Snackbar

Again, this place being closed is…“Woohoo! As good as it gets!” lol

I’m not too surprised this place has closed its doors, though I will miss the little nook off to the side of the bar. It was a very romantic little table, and both times boyfriend I stopped for drinks we were always able to sit there. If that little nook were in any other space in Rittenhouse, it would be an impossible table to get.
The drinks were okay, reasonably priced for the neighborhood, but I can’t get on board with paying $ 11 for an appetizer portion of mussels that weren’t all that good. I wish I’d had a chance to have something else off the menu, but I never had the urge to order real food. I never got the «restaurant» vibe from this place, but was happy to pop in for happy hour.
The bathrooms were really nice.
I’m having a really hard time being effusive with the praise for this place, can’t you tell?

Snackbar hasn’t changed markedly from its previous incarnations. Dim lighting and a dining room the size of a Spanish breadbox make this place appropriate for an quiet gathering before a wild night out. Drinks aren’t cheap — it’s Rittenhouse Square — but potent enough to hit you without a major fight.
Service knows their stuff.
Try the Tunisian meatballs ($ 10). Apparently their recipe is homemade. Either way, they’re served up with a baked egg and a blend of Middle Eastern herbs. (My friends weren’t fans, so your mileage may vary.) The mussels provencal ($ 12) were decent, cooked in a roasted tomato and fennel bisque. I appreciated them as much as I did our cheese plate ($ 15), which had an assortment of cheeses like manchego, cana de Oveja, delice de Bourgogne, and Roaring Forties.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here, but don’t be surprised if you see me there during happy hour.

Snackbar is a small and intimate kind of place, one that’s best for when there’s just a couple of people in your group. And that’s part of the nicety. Because it’s so small, every time I’ve been there it’s never been too crowded, and thus the service is good.
Their food and drinks are great. At my last visit I had a turkey sandwich and fries. The sandwich was like eating Thanksgiving all over again on delicious artisan bread, and it was very filling. The appetizers are always good too, from what I can remember I think the calamari is my fav.
I’ve never been let down by Snackbar, so I’m keeping it on my regular rotation.

This is a very chill place with a great location, good atmosphere, strong drinks, and a friendly bar staff.
It also seems to attract a regular crowd, which is, for me, a good sign.
I’ve only been here a couple times, but it’s been extremely pleasant each time. I could actually see myself bringing a date here, which is odd, because I’m usually pickier about my date restaurants than I am about my dates. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why women despise me and my ilk. Ha!
I can’t really comment on the food because I only drink here. But like I said, the drinks are strong and the bar staff is friendly.
Pro-​tip: Bring yo friends. This is a really cool place to hang out and have a few before moving on to something more ridiculous.

I went to Snackbar the other night with my family, my Mom really wanted to try the pirogies that Philly Mag raved about last year.
First off, the door/​front of restaurant lists nothing about hours of operation so one of us went in to ask if and when they would be open. One of the staff members looked at him and said bluntly «5 o’clock». I guess she was testy since they must get that question all the time, but what do you expect when you don’t post it outside.
Second, once we were seated we realized that the pirogies are no longer on the menu, bummer! My Mom was pretty disappointed but we decided to stay and have drinks and some small plates anyway. The calamari was really bad; mostly breading and really salty. The boneless wings had way too much sauce and the chicken wasn’t really tender. The Roaring 40’s blue cheese plate was out of balance; a big chunk of cheese, heavy smearing of fig jam, lots of fig coins and three or four crostini. Exactly how high to you want me to pile those little pieces of bread??? It’s a small plate with a strong blue cheese, I would have been happy with completely finishing 1oz. of each ingredient vs. having the kitchen throw away the extra.
Third, Guys; you’re not Le Bec Fin stop trying to act like it. The staff here is pretty pretentious and one of our servers was just simply not very bright… She kept trying to make our dining experience more ostentatious by over exaggerating everything she did or doing this strange knee bend when she reached for the pitcher of Schuylkill Punch to refill our waters. My favorite was when she brought my Dad a beer and made this big show of opening the bottle at the table and then said, «sir, may I offer you a glass for your beverage?» Even after saying this and seeing my Dad’s perplexed face she had no idea that she had brought out a glass with the beer in the first place.
This was definitely not the worst dining experience I’ve had in Philly, but I don’t think I’ll be back. I’d like to say it’s worth it to stop in for a cocktail but the beer list is pretty slim and my cocktail was served in this tall glass; mostly ice and soda with very little bourbon to speak of.

I stopped into Snackbar for drinks and was pleased with the experience. The cocktails are great and they were able to offer suggestions for tasty drinks that were not on the menu. We got an order of the fries and the aioli sauce was delicious! I was tempted to order more fries to soak up the remaining sauce, but I resisted. Our server was quite good. He was personable, knowledgeable, and helpful. Also, they were very generous with water refills, which was much appreciate on a hot June evening.
My only complaint for the evening is that service was a little slow. As I mentioned, our server was excellent, but he seemed overextended.

So I used to be a HUGE fan of SnackBar. Like the kind of fan that would go there often. The kind of fan that would have rated SnackBar at 5 stars easily. However, over the years SnackBar has changed drastically. For the WORSE.
Originally, SnackBar was a bar that changed their drink and food menu based on the season. Which was neat. And their drinks were intelligent, and delicious, and interesting combos of liquors and mixers. However, over time, they have become VERY boring, traditional, and predictable. Additionally, a tad overpriced.
The ambiance is cool, and it’s a neat street to sit out on and enjoy a drink and watch the crowd. However, with Franklin, Tria, and a number of other bars within a 5 — 10 minute walk, I wouldn’t seek out SnackBar any longer.
Additionally, their service has gone down hill. Lately, I’ve been made to wait FOREVER for a drink, a glass of water, or even a MENU!
Not worth my time.

This place is intimate and feels warms (homely, not the temperature). It’s right off Rittenhouse Square.
They have a good selection of wine. They bring your water in these glass jars that they leave at your table and the staff was very good about stopping by our table to fill up our water for us whenever it was getting low. The menu has some fairly delicious sounding stuff on it. My date & I split an appetizer of assorted pickles. It was good (pickled tomatoes!!!) but splitting it with 2 people, we each could only get 4. For something I can get for dirt cheap somewhere else, not impressed. I ordered the Potato Gnocchi for dinner. It was SUPER delicious with mushrooms in this creamy Parmesan sauce. but the portion was so small I felt like I wanted more. And it was one of the most expensive things on the menu. My date ordered the Margherita pizza which actually was fairly large for one person and looked a lot more worth the cash spent on it.
Our food came out in less than a half hour which is awesome, but this is where it gets weird…
Our waitress, who was really knowledgeable about the menu and friendly and came at all the right times, just flat out DISAPPEARED once we were done eating. we didn’t see her in the restaurant anywhere and after sitting at our table for another half hour twiddling our thumbs, we finally asked another server for our check which he apologetically brought to us, but offered no explanation as to where the hell our waitress went. weird. it left a bad taste in our mouth.
there are a lot more nice restaurants in the area that give you more of what you pay for that won’t have spotty service. i’d skip this place.

A block off the square
An upscale tapas menu
Warm, lounge atmosphere
Snack Bar is a happening corner spot, tables packed together both inside and out. The deep red walls and fireplace give the place an amazingly warm feel, and the mirror (with the menu written on it) appears to give the room a bit more size. It’s been years since I was here, and they’ve moved from the short tables of their initial opening to a classier, more accessible smattering of regular height seating.
Came here to grab a beer and some tapas, and the menu certainly didn’t disappoint. After 3 offerings, I left full and more importantly, fulfilled.
The first course was the Potato Pierogies with Caviar and a Chive Crème Fraîche. They were excellent, pan fried and crispy but not burnt on the outside, soft and chewy just under the crust. The sauce wasn’t my favorite, just a touch too watery for my liking. The chives were not overpowering, but I would have liked a little more body.
Second up was the Chicken Cordon Bleu. It was quite tasty, but much smaller than anticipated. I’m not a huge fan of breading when ordering off a good menu, because it’s almost too easy. The chicken was good, but it didn’t quite have that hearty, filling feeling one expects from this sort of dish. I might have liked a little more cheese, too.
Last, and definitely the winner, was the Pork Belly Confit with Brussel Sprouts and a Dijon sauce. The pork belly was amazing, almost like eating a salted hard candy. The pork inside was incredibly soft, n but not stringy or mushy. Melting in your mouth doesn’t quite do it justice. If you’re trying to eat healthy, steer clear, but if you appreciate a multitude of textures and flavors in your dish, dig right in.
Overall, Snack Bar is worth the money. You might have a difficult time getting a seat, but the bar is always a good option.

Decided to give this Rittenhouse mainstay a try for a late happy hour/​early dinner. Not being exceptionally hungry (and wanting to sample a few dishes) we avoided the entrees and made a few smaller selections.
Calamari — This had a nice, light breading with good seasoning that was perfectly fried. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the underlying calamari, which was on the chewy side. It happens.
Ramen — The fiancé said it was ok, but nothing spectacular. Why are there so many phở restaurants but not a single prominent ramen house in Philly? Someone needs to jump on this.
Clam and lardo flatbread — This had potential, but the flavors just didn’t come together for me. The clams were few and far between. The flatbread was tasty, but a little tough in areas.
Overall we were disappointed. Maybe in their defense our expectations were too high (although for the location and prices I think it reasonable to look for quality and innovation). To their credit the popcorn was very good.

I’ve been to Snackbar a couple times for HH — and the drinks do not disappoint! They recently changed their drink menu, now offering a small selection of cocktails (about 4) in print.
This tiny restaurant is great in all weather — equipped with a modern fireplace for the winter and large operable windows perfect for catching a cool breeze in the summer. Snackbar’s «hotflash» ($ 7) has kept me toasty during this exceptionally snowy winter. The chili infused vodka packs some serious heat and is not for the faint of heart!

I got here a bit before my friend and I enjoyed the calm/​coolness of this place. The little fire and the red walls helped me to decompress. While waiting, I was pleasantly surprised that I was there during happy hour (5−7pm) and some of the small plates were $ 5 — so of course I helped myself to a glass of house merlot and the caramel popcorn and olives plate.
When my friend arrived, we drank more wine and shared the periogies. These were just amazing — the light green chives sauce was so good! For my main dish, I ordered the short ribs with little carrots and barley, but this dish was just TOO damn salty. My friend couldn’t believe how salty it was. The short ribs were cooked just perfectly but how could the chef not realize how salty the sauce and thus the whole dish was?!? Wow. My friend who ordered the breakfast burger found her french fries to be extremely salty as well, but that’s more forgiveable. They made it up with dessert though. We ordered the parfait (with a hint of banana) and the funnel cake with cherry coke whipped cream — straight off the boardwalk.
The service was top notch! Our waitress was the best. I only wish that my entrée was good. I’ll be back though for more happy hours and small plates — I’ll pass on the entrees.

My return to Snackbar was a pleasure. I am now a new fan. The new menu is great, lots of options for starters or «snacks» The entrée list is well balanced with choices to fit your mood. Our server was so cute, friendly, and helpful, you just want to box her up and take her everywhere you go. The wine I ordered, which I wrote down the name, and will add later, was fantastic. I had four glasses.
My entrée was a special. It was a Very lightly fried chicken with collard greens and mashed potatoes loaded with fresh herbs and the chicken gizzards. The whole meal was rich and satisfying without being heavy.
This down home food was upscale.
My wife felt her burger with fried egg, was on par with the top Philly burger options.
The ambiance like the food, is a mixture of warm but cool, sleek but cosy. The service is flawless. The only drawback is size, Snackbar is very small, so there may be an issue getting a seat.
I plan on keeping an eye on Snackbar, and when space is available, they can count on seeing much more of me.

Snackbar is killing it these days. I had been for happy hour a few months ago and left unimpressed by the margarita pizza and cocktail.* After the Laban review, some Unilocal reviews & the third year anniversary special ($ ³⁰⁄₃ courses), I decided to re-​assess and it paid off.
The cocktail list had several intriguing possibilities. My date and I decided on the Teq-​reamsicle and Chamomile Daiquiri. The former was nice but the Chamomile Daiquiri was the choice on successive rounds. Imagine that cup of tea loaded with honey and lemon at your grandmother’s home when you were 8; now imagine it’ll help you get your swerve on, too.
Most dishes tasted like the best of all possible worlds version of that dish, still imperfect in some minor detail but the best in my conception. I strongly suggest you try: the perogies with caviar, each a perfect bite; the white bean soup with sage and duck confit, rich and satisfying; the braised short rib with glazed carrots, so absurdly tender; the red snapper with bok choy over jasmine rice, its lovely scent only hinting at the pleasure of actually eating it.
I am only slightly less enthusiastic about the desserts, fried apple pie and triple chocolate cake, both of which I enjoyed but might not order again.
I look forward to visiting Snackbar again.
* I forget the name; it was forgettable.

I really don’t know how many stars to give this place. We were there during restaurant week, a time during which they were celebrating their 3^rd anniversary and 3 bell review with 3 courses for $ 30. Food was DELISH! Amazing, fresh, soft in all the right places and excellently well done!
JRG casually made a reservation, and it seemed like that we were the only 2-​person party dining, we got the sweet private alcove which I can only imagine has seen the hineys of famous «Philadelphians» who hang out in Rittenhouse, like Cole and Heidi Hamels. It’d be perfect for someone desiring privacy, although the size of the table was weird for the spot. It was too short to sit on the sides across from each other, so we sat facing out next to each other. However, there’s a huge art piece which hangs so low one can’t put her back against the wall and needs to rely on her own posture for comfortable seating.
When I arrived a few minutes late for the reservation, the hostess approached me immediately when I gave her jrg’s name. She brought me right to the alcove, where he was sitting. Jrg, who often is mistaken as being a person of mexican descent, told me that when he arrived, he waited for 5 minutes before anyone approached him. He also said that the woman who he thought was the hostess passed him 3 times before acknowledging him. She acknowledged him once he sat at the bar. When he told me this, I immediately noticed that she was scolding one of the well-​dressed hispanic busmen. Seemed a little fishy (i.e. racist) to me. I can’t tolerate this kind of behavior, but my fiancé wants to rate the restaurant higher… so we averaged our scores and came up with 3. Grrr…

After a long day at the office, I was hungry, real hungry and at the recommendation from a coworker, I stopped by Snackbar for some dinner.
While being seated and welcomed by a ridiculously hot waitress, I was informed that there was still 20 minutes left in during happy hour, so I ordered a glass of the red wine. It was nothing special, but after a long day at the office, it was just what the doctor had ordered.
When the waitress returned with my wine, I immediately put in an order for the white bean soup w/​duck confit. When the soup came out, it was so piping hot, I nearly burnt my tongue. OK, I did burn my tongue but nothing was going to stop me from devouring this soup. The soup was rich in texture and flavor. I couldn’t imagine starting my meal off with anything else on this frigid Philly night.
After the soup was disappeared, the main course came out. Can you say Short ribs, barley, and mini carrots? These carrots weren’t baby, but they weren’t full grown either, lets call them teenage carrots. The bold rich flavor of the short ribs combined nicely with the added texture from the large grains of barely. This was straight up comfort food. Having eaten the the soup and the short ribs, I was very full and warm all over.
I’m anxious to revisit Snackbar to sample the famous chicken pot pie which was encased by a super flaky pastry. I noticed a lot of people got the pot pie last night and this dish seemed to invoke a smile where ever it was placed down. I like that Snackbar is serving up hot comfort food during these cold months. I also like the waitress.

Wouldn’t necessarily say don’t go there, but there are certainly better places. The service is good, the white bean soup was great. Unfortunately had to send back the calamari since it was super chewy and kind of greasy. The pierogies were flavorful and the texture good, but a little on the cold side.
Now for the important notes — the cocktail list was not up my alley. There were a lot of brown liquors being mixed with fortified wines, probably all better suited for an after dinner drink. They do carry Bulleit bourbon and I’m not mad at that.

Do you like making out with your date at a restaurant in a cozy booth somewhat hidden from everyone else? Then you should definitely eat here and request the table in the little alcove.
Do you want actually good food for reasonable prices served by a great waiter? Maybe you should try somewhere else…

i traipsed here on a random monday night.
it’s much smaller of a place than i expected it to be, but modern and clean and rather comfortable.
the food and drinks were way too expensive (and small), but quite tasty. the mac and cheese is spicy-​good, and the crab cake with pretzel salad is to die for (it better be for $ 24!). there is no cocktail menu, but there are specials to be had.
if you’re in a rush, this is not the place to go, as the service can be on the slow side… most people seem like regulars and don’t mind – which further slows things down, as they all seem to stop and chat… and chat… and chat.
so yes, expensive food and drinks and chatty servers. if that’s what you’re looking for, this is the place to be.