Royal Tavern

[Andrew Fenton]

We had dinner last night at the Royal Tavern. I'd never been before, and really enjoyed it. Two things stood out.

One, I ordered fish and chips, which were quite good: nice beer-battered style fish, and excellent fries. Also, they ran out of fish after me, so I got like an order and a half worth of fish. I shared with the wife, who'd ordered just a salad. Score!

Two, I was really impressed by the beer list. Lots of good offerings on tap, for one thing. I had a Sly Fox Weisse and an Arrogant Bastard. But even more than that, I liked the pricing: beer on tap is $4, but a Heineken or Corona is $4.50. That's as it should be, my friends.

[KatieLoeb]

We had dinner last night at the Royal Tavern.  I'd never been before, and really enjoyed it.  Two things stood out. 

One, I ordered fish and chips, which were quite good: nice beer-battered style fish, and excellent fries.  Also, they ran out of fish after me, so I got like an order and a half worth of fish.  I shared with the wife, who'd ordered just a salad.  Score!

Two, I was really impressed by the beer list.  Lots of good offerings on tap, for one thing.  I had a Sly Fox Weisse and an Arrogant Bastard.  But even more than that, I liked the pricing: beer on tap is $4, but a Heineken or Corona is $4.50.  That's as it should be, my friends.

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Eric Kemenes, one of the chefs I worked with formerly at Rouge is the Executive Chef at Royal Tavern. He does a great job with the menu.

The Sly Fox Royal Wiesse is curiously also on draft at Sansom Street Oyster House.

I'm just sayin' is all....

[serpentine]

Also, they ran out of fish after me, so I got like an order and a half worth of fish.

Oh, so you're the reason they were out of fish and chips for the rest of the weekend. (Well, you and everyone else who had a hankering for fish and chips this weekend.)

Since they serve dinner until 1 a.m., Royal's my default "it's late and I'm too tired to cook" place in the neighborhood. Their specials are also very much worth checking out -- never had a bad one. (Except the croque monsieur that was really just a grilled-cheese sandwich. It was good, just not a croque monsieur.)

[Lisa1349]

I had the smoked duck club for lunch a few weeks ago. Fantastic. Also started with chicken and boursin dumplings - outstanding. Colleague had fish and chips and was less than thrilled with the batter. It LOOKED fine but was chewy and underdone while the fish was cooked. Others agreed it was not their norm.

[Greg Ling]

I had the smoked duck club for lunch a few weeks ago. Fantastic. Also started with chicken and boursin dumplings - outstanding. Colleague had fish and chips and was less than thrilled with the batter. It LOOKED fine but was chewy and underdone while the fish was cooked. Others agreed it was not their norm.

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I've been workin there one day a week and they sell so much fish and chips I never wanna see cod again.But my bar tab is half off!!!!

[Yannii]

hey, let me ask all of you something. i live near "the royal" and love their food. it actually used to be even better! specifically, it was cheaper and a little more consistent. anyway, my question is about the batter for the fish and chips. it used to be "crunchier" with a lot of little crispy apendages. now (it's been several months now) the batter is "doughier" and a little sweeter (kind of like funel cake batter). can anyone explain this difference to me. i was hoping to try making fish and chips at home. thanks in advance. ps i really love the sauces that the come with the fish and chips.

[gabe]

Royal is great eats, but I lament that they wised up to the overgenerous value of the mac-and-cheese, which used to come with a big salad, making a killer $5 full meal. Alas, the salad is gone, but the mac's still good. Duck club's good, special salads are usually excellent (especially with baby beets and smoked trout)... makes me feel better about Standard Tap not being in my neighborhood.

[Greg Ling]

hey, let me ask all of you something.  i live near "the royal" and love their food.  it actually used to be even better! specifically, it was cheaper and a little more consistent. anyway, my question is about the batter for the fish and chips. it used to be "crunchier" with a lot of little crispy apendages. now (it's been several months now) the batter is "doughier" and a little sweeter (kind of like funel cake batter). can anyone explain this difference to me. i was hoping to try making fish and chips at home. thanks in advance. ps i really love the sauces that the come with the fish and chips.

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they want the batter really thick now .

[Greg Ling]

hey, let me ask all of you something.  i live near "the royal" and love their food.  it actually used to be even better! specifically, it was cheaper and a little more consistent. anyway, my question is about the batter for the fish and chips. it used to be "crunchier" with a lot of little crispy apendages. now (it's been several months now) the batter is "doughier" and a little sweeter (kind of like funel cake batter). can anyone explain this difference to me. i was hoping to try making fish and chips at home. thanks in advance. ps i really love the sauces that the come with the fish and chips.

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they want the batter really thick now .

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and the beer changes depending whats on tap

[Alec Hart]

So I’ve now been to Royal three times in the last ten days or so. I’ve been going there off and on for a few years and generally I’ve enjoyed myself, but lately it has risen to new heights and imo, now, has the best bar food in the city.

The best item I ate was the Wild Atlantic Salmon special. This was served rare and tasted like it had been caught that morning. Truly exquisite.

As for the menu items, the chicken is great. I rarely order chicken, but my girlfriend gets it everywhere and this is now her favorite in the city. The chicken is served with mashed potatoes and carrots. The carrots say whiskey glazed, but there is definitely something slightly sweet about them, maybe maple syrup? I’m not sure. But the entrée comes with fully half a chicken (free range according to the waitress, but not the menu) and the mashed potatoes are delicious. I wish they served the potatoes as a side.

The pork chop is also delicious and comes with a rosemary-nut bread pudding. I’m not sure why they call it bread pudding as it’s basically stuffing. Anyway, it’s made with walnuts and breadcrumbs and it’s really tasty.

The Ahi Tuna is really good. It comes with brussel sprouts. Nez apparently loves brussel sprouts. I guess somebody has to. I’m just glad there will always be a fish dish available and that it’s high quality. This was the least exciting item I ate, but it was still good, just very similar to what I find at other restaurants and bars.

I’ve had a bunch of appetizers as well. The tuna tar tare is some of the best in the city (where is the best tar tare in the city? I think it might be Lolita, but that’s probably a topic for a different thread.). The frito misto is quite interesting. It’s made with oranges and comes with an aioli instead of a marinara sauce. I recommend it and I didn’t find it over salted at all. And then there are the wings. Royal now offers three varieties, “Buffalo,” “Vietnamese” and “French.” I’ve had their buffalo wings before, so I went with the Vietnamese. The sauce is made with sambal and honey. I asked what Sambal was and the waitress was not too sure, but she mumbled something about Vietnamese Chilies. That was a little frustrating, but the wings are delicious. They are somewhat spicy at first with a great heat that keeps building as you eat. The Vietnamese wings don’t come with anything to cut the spiciness. I didn’t realize that until after the meal was over, so I obviously didn't mind, but there was no blue cheese, carrots or celery. I'm not sure if that is intentional or a mistake.

As I said previously, my only food complaint was that the pumpkin soup was thin. It tasted good, but the texture made it feel weak and not hardy the way I expect fall soups to be. Royal Tavern is my new favorite bar. I’d give the overall experience a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10 and I’d give their food a 10 on that same scale.

--Alec

[Tim Dolan]

Where is the Royal Tavern located? I'd like to give it a try.

[KatieLoeb]

Where is the Royal Tavern located? I'd like to give it a try.

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Royal Tavern

937 E Passyunk Ave. (Basically at Passyunk & Christian in Bella Vista)

Chef Nez is no longer at the Royal. New chef is a fellow named Chris. Don't know any of the other details, like whether he was promoted from within or has come in from elsewhere. No indication on whether to expect changes to the menu either.

If anyone knows anybody over there, get the real scoop wouldja? Inquiring minds want to know...

[serpentine]

Chef Nez is no longer at the Royal. New chef is a fellow named Chris. Don't know any of the other details, like whether he was promoted from within or has come in from elsewhere. No indication on whether to expect changes to the menu either.

If anyone knows anybody over there, get the real scoop wouldja? Inquiring minds want to know...

The recent (couple a'weeks ago) changes to the menu were due to the new chef. I don't believe he was promoted from within. (As I mentioned in the other thread, I find the new items very disappointing. Staff's unthrilled as well.)

A few of the old favorites (duck club, mac and cheese) remain on the menu.

[rlibkind]

The best item I ate was the Wild Atlantic Salmon special.

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Highly unlikely you ate wild Atlantic salmon. Perhaps wild Pacific salmon. If they had wild Atlantic salmon, it would either be (1) illegal or (2) wildly expensive and not at all fresh.

[Andrew Fenton]

Maybe wild as in "Salmon Gone Wild"?

woo!

[philadining]

Maybe wild as in "Salmon Gone Wild"?

woo!

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Aw man, I thought we'd talked you into leaving your Gills Gone Wild videos at home! All those shots of mackerel in the raw, oozing uni, "tuna tartare," if you know what I mean.... it's enough to drive a man insane. It might be time for an intervention. And we're taking away your Field and Stream swimsuit edition too.

[Alec Hart]

Oops. Sorry. The new chef's name is Chris (as noted above). He's new to Philadelphia. According to the staff, he's worked in L.A. and Europe, mainly spending time in Prague and possibly France.

Obviously I think the changes Chef Chris has made are great and I liked what Chef Nez did with the place as well.

I cannot say with 100% certainty that that the salmon special was Wild Atlantic Salmon, but it was the first thing I ate under the new chef and it was the item that made me stand up and take note that something exciting was happening at Royal.

As I understand it Chef Chris plans to do seasonal menus at Royal and is also opening another restaurant as well.

--Alec

[KatieLoeb]

Hi Alec!

Thanks for the update and welcome to eGullet! We hope to see more of you and I look forward to the day when all your brilliant posts have us referring to you as "Smart Alec"!

You're certainly off to a good start...

[mrbigjas]

stopped by royal last night for a little dinner.

first note: they have eliminated the philly standby of yuengling lager from the tap selection, which means all their beers are $5 or more. this is not a bad thing--their beer offerings are good, including selections from most of the usual suspects: sly fox, stoudts, yards, wild goose.

anyway, we had four dishes:

1. salmon saffron soup was a good way to start--saffron earthiness and salmon fishiness combining to make a soup that was more than the sum of its parts. just slightly chunky, a little creamy, great stuff.

2. winter salad of bull's blood (a form of beet greens) and pea shoots, with sweet whole grain mustard dressing and jerusalem artichokes. while the flavors in this were great, the pea shoots were actually kinda woody in places. not so much that you couldn't chaw them on down, but it was noticeable enough. good stuff.

3. wild mushroom sautee with poached egg, microgreens and red wine reduction. a nice cylindrical presentation of the mushrooms topped with the egg and greens--good stuff.

4. each of those dishes was good, but they were all kinda app portions and i was still a little hungry, so i ordered another soup--the cream of asparagus. this was a lot thinner than i expected it to be; i don't know if it's just being brought up on campbells or something making me expect something a cream soup's not, but i coulda happily drunk this out of a mug. in fact, i would kind of like to, because the flavor was damn good. soup as beverage.... hm.....

anyway a good night, with good food, even on a sunday. good stuff. sorry i can't report back on the bigger entree kind of dishes... next time.

[serpentine]

Had a good beef stew last night. Basic old-fashioned recipe of carrots, potatoes, onions, beef, plenty of wine in thickened gravy. Not a victim of the oversalting plague that affects so many dishes there. My compatriot at the bar, after seeing (and smelling) my stew ordered his own. We agreed that our only complaint, and a minor one, is that it was a bit heavy on the beef. Not that we want them to skimp on the main ingredient, but we both were wishing for more carrot and potato bites in between chunks of meat. (Those chunks were undeniably tender and flavorful, though.)

The steak and black bean tacos have been on the board for weeks now -- they're pretty much a regular item. And one of the best on the menu, at that. Comes with terrific and unfussy guac. (Which is the way I like it.) A little pricey considering the proximity to La Lupe, but then again, La Lupe doesn't have Beamish on tap.

Menu prices do continue to rise, though. I can't say I was happy to see entrees topping 22 bucks that would be going for $15 at any of our other fine gastropubs. I do find that the soups, stews, salads, and smaller entrees give you more bang for your buck. (Caveat: I'm usually eating there quite late and am therefore in the market for a smaller dinner.)

[cinghiale]

Oops. Sorry. The new chef's name is Chris (as noted above). He's new to Philadelphia. According to the staff, he's worked in L.A. and Europe, mainly spending time in Prague and possibly France.

Obviously I think the changes Chef Chris has made are great and I liked what Chef Nez did with the place as well.

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Stopped in for dinner last night. First thing I noticed is that the menu has been refashioned. Graphically, it's one of those plasticized things you see at run-of-the-mill bars, boring font, just a front and a back. Seemed to me that, foodwise, the offerings have been reduced. Duck club's still there. Not much on the chalk board, either -- though four soups were offered, two of which were vegan. My hummus was decidedly bland. Likewise the chili, which was pretty good a month ago. Friend was satisfied with his burger. So, I asked, and, yes, there's been another change in chef. Server said the customers seem to like the new menu. Dunno -- I walked away disappointed.

[serpentine]

The new chef is Mark McKinney, formerly of Vesuvio. He's been there for a week or so. The menu (it has been a laminated piece of paper for quite awhile now) and list of specials is smaller, but I thought that it had gotten pretty bloated before.

The prices have been ratcheted back down from the stratosphere. I had very good gnocchi with mushrooms, spinach, pine nuts, roasted tomatoes, pecorino ($7/generous app/14 entree.) Grilled cheese sandwhich with smoked gouda, goat cheese, provolone, truffle butter and a side salad or fries ($6, I think.)

[cinghiale]

Stopped in last night, and things haven't improved but rather seem even weaker. Very few specials on the board. Ordered from the menu instead. Tried the meatloaf sandwich, which literally had the taste, texture, and consistency of spam. The standby hummus trio was numbingly cold, aside from the piping hot, brought-in dolmades. Also sampled a very odd chopped romaine salad, which featured potatoes and brussels sprouts (again cold) and was topped with little rectangles of shaved yellow cheese. Weird. That'll be my last visit for food. The joint was packed to the gills (8 PM Wed. night) with drinking hipsters, though.

e.f. grammar

Edited January 17, 2008 by cinghiale (log)

[philadining]

We dropped by on New Year's Day, and had overall really good food. The burger was excellent, as were the grilled chicken wings. Hummus was at an appropriate temp. Fries were really good. I tried a couple bites of a pork tenderloin special that was outstanding.

Admittedly, we were sitting with one of the owners, but I'm confident we weren't getting better food than anybody else, just looking at other plates going by, and because there were a few minor quirks that made it clear that our ticket didn't have VIP!!! written on it in red marker.

I ended up getting the one clunker of the night, one of the weirdest things I've ever eaten: chipped beef, picked eggs, cole slaw and sharp cheese on a bun, with a French-Dip-style jus on the side. The server warned me...but I couldn't resist. It was...odd. So I'm not going to claim that the kitchen is infallible, but the other food was overall pretty darn good.

Sorry to hear that cinghiale had a disappointing meal, but I'd just suggest that it might have just been an off-night, rather than a trend of decline. The board was full of specials the day we were in, and I was having a hard time narrowing down what I wanted. I spun the wheel and landed on a loser, but hey, them's the breaks... I managed to steal bites of everyone else's dishes and really liked them all.

Of course one always hopes that everything on a menu is excellent every time, but I've never actually found that anywhere.

Now that you mention the place, I'm craving the Royal burger. And fries.

[michael_g]

Royal Tavern is definitely my neighborhood go to for smoke-free good beer. I've only eaten there once: a poblano topped burger, maybe two months ago. It was quite good; you guys make me want to try the nicer bits of the menu...or at least the mac and cheese.

As far as the hipster thing goes...yeah, it's a little intense, but it's not as bad as its neighbor, The Dive. Mildly OT: does anywhere else in the area (say, Christian to Dickinson, 6th to 11th) have a similarly well-rounded selection?