SoWe Bar & Kitchen

IM SO SAD. sowe had THE BEST vegan options in grad ho from the Moroccan seitan, to the tofu scramble — they even made me a custom bah mi with tofu on multiple occasions.
the new menu looks very un-​vegan-​friendly.
do me a favor and add a seitan steak option and a tofu scramble — would that kill you?

I really like SoWe. It’s a super cozy spot and the staff is always friendly and helpful. I really like that they have a good variety of drinks to please everyone — I don’t like beer, so I like that they offer a wide variety of wine and cocktails, in addition to a decent beer list. Something for everyone! My problem is with certain inconsistencies. I’ve gone three times over the past few weeks, and last week we were told Happy Hour is 20% off the entire menu, including food. Yesterday, we were told it’s only drinks, not food. Also yesterday, I saw a little card on the table that said «Monday — Start your week off right with 50% off cocktails.» I asked our server about it and he said he’d never heard of that special before, but maybe it’s new and he’d honor it for specialty cocktails. I was about to order and he came back out and said that it’s actually only on ONE cocktail that they choose, which last night was a rum runner. 50% off cocktailS (with an S) does not imply 1 cocktail of their choosing. Lastly, our wings last night just weren’t good. One of them was so charred black I can’t believe they even put it on the plate. Last time I had them, the wings were SO GOOD! I don’t know what changed, but these were far different. On a more positive note, the babaganoush was delish and my friend seemed to enjoy his burger. And their hot mulled wine is probably the best wintry drink I’ve ever had.
Overall, I really like SoWe and it’s my go-​to spot for drinks in the neighborhood. But I really think they need to get their staff on the same page as far as specials go. It’s frustrating as a customer to be told different things each week, and for the offers to be entirely unclear.

This place doesn’t get enough credit. I think it’s overshadowed by Sidecar (which is understandable because Sidecar is great).
I ordered a burger with egg and cheddar. Once of the better burgers I’ve ever had. I like them rare, and it came out nice and juicy. We also shared a salad and soup, which were both excellent.
We’ll be going back – and not only when Sidecar and Resurrection are full

Excellent service. Top notch food. The owner has yanked some great talent from other places around Philadelphia. I think if more people walked 1 block past sidecar, this would be the new brunch place.
The bar staff knows their stuff. I have great experiences with the veteran staff, they make us come back.

I had an AMAZE BALLS brunch here!
Just thinking about it is exciting! So my wife and I shared the carrot cake waffle and the crab cake benedict. Wow! They were both spectacular!
Carrot cake waffle: What! That was my first time delighting in such a delish recipe. It, of course, tasted like carrot cake– which I love. The texture of the waffle was perfect. I can’t imagine going to this restaurant and not ordering this.
Crab Cake Benedict: This was the best benedict I have, hmmm, probably ever had. It was served over friend green tomatoes (love). So much better than over an English muffin or biscuit (boring). The crab and the tomato– perfection.
We also had the bacon beignets. They were super good.
The waitress (average service) told us that we ordered the best things on the menu– I am certain that she was right. My friend ordered the breakfast flatbread and said it was okay. I didn’t even bother tasting it.
I will go back and I will order the same thing because it was beyond good. My 5 star rating is based on 3 items on the brunch menu– so keep that in mind.

SoWe’s kitchen showed a lot of promise and thought towards presentation and concept during a recent brunch, but unfortunately what it offered on the plate failed to impress flavorwise.
The clean digs and genial service suggest a good destination for a date, but the clearly overserved and obnoxiously loud group of day-​drinking bros severely detracted from SoWe’s otherwise solid ambiance. Maybe that’s why most other diners chose to eat outdoors?
We ordered SoWe’s vegan BLT (with a side of onion straws) and their fried chicken and biscuits. The latter did have great flavors; the subtly sweet and herbaceous maple-​sage gravy paired well with the soft, salty biscuits. Unfortunately, the fried chicken had a tough texture without much crispiness, and its weight squashed the fluffy biscuits to flat pancakes.
My companion’s vegan BLT arrived on a wooden board with the onion straws served in a tiny fryer basket, definitely pleasing to the eye. To the tongue, the results lacked the same punch. We did not expect anything resembling pork belly goodness from tofu strips, but SoWe’s bean curd had an oddly sour taste and a watery texture. The rest of the sandwich was uninteresting, I’d advise everyone to avoid this dish. Onion straws were properly fried and zesty at least.
Prices run rather high for brunch plates ($ 12 – 16) and portions lean smaller than at most places. As another reviewer mentioned, with so many great brunch options in the city, I see no reason to trek out to G-​Ho for SoWe’s food. If you’re in the neighborhood, it’ll do, but chances are there’s a better place in closer proximity to you.

Meh.
For a city that has a million fantastic brunch places, it doesn’t leave that much room for medicore brunch venues. After being seated by our fun hostess, we waited for about 20 minutes. Our said-​fun hostess was pretty much the end of the positive experience. At that point, a different server came and asked if we had even been greeted — she apologized, and finally brought us some water. By the time that our actual server arrived, we were ready to order our whole meal. It was only after we asked about drinks that she told us about the bottomless mimosas/​bloody marys. We each ordered a bloody mary to taste, and it was also ‘meh.’ — definitely not worth getting for the ‘endless’ option.
Food was ok, I don’t even really remember what we ordered because it was mostly disappointing. For the quality of over-​priced food and lack of service, I don’t think we will be returning at all. Sorry not sorry, SoWe!

SoWe (n.): an establishment somewhere in somewhere in the maze of South Philadelphia that embodies an elegant British flair and seems to embrace an ode to bacon in its menu*
In the style of modern all-​wood Euro-​American taverns, SoWe provides its diners with an ambience of elegance and bucolic charm. It’s a comfortable restaurant to bring Mom too, eat out with your lady friends or woo a first date with. And as such, SoWe offers a menu that compliments its multi-​purpose philosophy.
The Hoisin Glazed Pork Belly sandwich is a slightly sweet, deliciously fatty (but not in that chewy awful sort of way) triglyceride treat. Accompanied by fries, this meal shams all hamburgers (it is, after all, served on a bun) by (thankfully) eschewing the philosophy that pork belly must only be enjoyed in small doses.
But everything else is less than memorable. A few days from your meal, and you’ll wonder what else you ordered. Perhaps it was a flatbread? Or chickpeas? Or something. You’ll remember that it was good, but beyond that, you’ll be lost.
*Influenced by the SoWe website

I have mixed thoughts on SoWe… probably because my experiences here have been totally across the board.
I’ve come with my parents for lunch, and the service was quick and friendly and the food was served quickly. I came with a group of 5 of us, after making an opentable reservation for 9pm on a Saturday evening… and didn’t get seated until 9:45pm. The hostesses reasoning was that opentable doesnt take into account for people lingered… umm obviously. Why are you on opentable if you can’t judge how long a normal dining time at your own restaurant should take?
Recently we came for their 1 year birthday party… which started off just fine. We recieved 2 free drink tickets (good for a certain beer, wine and «adult» milkshake) and 3 free food items. We decided to start with paying for a few drinks and enjoy the HH specials, so we posted up at the bar. We used the free drink tickets later in the night (closer to 8pm) and the bartender’s attitude with us completely changed. They ran out of the beer for free, which is fine, but the bartender snapped at a member of our party who asked for it. I asked for the adult milkshake, and i got ¹⁄₈ of the amount in my glass that anyone else he was pouring did.
I understand it did get hectic, but considering we were sitting there as paying customers, the attitude we received from the bartenders was just rude.

I went here for the first time today and I am already a fan! I went for brunch and immediately took them up on the $ 16 unlimited mimosa deal. (a feature that I personally think should accompany EVERY brunch lol).
We saw this place on the «United States of Bacon» on the Destination America Channel and knew that we had to come experience this «baconawesomeness». I ordered the Bacon Beignets, the PB&J pancakes w/​a side of bacon and also the Carrot Cake Waffle.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Bacon Beignets, but was a little bummed that they’d temporarily run out of extra brown butter caramel bacon sauce as the amount that we were given did not suffice. Our server did bring us some of the sauce that they use for their wet nuts however, which I did appreciate. Better luck next time I guess! Either way, those things are worth the trip ALL BY THEMSELVES!
I wound up sending back my Peanut Butter & Jelly pancakes, and I was so upset! They didn’t seem «done» enough to me and tasted more like funnel cake than pancakes. The peanut butter mousse and raspberry coulis on top of them were awesome though which made it even more disappointing that the actual pancakes weren’t good! Maybe I’ll try it again some day and see if that one time was just a fluke. :shrugs:
After I sent the PB&J pancakes back to the kitchen, I ordered the Carrot Cake Waffle instead. These were sweet, decadent, and fragrant… BUT I wasn’t overly in love with them. I found that having nuts in the batter AND in the walnut cream cheese that came atop the waffles was simply too much. I’m not much of a fan for different textures in a single dish, so I found it distracting to have to crunch into nuts while chewing a nice, fluffy waffle and while smearing a tasty cream cheese concoction onto them. Of course I know that «regular» carrot cake has nuts in it, but for whatever reason I assumed that they would skimp on the nuts somewhere in the dish. Guess I was wrong haha. It’s not something that I’d order again, but they were by no means bad. My mom ordered the SoWe Burger which she says was good, and my cousin ordered the «Kentucky Brown» which was awesome!!!
The best thing about this place is that it’s all about bacon lol. So if ya love bacon, like I do, you’ll be in good hands. Also, the service is great. The place is small, so all of the servers help each other’s tables out, which I like. It shows that they put their guests first. :) All in all, while I wasn’t extremely overjoyed about everything I personally ordered, everyone else’s food was good so I can see myself making this place a normal go-​to spot. It’s cozy with a friendly atmosphere and the menu is much more than your typical eatery.

I came here for Unilocal brunch club last week, and I was pretty happy with my experience!
1. $ 16 for unlimited bloody marys/​mimosas at brunch. I stuck with bloodies — and they were actually really well made! Not just a crappy mix thrown into a glass.
2. I split the hot brown and the crab asparagus omelette. The omelette was not the best thing in the world re: flavors, but well made — and the flavor profile was just not my favorite thing. There was nothing wrong with it. Came with potatoes and toast. The hot brown was delicious, but there is no way I could have eaten the whole thing, because the french toast was really sweet. Again — just too sweet for me, everyone else seemed to love it.
3. They took awesome care of our large group. We had reservations, and I managed to get the time wrong and be late by 45 minutes — but they didn’t even bat an eyelash. I never waited on another bloody mary either. Superb.

This place is dangerously convenient from my house so I’ve had a handful of experiences here. The problem is there has never been consistency with the service and/​or the food. SoWe recently celebrated their 1 year birthday (and had a celebratory party which was a disaster for too many reasons to list) so I don’t buy the «growing pains» anymore. With such a centralized graduate hospital location it’s a shame this place can never be on the same page.
I will say the pork belly sandwich I had recently was a 5 star item. So much flavor and the herb salad was a fantasy complement. But this is after the previous time my medium burger came out well done and a over a half hour later. In my experiences the fries have always been crispy and seasoned well though. I’m not sure what’s going on behind the scenes but during a happy hour recently a bartender was giving my friend unprovoked lip, not cool. See a common theme here?
I really want to like this place and if I could trust it, I would be spending a lot more time here. But for now when I have people over that want to go out and grab a quick local bite I’ll take the extra time to walk somewhere I can get the experience I’m expecting.

I made a reservation here for my birthday yesterday for 10 people. They said they could accommodate us. The person on the phone was so courteous and even offered to make a note to split the checks. Talk about service and convenience! When I make large group reservations, I always like to call ahead the day of to make sure everything is still okay, and they assured that it was.
It was to my surprise when I showed up that the table was missing THREE spots. I was not the first to arrive, but I was told that they never intended on fitting 10 people in one area. I’m confused why they seemed like it was fine over the phone.
I chose SoWe because they had a diverse brunch menu. Everyone seemed to be okay with what they got, but it was much more average than I expected. I got the fried chicken and biscuits with sausage gravy. The chicken was a little oversalted but juicy, and the gravy was not quite flavorful enough. A couple people got the crab and asparagus omelette which had no complaints. One friend got the PBJ pancakes and really enjoyed them.
The service throughout the meal was spotless. Brunch cocktails and waters were always kept full. The checks did come split up perfectly, so it saved us a lot of hassle. The weather was great and the doors were kept open; there was lots of light coming in, so the ambiance was very nice. I’m not completely deterred by SoWe, so maybe I’ll try another time with fewer people and no occasion.

The fried chicken entrée was good, as were the pork ribs. The chocolate bacon martini was to die for, definitely get one. I also had a sidecar, which was well made and delicious. We got the red velvet for dessert and was terrible. Don’t get it, and they really need to take it off the menu. It was too dense and didn’t taste like red velvet.
The place is cute and small, with an intimate, neighborhood feel. Service was good and I would definitely be back to try other items on the menu.

So I found this little South Philly gem when I was searching for a decent place to take my best friend for a birthday lunch. I turned to OpenTable and was instantly reminded that Philly doesn’t have the most extensive sit-​down lunch options as many people aren’t open after 2:30 or before 4.
We were the only people there at 2:30, but we gave the kitchen something to do. I think between the two of us, we ordered 6 plates of food since everything sounded great, and slurped down at least a half dozen killer Bloody Marys (SOLID BM’s!!! That’s really all I need).
The buffalo shrimp: AWESOME, meaty, crispy, juicy, with just the right amount of kick
The mussels: big, meaty, AWESOME broth
The grilled caesar: smokey, creamy, crabby, AWESOME
The BE&C: breakfast. Beautiful breakfast.
Something I forgot: It was good… because I know I loved everything we got… but maybe I loved it a little less than the others since I don’t remember.
The beignets: fluffy, cinnamony, caramel goodness… perfect substitute for a birthday cake.
I was pleasantly surprised with this (yep, I’m doing it…) AWESOME little bar. Definitely try it out. I’d go back just for the grilled caesar and the Bloody Mary.

Pretty good brunch. I had the caramelized banana French toast. The portion was gigantic for only $ 8. The bread stayed light and fluffy which is rare in french toast, but I really enjoyed it. It was filled with a vanilla bean mascarpone cheese, which was not too sweet and just the right amount. The candied walnuts added the perfect crunch, all the ingredients were so good together, I didn’t even add syrup. The «fresh squeezed «orange juice did come from a plastic gallon, but it was still pretty good. I’m looking forward to trying this place for lunch or dinner.

How can you not love a place that writes their specials on a pig-​shaped chalkboard?
SoWe has some great food at an OK bar. I came here for a late dinner on a Friday night recently. The food was fantastic. We ordered the Brussel Sprouts, Sweet Po Fries, Fish Tacos, and the SoWe Burger. The burger was absolutely delicious, I would have to order it again. The fries that came with the burger were great too.
We had two cocktails which were really interesting and refreshing. One came with dried cranberries and ginger, and the other with cucumber. With that being said, the draft list was a little unimpressive and the bar «scene» was almost dead. It was a nice break though from the normal crowded bars.
So, come here for the food, it’s a great neighborhood spot. I’d like to try brunch next!

Best Eggs Benedict I’ve found in the city… instead of the traditional English muffin and ham, SoWe makes their EB with a fried green tomato and a crab cake. I’ve had delicious variations of bennys, but this was incredible. It was very well executed, as the poached egg was cooked perfectly. The Benny was topped with a mustard seed hollandaise sauce. Yum!
It just so happens this place is a block from my house, but I would make the trip even if it wasn’t! A few things I noticed were the attentive servers/​staff, the affordable prices, and the quaint ambiance. I’m looking forward to going back again!
Plus, they are starting quizzo on Tuesdays! Don’t judge me.

I’m glad I gave Sowe a second chance after my first experience, which was just for drinks. We dipped in for a nightcap on the evening of the soft opening. We were seated at a high top near the bar that was only inches from the next high top. The place was super loud even though it wasn’t packed. The acoustics definitely need to be softened somehow. Either everyone was screaming or it just sounded like they were.
I chose the cheapest glass of wine on the menu, which was $ 9. Even Tria has glasses of wine less expensive than that. Meanwhile, several of the beers were also way overpriced (some have been adjusted since but they are still high for the neighborhood). Cocktails are all around $ 9, which is fine even if it isn’t inexpensive. I left unimpressed.
Fast forward a couple weeks and we tried again for dinner. We were seated inside at one of the tables in front of the bar. It was close to 7, but we had missed happy hour, which is from 4−6pm. I’m not sure I know anyone other than myself — because I work from home — who could take advantage of this happy hour, anyway.
Our server, Julian, was cheerful and helpful without being on top of us. One thing I noticed about the menu on this visit that I hadn’t noticed before was that there are a few cocktails with calories listed. I ordered a Skinny Mo, which is a lighter version of a mojito. At first sip, it reminded me of a drink I’d get at an all-​inclusive. It was made with Malibu rum, after all. But at a mere 51 calories per drink, I was just fine with the tropics. My companion’s bloody Mary was made with bacon vodka and had a bacon rim — genius! Normally, I don’t like bacon vodka but the kind they use didn’t taste like rocket fuel. It just had a nice, subtle bacon flavor.
For apps we went with the buffalo shrimp, which are served around a blue cheese and arugula salad. The shrimp preparation is comparable to shrimp pil pil, with a hint of heat but some sweetness. I’d like a little more buffalo flavor but they were still very good. We also had the mussels, which were in a somewhat heavy coconut broth. I prefer mussels marinara but anyone who likes this style would probably dig these.
At the suggestion of Julian, I ordered the crab cake sliders as my main and the bf tried the duck. He was pleased with his entrée and my sliders were very nice as well. The fries were especially delish, though I tried not to eat too many. Summer is coming.
With two drinks, two apps and two mains (one from the sandwich side, one from the entrée side), our total came to almost $ 100, before tip. Now, we normally don’t order that much on a normal night but we did want to try an array of dishes. That said, while the food at Sowe is definitely good, I’d be hard pressed to spend that kind of cash on any given weeknight. I get that this place is not trying for a Sidecar or Grace Tavern vibe. But I still think the prices are way high when compared with similar neighborhood spots like Resurrection (which admittedly can get expensive as well), Pub & Kitchen and Rex. The product that Sowe puts out is most definitely worthy of four stars, but the prices keep them at three for now.

This is a new neighborhood spot in G-​Ho, one block from the already quite popular and well reviewed Sidecar. I was a little nervous for their sake that they were one block away from there since Sidecar is really the go-​to Graduate Hospital spot, but alas I was quite surprised. This little place does have a lot different vibe, atmosphere, and offerings than the Sidecar, and what a welcome addition to the neighborhood it will be.
First off-​yes this place is in its first full week of business. This weekend was their first weekend, and first brunch, and with that being said, i think they definitely have a few things to iron out, but are off to a great start. I will be happy to update the review in a couple of months to be more fair.
The Service: On a Saturday night around 6pm, there was no trouble getting in and getting seated right away. Our waiter Evan was AWESOME and I loved his attitude and attentiveness. He didn’t know absolutely everything about the menu but made a really good effort to find out if we had any other questions that he couldn’t answer. The bartender was also very attentive in that she double-​checked an order since it was kind of a «custom» request on a classic drink. The owners were both happy to talk to us extensively and were really excited about the place and willing to take recommendations and listen to our thoughts/​opinions about some of the dishes.
The Food: We ordered a bunch of small plates/​appetizers. The grilled wings had a really nice spice to them, and the Sriracha based sauce on the side was wonderful. It was spicy, sweet, and tangy, and was great that it was on the side if you happen to be dining with a «no spice» kinda person. The mac and cheese is awesome, and the special for that evening, the chips and pico/​guac were house made and perfectly done.
I was SO excited to see that the dessert menu is EXTENSIVE! And delicious! When I saw many an item on the dessert list I said «yes please» and ordered double dessert. I had to. The red velvet cupcake was awesome, and the shortcake had a great flavor.
The Drinks: I am happy to see they have a cocktail list (one of the items that makes them different from Sidecar). During brunch I tried the SoWe Bloody Mary which is made with bacon vodka and a bacon bits crusted rim… it is AMAZING, and worth the little extra that is costs. The beer list was good: decent bottle selection. The tap list was just OK, but again this isn’t the craft beer place in the neighborhood. The owners/​waiters need to be made aware that they can’t just list the brewery on the blackboard for their tap list. And the waiters seemed confused when we asked «which kind» of Great Lakes they had. «Just Great Lakes» is not an answer. I realize this makes me sound like a beer snob but come on. I hope this gets ironed out.
The Brunch: We went for the brunch on Sunday morning, which was only their second day of brunch ever, so I wasn’t too upset that it didn’t go all that smoothly. Our service experience this time was sub par, our waitress just did not care and did not provide good service. They were out of the top menu items, which was a huge disappointment after they had been recommended to me the previous night (crab cake eggs Benedict served over fried green tomato!?). But like I said, I can see how they’d be ironing things out with brunch being that this was only their second day.
Overall, this place has a lot of potential and I’ll be looking forward to going back for entrees and more cocktails.