll be expanding brunch options, although they currently have a breakfast sandwich available on weekends that sounded pretty good.
Recommendations for this place: have games for people to play so you can draw a chill crowd, if any crowd, for hours post 10:30 pm and get TVs beyond the bar so people can come in for sports events.
I’ll be back. See you there!

I am rooting for Rhino bar. It would be a great addition to the neighborhood but somehow it left me feeling a little underwhelmed after my first visit.
I went there when it had been open for about a week – the manager took the time to come over to us and ask if we thought it looked closed from the outside (it did… apparently their signs haven’t come yet). The décor also seemed a little unfinished
Here were the highlights:
–the chicken drumettes-​these are drumstick-​only wings and for me the stand-​out of the meal. The meat was tender and falling off the bone, as though it was slow-​cooked. The sauce was tangy and just the right amount of spice. really unlike any other wings I’ve had in philly, and I go in for wings. These alone are a reason to come back.
–the brussel sprouts– pan fried with some little hot peppers and just delicious. they’re listed as ‘fried’ on the menu, but they’re not breaded or anything.
–the tap list and cocktails had great variety and interesting options
The lowlights
–the broth for the mussels was bland, in my opinion (though they did bring our group more of the grilled bread to share, which I greatly appreciated)
–the burger was overcooked
–everything on the menu, with the exception of a salad or two, was really heavy. I left feeling like I had gained 20 pounds.
–some items seemed overpriced for the quantity/​ingredients
overall, I will give Rhino another chance, possibly during happy hour. There is so much potential there. I hope they step up their game.