The Good King Tavern

I would love to give this place more stars but the staff is very unfriendly. You know those places that you go to and the staff seems like they’re better than you and you’re an inconvenience? This is one of those places. Bartenders need a little attitude adjustment before this place goes downhill.

This place has the BEST cheese board I’ve ever had. The cheeses are great, obviously, but the cheese board shines because of the accompaniments. The board comes with bread, fruit, honey, and some kind of sweet nutty spread. It is a perfect meal, giving you some salty and sweet and stinky. It’s excellent.
The other food here is also great. They have specials everyday and they always are changing. The wine list is excellent. Service is decent. Nothing special.
I had an amazing crème brûlée once here, too. I wish it was permanently available.

Our second visit … first the staff is wonderful… the food excellent once again we enjoyed a cheese plate… also had the Foie Gras. Dinner was wonderful my husband had rack of lamb and I had the duck confetti. The Chef actually came out and greeted as well as the owner once again. Ryan are waiter was knowledgeable and extremely helpful with recommendations. We are hooked… the food, the wine, drinks, atmosphere and staff… it is quickly becoming a favorite place of ours!

Just went to this place for the first time the other day. Overall, the food was good.
I shared the chick peas, Brussels sprouts, and steak tartare with a friend as a snack.
The steak tartare was really good. The baguette that came with it could have been slightly thinner as they were almost overwhelming crunchy.
The Brussels sprout yogurt sauce was great, as were the Brussels sprouts. Boarder line too salty.
The chick peas tasted good but were so dry.
Great environment, I’ll be back

This is my chosen birthday dinner spot for one big reason, the duck confit. It is what my dreams are made of. I love the atmosphere as well. It transports you, especially if you have the pleasure of speaking with one of the owners in particular. I also tried escargot here for the first time which was great, though I think you could put anything in that sauce and it would become great. If you find yourself in Philly and want to experience real authentic French comfort food this is the place to go. I just wish I could go more then once a year.

I had a wonderful brunch with my mom at The Good King Tavern a few weeks ago. It was not too crowded when we arrived around noon, so the hostess let us pick our table. The tables are pretty close together so it was nice that we were able to sit away from the other patrons. Our server was quick and on point to take and deliver our drink and food orders.
I had the Eggs Benedict (house breakfast sausage, house smoked ham). It was good, with great flavor, but the meats were a little heavy compared to what I am used to. My fault for ordering a meaty dish, not theirs. It also came with a side salad that was dressed light and beautifully. My mom had the Omelette Du Jour that came with toast. The omelette was really big and she thoroughly enjoyed it!
The Good King Tavern is a solid neighborhood spot, I am ashamed it took me so long to get there! I intend on returning to try something from their dinner menu in the near future!

That was good brunch! If you want to try simple and good food come here and you wouldn’t regret! We got salad, steak and eggs and French toast. Steak and eggs were flavorful and had good amount of black pepper on it but over all was tasty. French toast had perfect fruit sauce which made the dish! The only one suggestion I would say about salad, I would add some other veggies, it consisted of three kind of lettuce and lit bit of onions… So anyways we liked and we will be back again!

— TIP: The fries may be the best thing on the menu. And that’s saying a lot because it’s a great, focused menu.
— CON: Food is better on some days than others.
— BOTTOM LINE: For an average of ~$ 15/​entrée, it’s hard to beat the quality of the simple, yet inspired food at this French neighborhood bar. Paired with a solid bar, you can enjoy both short & long stays here — a great first date spot.

I finally made it to TGKT for brunch and can say it is everything you’ve heard and more. Get here early because even the cold and snow didn’t stop the crowds. And while it should go without saying, come hungry because you’ve gonna want one of everything.
We loved the regular menu, but too many of the specials jumped out on us to avoid. We ordered the Bahn Mi and Short Rib Frites. Portions on both were fair and flavors out of this world. The Bahn Mi sandwich was absolutely the best one I’ve had outside of QT’s in the city. The pork melted in my mouth and the pickled veggies were mixed in with just the right proportion. The Short Rib came with two fried eggs on top, a solid pile of meat, and fries that we couldn’t stop picking at.
Between the two of us, we cleaned out plates and decided not to press our luck with desserts. Next time, I take my own advice and come hungrier. Those desserts sounded great. Also, judging from the posts, I think I’ll need to grab a drink (or two) next time as well!

After an incredible honeymoon in a French territory, I really wasn’t ready to get back to everyday life when I returned. With one final day off before returning to work, we treated ourselves to a fabulously French dinner at The Good King Tavern.
I had only been to The Good King once before, for a lovely tasting dinner. I was excited to try some of the menu items on this visit. There were several specials, and the endive and roquefort salad jumped out at me. It was served in a neat stack, with a creamy roquefort dressing on the bottom and crumbles throughout, plus dices of apple and slivers of red onion. The salad was topped with a tangy vinaigrette. Delicious! My husband (!!!) and I also shared the olives, and he started with the escargot which he really enjoyed.
Next, I had the trout with whole grain mustard smashed potatoes and pea shoots. The fish was absolutely perfect and I loved the flavor of the mustard in the potatoes. I also ordered a side of haricot vert, which were delightfully garlicky and a perfect complement to my entrée. I had a bite of the house smoked sausage with fingerlings and choucroute. This was the French version of a dish I grew up with in my German grandmother’s kitchen, so needless to say I enjoyed that very much as well.
There was no room for dessert whatsoever, but we both enjoyed a cocktail or two after our meals (in addition to several glasses of the «better» house wine, which tasted fantastic).
Saying I loved this dinner would be an understatement. It was the perfect meal to end our honeymoon. I really think we need to make TGK a regular spot in our favorite restaurants rotation. It’s casual enough for a weeknight while having plenty of charm for a date night.

A hidden gem! Good place for a reasonably priced casual dinner with friends — especially if you’re more inclined towards drinking than eating.
We had a group and the center high top was perfect for us to enjoy each other’s company over a bit of Belgian/​French food and beer.

The food is really good here but the «hipster vibe» is just too much.
Deviled eggs with duck are amazing, a slight citrus highlight over the rich shredded duck… if only the egg itself wasn’t served soo cold, it would have been a ¹⁰⁄₁₀ if the egg white was at least room temperature.
Mixed green salad consisted of wilted and slimey lettuce tossed in a pungent mustard vinegarette with two small pieces of goat cheese on bread… not sure what’s «tossed» here as there was nothing else in the salad… def avoid ordering this (and at $ 6 is barely a side salad’s worth).
Croque madam has the same pungent mustard dressing ontop and a strange onion mixture. The frisee salad in the side was browning and slightly wilted and the eggs yolk was cooked all the way through. Overall, the dish didnt’ really work.

Hello bright blue building, you have quite the tasty cocktails within your doors.
At $ 12 a pop, both house and specialty cocktails, The Good King is a good place to indulge in a fancy cocktail. If you’re a meat eater, their menu looks pretty solid too!
Any house wine list of «Good, Better, Best» is also a nice option (and the «best» house wine is only $ 7.50 to boot!)
I keep planning on eating here but I know that they’ll scowl at my vegan ways and I’ll just end up eating fries again (which, are great, but not part of a balanced meal).
Service is always good, prompt and friendly. Customers seem to always be in a chatty, cheerful mood (and the bar is almost always full).
Regardless, south Philly friends, take a bike ride down the recently paved Bainbridge and enjoy a nice drink!

There were aspects of this joint that I loved. The main one was my great burger. Loosely packed ground chuck (chef recommended medium, I went for medium rare), great saffron sauce, tangy cheese, fresh veggies on a buttery, soft bun. Fries were a bit salty, but still good. Especially with garlic aioli. $ 13 was reasonable too.
But I just kept feeling like this place had an identity crisis. Clearly a wine-​forward gastropub, but too egotistical. A little humility goes a long way. Our earnest, eager to please waiter was informative, but too involved. He was able to describe the food in great detail, but was a bit too present. I think he would have done better with a little less attention (or a less robust wine description when we weren’t going to have a drink).
Close to four stars. Will visit again.

The Good King Tavern would be great place to bring a date – French food, dark lighting, and a rustic atmosphere make for a great night. That is exactly what happened when I went with Jared J on a cold winter night.
We sat down immediately and started looking over a respectable beer list. I was particularly happy with the wine list. The restaurant has a pricing system that is very simple – order good, better, or the best wine, which allows for them to easily rotate the available bottles. As for the food, I think this is the most affordable French food I’ve ever eaten. Delicious Brussels sprouts started the menu – I highly recommend these veggies (there was no hint of bitterness in the sprouts). The trout frites ($ 18) was ridiculously simple but absolutely amazing. One large fillet of trout was smothered in saffron butter over a large helping of fries. Jared got the duck, which was incredibly rich.
I never expected that a French bistro and a bar could come together, but this restaurant is the perfect combination of the two.

Disappointing. Wine listed as good/​better/​best with no description, ordered «better» since waitress said it was Malbec. Very bad/​cheap tasting wine. Had Brussel sprouts for app, were ok, wouldn’t order again & I love Brussel sprouts :(
Boyfriend ordered $ 17 chicken beast entrée because it came with artichokes & potatoes. Breast was bland but cooked perfectly. Literally only 4 artichoke leaves on plate, for $ 17, ridiculous.
The worst was the eggplant gratin. Came swimming in oil, which I poured out of the dish. The eggplant was chewy & salty, sauce tasteless, overall awful dish, please take this off!
Heard good things about this place but will not return. Food very disappointing & no redeeming qualities in service or atmosphere.

Came back here after getting turned away from a long wait at other brunch places and was a little disappointed this time.
I got the egg toast with mushroom mélange this time and it was very blah. They just put 3 pieces of bread down and threw a sheet of scrambled eggs and way too many mushrooms across the plate. Wasn’t even seasoned and I expected more. At least position the bland mushroom pancake with dash of egg on each piece of toast. Got a side of potatoes because they were so damned good last time, but they changed up to have no onions and just big chunks of regular old greasy potatoes. Also side of bacon was 2 measely pieces of thin grease and fat ridden pieces.
We drank this time and got mimosas that they dont tell you the price. and then you get about 3 ounces for $ 8…crazy rip off… not that mimosa’s arent always a rip off out, but those were itsy bitsy. Other people got some great meals and I still love the charm of this place, and enjoyed my little french press coffe, just very surprised with our second go around.

After 3 times visiting TGK (as the cool kids say it) I’m happy to report that I want to visit another 3 times and possibly 3 more times after that.
If you only get one thing here (and that would be a shame) make it a cocktail. I’m not saying their food isn’t lovely (it is). I’m just saying they know how to design and execute a drink. I’m sure they have something on their menu to suit any taste.
My first time, I had the steak frites and I was very impressed with them. The flavor, the cook of the steak and even the frites themselves all were executed with care. It was a memorable meal.
On subsequent visits, I’ve shared apps (meat board, brussels, fried sardinettes) and I had a scallop special. I find that while I’m eating here, I have wandering eyes because each plate brought out looks equally as beautiful as what you’re eating. They definitely know how to inspire diner’s remorse.
I love this place and I will continue to come here.

I came here a few weeks ago with a friend and we shared brussel sprouts. The brussel sprouts were amazing, probably some of the best I’ve ever had, but also probably some of the unhealthiest (I wont’ describe it since a picture will probably be a better source of explanation). I got the house made falafel for an entrée. It wasn’t bad but it didn’t blow me away either. I’d definitely had better (and for cheaper).
Dessert was bread pudding with lavender ice cream. I thought it was very good but I’m also a sucker for anything sweet (the ice cream was not significantly lavender-​y).
Overall it was kind of underwhelming. I wasn’t outraged because the prices were reasonable and I enjoyed the atmosphere, but I won’t be coming back for the food if I do come back.

We were in Paris visiting my brother’s family over Christmas and we wanted to recapture the French bistro experience. I went to Unilocal!and searched and found the Good King Tavern.
First we had a good omen when I was able to get a parking space on 7^th Street almost in front of The Good King Tavern. There is also a pay lot on 7^th also. The restaurant is cozy with a long bar to the left as you enter, and booths to the right along the window. There are more tables in the back of the restaurant. I would make a reservation as on this Sunday night by 7:30 they were almost full. I am sure on Friday and Saturday nights there are waits. We sat in a booth towards the back. The place is nice, with wooden floors and a tin ceiling. It feels welcoming. We had the following dishes:
OCTOPUS — SPICY CHILI MARINADE, BABY ARUGULA — This was delicious, the octopus was extremely tender and the salad dressing was very good.
DUCK CONFIT — FINGERLINGS, FRISÉE, AÏOLI — The duck fell off the bones and had a great flavor. This was a really good dish.
STEAK FRITES — FRENCH CUT FLANK STEAK, CARMELIZED ONIONS, HOTEL BUTTER — The way the steak was prepared gave this dish a lot of flavor and the meat was tender. The fries were fantastic.
MORTEAU SAUSAGE — HOUSE MADE SMOKED SAUSAGE, POTATO GRATIN, BABY ARUGULA — This was a hearty dish and filling. The potato gratin was amazing.
CHOCOLATE POT DE CRÈME — BUTTERSCOTCH, HAZELNUT BRITTLE — This had a really nice chocolate taste but was pretty rich. A good dessert for sharing. Not overly sweet.
BREAD PUDDING — BRIOCHE, ALMONDS, CHOCOLATE, CRANBERRIES, CREME ANGLAISE, LAVENDER ICE CREAM — This was a great dessert and we loved this. Everything went together well. The Lavender Ice Cream was incredible.
The Good King Tavern has a pretty wide wine list and specials for bottles and glasses. They have some nice beers available also. We had coffee for dessert and they served it in a French press which I love.
I was very impressed with service at The Good King Tavern. Everyone was very attentive and pleasant. The manager checked in on us and folded my daughter’s napkin when she used the bathroom. I also thought the prices were very reasonable, especially considering the quality of food. The Duck Confit and the Steak Frites were $ 15.00 each. We really liked The Good King Tavern and we will be back soon!