Review: Philly Tap & Tavern at Harrah’s Philadelphia

We recently posted about the Philly Tap & Tavern opening at Harrah’s Philadelphia, the property’s newest restaurant and taproom that’s been generating lots of buzz from area locals. With an impressive beer and food menu, we just had to drive down there and experiencing it for ourselves.

If you haven’t visited Harrah’s Philadelphia (aka Harrah’s Chester) before, it’s located just off Rt. 95, a few miles south of the Philadelphia Airport. This was my first time to Harrah’s Philly, and I was really impressed with the property. Table games, horse racing, restaurants galore, and even a lounge with go-go dancers!

The Philly Tap & Tavern is a bright and airy restaurant, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the horse track. It’s quite a contrast to the dark casino floor you just came in from. Stay for awhile, and you’ll forget that there’s even a casino nearby.

This is the third restaurant to occupy this spot since Harrah’s opened, and it looks like they finally hit their sweet spot. First it was End Zone sports bar. Then it became a barbecue-style restaurant, which didn’t offer enough variety for patrons. And now it’s the Philly Tap & Tavern, which offers up traditional bar food with a gourmet twist (courtesy of all-star Chef Justin Vignola), along with an extensive beer menu that’s sure to please even the most discerning beer aficionado.

The appetizers all sounded so good, it was hard to decide what to order. So we went with the T&T Special Sampler, getting the Signature Fried Wings, Bacon Stuffed Potato Skins, and Mozza-Luna’s (mozzarella sticks). Wings are offered twice fried, classic, or boneless, with your choice of naked, hot, mild, honey BBQ, sweet chili, or garlic parmesan. We went with traditional classic mild wings, and they were delicious! The potato skins and mozza-luna’s were also great, you really can’t go wrong with any of these appetizer choices.

Next time around, I might have to try the Chili Nacho’s, as I saw some people eating them at another table and they looked insane!

Since the Philly Tap & Tavern is known for their burgers (offering everything from a regular classic burger to a gourmet burger made with Kobe beef), we had to try one of them. We went with the Cheddar Bacon burger, a massive half-pound burger served with cheddar cheese and thick slab bacon. It comes with a side of fries or cup of soup, and it’ll run you $13.50.

The meat had great flavor, the cheddar cheese had the right amount of punch, and the bacon provided a hint of saltiness that brought everything together. I’m not a huge fan of thick slab bacon (I prefer thin and crispy bacon myself), but it did work well in this burger. If you want a bit of texture to go with that saltiness, consider ordering the Crunch burger, as it replaces the bacon with potato chips.

After hearing that Philly Tap & Tavern customers perferred the cheesesteak sandwich served here ($11.50) over Tony Luke’s (also located in Harrah’s Philadelphia), I just had to try it for myself. After all, if you’re from Philly, you either support Pat’s, Geno’s, or Tony Luke’s. While I’m a Pat’s guy myself, I do enjoy Tony Luke’s cheesesteaks from time to time. So couldn’t wait to see how this one stacked up.

The verdict? It’s no replacement for Pat’s or Geno’s, but it’s a solid contender that’s sure to please anyone looking for a “Philly Cheesesteak”. You can even order it with Wiz, if that’s your thing. I went with provolone.

While we were pretty full at this point, we just couldn’t leave without having dessert. We ordered the Blondie Brownie Sundae, which was simply outstanding! It’s a good thing I don’t live close by, or I’d be coming here regularly for this dessert alone..

Overall, I was really impressed with the Philly Tap & Tavern, and I’ll definitely be coming back the next time I’m in the area. Maybe I’ll tackle their extensive beer selection on my next visit..

If you’re local to Harrah’s Philadelphia, be sure to stop by and check out the Philly Tap & Tavern for yourself. It might just become your new go-to spot.