Rival Bros

Very cosy place, a little bit small place but I guess that’s what makes it cosy. The coffe bean selection is pretty good and the single oregin espresso is great. Also I would recommend to try their Chemex method, they really get right this guys. Very good sandwiches and pastries!
The only down side to it is a girl the works there, she’s actually nice, but when ever she makes either the method coffee or espresso is not good, the Chemex comes out shorter and a little bitter, the espresso comes out burnt and also bitter. So when I see her I just go for the regular drip coffee which is quate good. She’s nice though and she gives the chance to order other things!

Solid coffee, and good people. A great addition to the neighborhood for sure. These guys are true coffee experts!

I honestly have nothing but good things to say about this coffee truck. I went on the last day the coffee truck was still running and they have since moved onto a store front so this review might be unnecessary but since it was a good experience and they have a new store front opening soon, thought I’d give my thoughts.
I am by no means a coffee expert, but I have been drinking a lot more lately so thats about my only qualifications. I can’t really tell the difference between certain characteristics of the beans, and where they are grown and etc, but I can tell shit coffee from good coffee and this place has that gourmet shit.
I had their brown sugar latte which is a lightly sweet which is nice change from the ridiculously sweet lattes from well known chains like Starbucks, Wawa, and DD’s and the coffee flavor tastes more rich and comes through cleaner.
When I bought a couple of bags of locally roasted beans the guy even gave me a free sample on the house so that was nice too. Looking forward to seeing their storefront shop.

Stopped at Rival Bros during the Manayunk StrEAT food festival and it was great! I came here early knowing most stuff wouldn’t be opened yet, but I wanted a parking spot. Walked around for a little bit, stopped at Rival Bros to check out their coffee selection and out popped a guy asking if we wanted anything. It was only 10:40am but the festival didn’t start till 11. I was like YES (esp before all the lines start forming).
I asked what he recommended and he told me to strawberry iced lattee. The festival was featuring strawberries, so it was nice to see each truck do something different with the ingredient. I love strawberry and I love coffee, but never ever thought it would go together. I was wrong! It was already so hot out, so with the first sip, it was so refreshing. The only thing I would change would be less milk/​cream. I like to taste the coffee, but I guess the cream did create a nice balance with the strawberries.
Oh.and a nice surprise was that when I got near the end of drink, I got some pieces of strawberries. MMMM!!!

I look for excuses to come to West Philly during the regular hours of Rival Bros just so I can go here. A couple visits ago, the barista recommended a brown sugar latte, and that is when I had (arguably) the best coffee drink I have ever had. I think I dreamed about it… and then I went back the next week and got another. It’s a good bribe for me to go to the gym so that I can stop by the Rival truck afterwards!

Great coffee… Locally made. My go-​to is Revolver!

Really enjoy the iced coffee, but I was a little bummed when I recently ordered one sans ice (I was sticking it in the fridge til the following morning) and without mentioning an added charge, the guy charged me $ 1 extra. I asked and he said, «Yeah because it’s extra coffee.» I’ve ordered iced coffees elsewhere light ice (or sans ice) before and never been charged extra… and when someone charges you extra, they usually give you a heads up. Plus it was a Friday at 1:45 in the afternoon (they close at 2), so I wouldn’t think it would be a problem. I will definitely go back, but I just don’t like feeling like I am being nickle-​and-​dimed

My office is in a coffee wasteland — I’m not sure how it’s possible in a city of Philadelphia’s size and coffee caliber, but it’s half a mile to the nearest espresso — and one steamy morning on my bike to work, I was thinking about how I’d forgotten to start the cold brew the day before, contemplating the dreary Starbucks-​brand coffee options at the office and really feeling pretty sorry for myself :(
That’s when I saw it: the coffee truck! I ordered an iced coffee with the sweetened condensed milk. At first, I got a lot of strong roasty flavor, and then as the ice melted and everything got mixed together, it morphed into a sweet, smooth drink with nutty notes and a nice slightly bitter edge. Good morning!
I can’t wait to buy a bag of their beans and see how this stuff comes out at home, but for now, suffice it to say that my morning is made every time this truck comes around.

Derringer and the Iced Coffee with condensed milk. Derringer was as good as the Gibraltar’s that Blue Bottle Coffee serves. This is my new goto drink whenever and wherever it’s available. One of the best so far here at Rival bros.
Iced coffee with the condensed milk was good, but not my style, will stick to the regular great iced coffee, unsweetened from now on.

Summary: Damn good coffee.
Let me put this in the clearest way possible. I am a coffee snob. Yes, a coffee snob.
I tend to dislike all the chain coffee outlets (Starbucks, DD, Saxby’s, etc), just because they tend to burn their beans more often than not, and even in the event that they don’t do that, they’re still overcharging for the quality of what they serve.
Rival Brothers? I’d gladly overpay. Really. This is only the third place (and first food-​truck) which I have ever found that serves good tasting coffee that can please an aficionado like me. (For the record, the other two are 1) my own home and 2) the tiny coffee shop at Paoli Train Station)
The regular coffee (or bold) is definitely the way to go, and you won’t be disappointed for sure. Or else, message me. I’ll refund you on behalf of them. That’s how good it is.
Tip: Make sure to use LevelUp (a mobile payment system for smartphones) — you’ll definitely be coming back, and you get 10% back for every 20 $ you spend. Trust me, it’ll add up.

Review an incredible food truck while managing to give my «I Hate Starbucks» list a needed revisit at the same time? Don’t mind if I do!
On a hot and blistering Night Market evening the Rival Bros had me at just the idea of grabbing an iced coffee. But upon further inspection (brought to you by Vinny’s urgings and vast knowledge); I was able to learn that thanks to a mobile café that’s complete with a two group La Marzocco, and a built in pour-​over station, they’re able to deliver an espresso or coffee that’s better than most fully operational coffeehouses! Add in the ability to order some unique bean blends on their website and you have a coffee lovers dream that needs far more recognition.
So whether its on their normal hangout of 33^rd & Arch, or wherever their Facebook page (
) urges you; definitely be sure to be on the lookout!

I ordered a bag of their Revolver roast after reading about them on Serious Eats (link below). I just received my twelve ounce bag today, three days after it was roasted. Philadelphia to Milwaukee. Good customer service. Seriously good coffee!

Now that was one fine cup of coffee.
Even an anti-​caffeine oddball such as myself can appreciate the exquisite richness of Rival Bro’s decaf palooka blend with subtle hints of toffee & thyme.
An obscenely convenient 300 feet from my office, I’ll be sure to hit up this coffee shop on wheels whenever my next fresh roast craving hits.
FYI they carry whole, skim and 100% lactose free milk.
+1 for the option to pay with your phone (and thank you LevelUp for spotting me my first dollar to spend here!).

This is delicious coffee, and I’ve only had the drip. This is how I wish I could start every morning.
I’m already looking forward to my next morning in center city because rival bros is the best way to start the day.

As I left city hall one morning, too early for the Love Park lunch trucks, I remembered that Rival has a home there. I grabbed a pour over of the Whistle & Cuss. I pretty much know nothing about coffee, but I know that I enjoyed this cup. I’m not a purist, and I added a little cream. It was a damn fine cup of coffee. Now I have something to look forward to after morning hearings.

After a brief stint working at P&K, I wholeheartedly support any new ventures its employees are involved in, so I really wanted to try Rival Bros. coffee.
These guys run, pretty much, a full coffee bar from a truck.
That is cool.
They were also playing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs when I was there. That’s also cool.

Wow! Their coffee is fantastic. I“m not really a coffee snob so initially I was a bit intimidated when I saw the menu… drip coffee? hand pour? derringer? I really dont’ know the difference, but what I do know is that the coffee is delicious. I just got a regular drip coffee which had a delicious aromatic/​robust flavor anddidn’t have that gross burnt taste like Starbucks. Additionally, the truck is really stylish, they play good music, they are curteous enough to have a stand/​platform for short people to reach the sugar/​cream, and the coffee truck guy is really friendly. I will definitely be going here for my coffee from now on!

A well thought out roast
Not just rot-​gut truck coffee
Pay the easy way
Rival Brothers is some damn good coffee. I’m rarely around the park during the week, but caught them parked in front of Pub & Kitchen (go figure) last weekend. Downed a Derringer, a really smooth two shot cup with a little steamed milk mixed in. For two shots and just a hint of cream, it was damn smooth. They really put a good espresso blend together, strong but without the acidic bitterness accompanying a lot of the machine-​pulled shots. Seriously this coffee is damn good.
There are some other little perks that come along with Rival Bros, mainly the pound bags of coffee to purchase. As someone who is up on the social media tip, I certainly appreciate that they broadcast their location on twitter (@Rivalbroscoffee) and on Facebook (
) on a regular basis. It’s how I knew there were at P&K. They also accept the Square card case, which if you don’t use you should. Just look it up. No wallet required.
Oh yeah, and there coffee is GOOD. Go there.

If first impressions are any indication of what a business can provide then I see Rival Bros being rather successful. I recently had my first cup, chemex brewed of their Revolver roast and it was heavenly.
After a campaign of assaulting them on twitter and my inability to actually get to Love Park to visit the truck, I finally received my bag of Revolver from Rebecca. When I first opened it, the beans looked to be a medium roast. The beans were surprisingly not oily but the smell was pretty intoxicating.
The coffee bloomed very well in the chemex and produced a full, robust cup that was extremely easy to drink. I savored it instead of just tossing it down like I do with other coffees. I could see myself wanting more but instead of brewing another cup, I just took my time. It was well worth it.
I want to try their other varieties. I want to visit their truck. Maybe I’ll take off one day and get there.
This coffee is awesome.

With Love Park ushering in truck after truck of lunchtime treats on a rotation ranging from Far From Home (RIP) and Guapos Tacos to Sweetbox and The Cupcake Lady, it was only a matter of time before the rushhour power people of Penn Center were awarded an A.M. coffee truck to ease them into yet another work day.
After much anticipation from posts on Twitter and Foobooz, the newest kid on the block Rival Bros. finally pulled up in the park to start serving up their four blends to the cofffee craving community. Whistle & Cuss, Palooka, Revolver, and Featherweight are the standard blends available on the daily by drip, handpour, or by the bagged bean to enjoy at home. Don’t worry, as far as I know you can still get your Americano, Latte, and Cappucchino. I’ll confirm that at a later date, today I was all about a black Revolver.
Cream or sugar? No thanks. I don’t know the history of the plants, I don’t know fancy brewing techniques, and I only recently learned what a peaberry bean is from a barista in San Juan, I do however know that the better the cup of coffee the more unnecessary it is to cover its flavor with cream and sugar. Sure, light and sweet may be a personal preference for some, but the Revolver was perfect without any «fluff». Piping hot, smooth, full flavored with hints of cocoa, this little cup of coffee packed a major «punch» (don’t get it? check their logo) and was the perfect start to my morning.
From what I read before heading over to the truck this morning, the two guys that run this mobile operation are better known as the executive chef of P&K (Jonathan Adams) and coffee connoisseur via La Colombe, Damien Pileggi. Now I don’t know about all of that, but these down to earth guys know what’s up in bringing their business within a stones throw of my office. With a seriously sleek looking truck, great coffeeshop tunes, and a solid cup of coffee, you better get yourself over to Love Park before the secret’s out about the newest member of the Philadelphia food truck takeover.