Philadelphia is a city known for its BYOB culture. But as the liquor laws have loosened up, restaurants and bars have stepped up their game. There's even a week dedicated to wine in this beer-lovin' town. Today, a wide variety of bottles, glasses, and even half glasses can be had at the city's savviest wine destinations.
Note that the bars and restaurants are listed geographically for easy browsing, not ranked.
Named one of Wine Enthusiast’s top 100 U.S. wine bars in 2015, a.bar impressed the judges with its extensive bottle list that favors wines produced with minimal intervention by the vintner. It's 42-page wine list includes offbeat wines alongside iconic labels.
Fond provides a wine experience full of flavor, sophistication and — surprise! — value. Fond's wine guy, David Snyder, prices most of his wines in the $50 range. Maybe that’s an accommodation to the restaurant's long-time fans, who discovered the restaurant back in its early days as a BYOB.
Want a restaurant that takes the pressure off picking a wine? With its wine-by-the-glass list that labels reds, whites, and bubbles “good,” “better,” and “best,” The Good King Tavern makes it easy to decide.
Importer and distributor David McDuff of New York’s David Bowler, whose blog was cited as one of American soms’ favorites by Food & Wine magazine, curates the mostly natural selection of a dozen or so wines at this all-day restaurant with wine on tap.
Along with an assortment of Pennsylvania wines from producers like Pinnacle Ridge and Va La, Martha ventures over the river to some of New Jersey’s award-winning wineries and brings back souvenirs. Head here for Garden State greats like Heritage Vineyards’ Merlot blend, on draft for $8 a glass.
Much has been made of Kensington Quarters’ butcher shop and culinary classes. But what diners (and drinkers) may not realize is that KQ’s GM, Tim Kweeder, has been referred to as a wine genius by those in the know for his selection of organic, sustainable, and biodynamic wines offered at reasonable prices.
File Jet Wine Bar in the tried-and-true category. Though its consistently solid wine list has made it a staple of the Philly wine scene, its classes and tastings keep things fresh. Owner Jill Weber offers 2.5-ounce pours of three wines for $12 all day every Tuesday.
Johnny Brenda’s. Yes, you read that right. This beer bar and music venue has a cool wine program. Owner Will Reed helped successfully lobby Harrisburg to legalize draft wine, and he serves wine exclusively on tap. As opposed to beer, Reed does serve imported wines.
Le Virtu sources its wine list exclusively from Italy. The Passyunk pioneer shines a light on Abruzzo for both its food and wine — if it’s an Italian wine that you can’t find anywhere else, Le Virtu will probably have it.
At all three Plenty locations (East Passyunk, Queen Village, and Rittenhouse), co-owner Anthony Mascieri draws on his global travels to inform his wine list, which he balances between the familiar and the quirky. Offerings are drawn from near (New Jersey) to far (Washington, Crete, Italy).
Most average wine drinkers consider themselves knowledgeable if they can identify Cava, Rioja, and Tempranillo as Spain’s signature sparkling wine, wine-growing region, and grape, respectively. But a glance at Tinto’s menu shows there’s a lot more to learn. Tinto serves three dozen Spanish Cavas, reds, whites, roses, sherries, and vermouths by the glass, plus approximately 120 by the bottle. The menu provides an education, dividing the wines by region and explaining the history and nuances of each.
Not enough Philadelphians give Old City’s Panorama the attention it deserves. Long-time wine director William Eccleston curates the Italian restaurant and wine bar’s 800 bottles, 120 taps, and 150 wines by the glass, which vary by the week. There's so much to choose from here that it's noted as the largest wine preservation and dispensing system in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Chef Townsend Wentz and sommelier/GM Lauren Harris have been working together for a decade and they're very much in sync at this French destination on East Passyunk Avenue. Harris curates a robust list that grounds itself in the classics while dipping into more unusual selections.
Jose Garces' avant garde Volvér wears a few hats. It's where to go for drinks before or after a Kimmel Center show, or for a 10-course tasting menu in the beautiful dining room. Old World is the name of the game when it comes to the wine program, which boasts more than 50 bottles of sparkling wine and 30 wines by the glass, primarily from France, Italy, and Spain.
A pastry chef at heart, Vedge's co-owner Kate Jacoby went after her first level sommelier certification once she heard the restaurant was getting a liquor license. Since then, her collection of globetrotting natural and organic wines has grown into what might be considered one of the most conscientious and eclectic lists in town. From orange wine to sparkling Lambrusco, the wines here are are always of-the-moment.
One of Philly's best sommeliers, Oloroso GM Gordana Kostovski has earned two Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence and a certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers. Along with a robust sherry collection, Kostovski has compiled an all-Spanish by-the-glass list, broken into four categories: sparkling, white, rosé, and red. And it's not only the standard (and lovely) Riojas and Cavas, but wines from all over the country, including Basque Txakolina and Tempranillo from up-and-coming region Ribera del Duero.
Walnut Street Cafe gives equal time to New World and Old World bottles on its well-rounded three-page wine list that also offers over 40 options by the glass. For those looking to celebrate, seven of those glasses are sparkling, such as a $13 Prosecco and a celebratory $24 extra brut blanc de blancs from France.
Spanish tapas spot Barcelona offers 3-ounce and 6-ounce pours from its by-the-glass list. Well-priced wines, starting at $3.75 for a 3-ounce, make it easy to sample a few of the European options — including Cava, crisp whites like Albariño, and rich Riojas — over the course of a meal. Can't decide? Three themed flights are available.
Named one of Wine Enthusiast’s top 100 U.S. wine bars in 2015, a.bar impressed the judges with its extensive bottle list that favors wines produced with minimal intervention by the vintner. It's 42-page wine list includes offbeat wines alongside iconic labels.
Fond provides a wine experience full of flavor, sophistication and — surprise! — value. Fond's wine guy, David Snyder, prices most of his wines in the $50 range. Maybe that’s an accommodation to the restaurant's long-time fans, who discovered the restaurant back in its early days as a BYOB.
Want a restaurant that takes the pressure off picking a wine? With its wine-by-the-glass list that labels reds, whites, and bubbles “good,” “better,” and “best,” The Good King Tavern makes it easy to decide.
Importer and distributor David McDuff of New York’s David Bowler, whose blog was cited as one of American soms’ favorites by Food & Wine magazine, curates the mostly natural selection of a dozen or so wines at this all-day restaurant with wine on tap.
Along with an assortment of Pennsylvania wines from producers like Pinnacle Ridge and Va La, Martha ventures over the river to some of New Jersey’s award-winning wineries and brings back souvenirs. Head here for Garden State greats like Heritage Vineyards’ Merlot blend, on draft for $8 a glass.
Much has been made of Kensington Quarters’ butcher shop and culinary classes. But what diners (and drinkers) may not realize is that KQ’s GM, Tim Kweeder, has been referred to as a wine genius by those in the know for his selection of organic, sustainable, and biodynamic wines offered at reasonable prices.
File Jet Wine Bar in the tried-and-true category. Though its consistently solid wine list has made it a staple of the Philly wine scene, its classes and tastings keep things fresh. Owner Jill Weber offers 2.5-ounce pours of three wines for $12 all day every Tuesday.
Johnny Brenda’s. Yes, you read that right. This beer bar and music venue has a cool wine program. Owner Will Reed helped successfully lobby Harrisburg to legalize draft wine, and he serves wine exclusively on tap. As opposed to beer, Reed does serve imported wines.
Le Virtu sources its wine list exclusively from Italy. The Passyunk pioneer shines a light on Abruzzo for both its food and wine — if it’s an Italian wine that you can’t find anywhere else, Le Virtu will probably have it.
At all three Plenty locations (East Passyunk, Queen Village, and Rittenhouse), co-owner Anthony Mascieri draws on his global travels to inform his wine list, which he balances between the familiar and the quirky. Offerings are drawn from near (New Jersey) to far (Washington, Crete, Italy).
Most average wine drinkers consider themselves knowledgeable if they can identify Cava, Rioja, and Tempranillo as Spain’s signature sparkling wine, wine-growing region, and grape, respectively. But a glance at Tinto’s menu shows there’s a lot more to learn. Tinto serves three dozen Spanish Cavas, reds, whites, roses, sherries, and vermouths by the glass, plus approximately 120 by the bottle. The menu provides an education, dividing the wines by region and explaining the history and nuances of each.
Not enough Philadelphians give Old City’s Panorama the attention it deserves. Long-time wine director William Eccleston curates the Italian restaurant and wine bar’s 800 bottles, 120 taps, and 150 wines by the glass, which vary by the week. There's so much to choose from here that it's noted as the largest wine preservation and dispensing system in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Chef Townsend Wentz and sommelier/GM Lauren Harris have been working together for a decade and they're very much in sync at this French destination on East Passyunk Avenue. Harris curates a robust list that grounds itself in the classics while dipping into more unusual selections.
Jose Garces' avant garde Volvér wears a few hats. It's where to go for drinks before or after a Kimmel Center show, or for a 10-course tasting menu in the beautiful dining room. Old World is the name of the game when it comes to the wine program, which boasts more than 50 bottles of sparkling wine and 30 wines by the glass, primarily from France, Italy, and Spain.
A pastry chef at heart, Vedge's co-owner Kate Jacoby went after her first level sommelier certification once she heard the restaurant was getting a liquor license. Since then, her collection of globetrotting natural and organic wines has grown into what might be considered one of the most conscientious and eclectic lists in town. From orange wine to sparkling Lambrusco, the wines here are are always of-the-moment.
One of Philly's best sommeliers, Oloroso GM Gordana Kostovski has earned two Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence and a certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers. Along with a robust sherry collection, Kostovski has compiled an all-Spanish by-the-glass list, broken into four categories: sparkling, white, rosé, and red. And it's not only the standard (and lovely) Riojas and Cavas, but wines from all over the country, including Basque Txakolina and Tempranillo from up-and-coming region Ribera del Duero.
Walnut Street Cafe gives equal time to New World and Old World bottles on its well-rounded three-page wine list that also offers over 40 options by the glass. For those looking to celebrate, seven of those glasses are sparkling, such as a $13 Prosecco and a celebratory $24 extra brut blanc de blancs from France.
Spanish tapas spot Barcelona offers 3-ounce and 6-ounce pours from its by-the-glass list. Well-priced wines, starting at $3.75 for a 3-ounce, make it easy to sample a few of the European options — including Cava, crisp whites like Albariño, and rich Riojas — over the course of a meal. Can't decide? Three themed flights are available.
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