Almanac

Make your reservation yesterday. Almanac is an experience start to finish - I went last night to celebrate the end of a work project and am STILL marveling at their ability to curate an attentive, delicious, and above all calming experience for their guests. I have been to cocktail bars in Japan - Almanac captures the sense of expertise, place, dedication to the craft, and presence, but adds in a white-glove service more similar to a Michelin or bib gourmand restaurant. All ‘ground rules’ (no flash photography, don’t take phone calls, 2 hr limit) are established before you’re brought upstairs. The space is small and intimate, and the emphasis on seasonality is clear in the menu. Our server (Wesley) was serene and attentive, and was very helpful as we planned the flow of our dining experience. Our favorite food item was the Spicy Bay Scallop Crispy Rice, but every food was delicious and the perfect size. It’s clear that you’re expected to opt for multiple food choices and at least 2 cocktails as you relax and enjoy. Throughout the course of the night, I texted no less than four people about Almanac and recommended that they go - and I think you should, too. You deserve it. You’ll leave feeling very doted on, and very full. Can’t wait to return!

Great new speakeasy with Japanese cocktails! While the food and cocktails were great, it was a bit pretentious. I don’t mind honoring a 90 minute time limit if you honor my time. But to wait over 45 minutes for food and over 25 minutes for drinks we were forced out before we even got our swings drink! Please work on your timing because this is ridiculous, inconsiderate and hurts your bottom line! Update: they have really taken into consideration the tables and time limits. Almanac has become my new favorite bar in the city! The cocktails are so unique and the atmosphere and staff are great!

If I could give it 6 stars i would. Excellent drinks, amazing atmosphere, and super friendly service. Didnt even need the matcha Kit Kats with the bill but they gave em anyway. For anyone who has ever visited Japan this is pretty close to the vibe there.

Phenomenal bar with food and quickly becoming our favorite spot in Philly. First and foremost, the service is incredible here with fantastic recommendations and you are always rewarded for asking questions. The cocktails are meticulously crafted and the nose on every drink will blow you away, which you can’t say for every craft cocktail bar. The focus on fresh, current ingredients really puts this place over the top, and the food from downstairs is great and is not to be missed either. Shoutout to JD who has served us both times we’ve been and has been so additive to our experience.

Almanac is a haven of innovative cocktails and sexy vibes. I have been several times since they opened, both with friends and by myself, and I've only had great experiences. There is always something new to try with the hyper-seasonal, rotating menu. When you arrive, you're greeted by a friendly host who escorts you up to the bar. You're given a hot towel and a welcome drink to enjoy while perusing the menu. From top to bottom, the cocktails are elevated and unique. The knowledge, care, and passion that has gone into crafting every drink is clearly evident. Don't hesitate to ask questions if you have them, the staff are all very knowledgeable. The special details, such as the glassware, garnishes, ice stamp, and branded coasters are all top notch. For me, stand out cocktails include the Sadōtini and the Arurian Dance. The food is delicious. Great for small bites and sharables. My favorite combo to order is the yuzu miso glazed wings and the kombu celery. But don't sleep on the wagyu hot dog. The atmosphere is dimmed lights and great playlists. You can have a conversation with your party easily. It can be hard to get a good picture with the lighting, but if you ask, the staff can provide a lamp. The cocktails are so gorgeous that you will definitely want photos. Overall, Almanac is a bar you don't want to miss. Highly recommend. 10/10.

The cocktails were fabulous, the snacks were tasty, and the server was extremely helpful. We really loved the omakase cocktail experience!! The vibe upstairs was great, it would be nice if you could extend that vibe downstairs for checkin as well. Saying that bc the checkin process was cumbersome and borderline pretentious, all exacerbated by the fact that it was really quiet down there — it felt like checking in for a doctor, and could def use some refining and elevating. We were really happy to be able to alter our reservation via Open Table messaging, but wish someone would have picked up when we first called to say we were running late. Overall we will be back for the amazing cocktail experience and yummy snacks!

My wife and I loved finishing a belated valentines date night at Almanac. Cozy and comfortable atmosphere. Cocktails were unique and delicious, we especially enjoyed the “slow” cocktails aka carrot and the work bell, the matcha martini was also super fun. Very cool place we would love to come back to!

It’s not enough to just drink in the wonderful cocktails prepared by knowledgeable and charismatic bartender, but also being able to drink in and savor the atmosphere whether alone or with friends is an experience I am looking forward to having again in the future. Hope this review catches your eye anyone looking for something unique and spectacular in Philly. I recommend the Wagyu Hotdog, but also the menu is changing , adding and evolving so I implore you to be adventurous and bold. Try the omakase it can’t steer you wrong.

New favorite! I fell in love with their cocktails' menu. It rotates seasonally so I don't remember the names of the cocktails and guess I should have taken a picture. Really pleasant bartenders and staff. They use a lot of unique ingredients like Yuzu, Japanese sweet potato, Wasabi and Matcha (to name a few). Handcrafted and innovative are just a couple of adjectives that come to mind. We had 4 cocktails and every one of them was delicious. The bar is reminiscent of an Apothecary. Dark, intimate and romantic. The food was as good as the cocktails. Tofu sliders were juicy and scrumptious while the Wasabi fries added an enjoyable kick. Next time we plan to try more things on the menu. Sitting at the bar, sipping on the exquisite cocktails was like living Shakespeare's quote from Romeo and Juliet: "O true apothecary, thy drugs are quick". Not to state the obvious but we will definitely be back!

Delicious drinks- had matcha cocktail and they also do omakase cocktails that they make personal to you. Bartender so knowledgeable. We were able to do walk in and sit at the bar Awesome playlist too they have a Spotify!

This spot is so cool! The vibes and the ambiance are the best part. Almost speak easy-like. The menu is small, but great quality. We ordered everything on the menu. My favorite were the wasabi dusted French fries! Also, don't miss the DRINK omakase! I've never done this before, such a fun experience. Your drink gets made tailored directly to you and your taste. The one thing I'll mention that could have been better was the service. The servers were very nice, but one of our drinks was made incorrectly and one sandwich took very long to come out. So long in fact that we went over our 90 minute dining time slot and thought they forgot about the sandwich all together. I understand things happen and the restaurant is new, so maybe things are still a bit rocky.

The food was excellent! The fries were a standout--if you like wasabi, you'll love them. As someone who rarely eats hotdogs, the wagyu hotdog was a delightful surprise, and the cucumbers and celery were crisp and flavorful. The drinks were creative, and my partner enjoyed the drink omakase, where they craft a custom drink based on fun questions like "What season would your drink be?" It was a unique experience. Service was slow, with only one bartender, and we were brought the wrong drink, which delayed the correct one until our second round. We were charged for the mistake, which felt odd. The ambiance is cool but highly structured, with strict seating policies and a 90-minute limit. Overall, it was good, but I likely wouldn't return.

Almanac is excellent! Very cool Japanese themed bar with a small number of inmate tables. Our server was very pleasant and very knowledgeable of the food and drink menu. We shared a few small plates, including their Wagyu hot dog, and cocktails. We'll definitely be back! :)

Wow! Came here on Friday night for a pre show happy hour and nosh. What. A. Vibe! This is located above Ogawa Restaurant and they are available on OpenTable for reservations, which I recommend! They seat about 21 people and then only 5 spots at the bar for walk ins. The details from the wallpaper to wood & leather chairs are gorgeous. Eli was our waitstaff and guided us through the really great hyper seasonal beverage options. They anticipate that it will change at least monthly if not more than that. Also, many of the drink ingredients are being grown specifically for the bar!! I thought very cool. The drinks and everything are based on the book, Slow Drinks, and this really is a place to enjoy the drink and not just rush through the cocktail. (And I wouldn't want to because most drinks are like 20-25 dollars each!) We had two drinks each, and each one was delicious and very different flavor palate then we thought. Love the creativity here. Anyway, food wise we tried the cucumbers, miso wings, and then two specials. A panko tofu slider and wasabi coated fries with nori. I think everything was 10/10. Really tasty and flavorful. Not too much or overbearing. I'm looking forward to returning to enjoy the extensive Japanese whiskey they offer and more of the seasonal drinks throughout the year.

This place is cool. I really like the vibe - it's dark, moderately loud, sexy, but chill. It's small so there are seating limits to allow a rotation of people. The food is really good. We came here one night after a dinner we didn't like and had second dinner - it was way better that we came back a few weeks later mostly for the food. The service is good but slow. There's one waitstaff for about 10 tables and the drinks can be crafted omakase style, which requires tailoring and time. I do appreciate that this bar has mocktail options and it was crafted to my taste buds! Overall, would go back! I just hope the service can become more efficient.

You definitely got a weird vibe to you, sweetheart... 20 minutes for a cocktail at a cocktail bar is abnormal when there's only 21 seats... cocktails were odd and expensive. We should have listened to the girl who warned us that the cocktails were poison when we walked in.

This place was so lovely! Located above Ogawa, intimately lit and great jams, Almanac sets it all up for a lovely evening with friends or a partner. Our waiter Eli, who was running the whole front end, did an AMAZING job educating us as first timers about Almanac and the hyper seasonal menu. With so many great picks for the Pine Moon season, it was hard to choose a single cocktail, so I opted for their standard Omakase cocktail. I answered a few questions about things I like/dislike, they take it to the back and out comes an exciting and mysterious curated cocktail. It was a very fun experience, especially at a place where you know everything is going to be good. My cocktail was a whiskey high ball (which is so fun that they have a suntory whiskey highball machine) which was light, refreshing, and with lots of nuanced flavours on the tail end. I also ended up getting their rendition of an espresso martini, the Kyōto Red Eye, which likely stands to be the best espresso martini I've ever had. Eli was super educated on all the drinks and their ingredients and taught us a lot, as someone who wasn't totally familiar with a lot of the japanese ingredients, he even let us try some of the raw sugar that went into the drink! His passion really elevated an already wonderful experience. Fun Fact! Since they don't allow flash photography, they give you a fun light if you opt to photograph your drink, which is a super fun detail. All in all, this was an INCREDIBLE experience, would come here once a week if I could.

Staff is so incredibly friendly - Jordan and Jonathan in particular made it a point to connect with guests and make them feel welcome in the spot!

Memorable and romantic date night experience. From the hot towels to the pine water and the flavorful drinks and beautifully executed plates, this made for the perfect place for my husband and I to really reconnect for the first time since we had our second child. Great food, great drinks, great night!