Bill M.
Yelp
Some things are beyond worth the wait!
Much like just about everyone in the Philly food know, as soon as news dropped that Arthur Etchells was moving on from Foobooz to take part in a new endeavor, I was instantly curious to know what it was. And when I found it was to become the general manager for the Philly side of Manatawny Still works it made perfect sense, because who better than someone who devoted over a decade of their lives covering the entire scope of the Philly bar & restaurant scene?!
That news had me fully excited and keeping an eye on its progression, and sampling offerings like their Odd Fellows Gin, Three Bitches Vodka and more during Yelp events, and street festivals like the Newbold Blues Fest had me loving the distilled spirits that they had to offer. My excitement increased ten fold (And I also started to realize the deadly potential) once I realized that it's Philly home base was set to open three blocks away from my apartment, and when you fast forward to three days ago when Art stopped me to confirm that they were finally open for cocktail service; I'm happy to report that my expectations were beyond fulfilled!
The first staggering fact about Manatawny is that despite setting up shop in the awkward spot that used to house the dining and office/gym section of Chiarella's (https://youtu.be/qpFO_a74F_M), the old Italian Restaurant that had consisted of 2 East Passyunk Ave properties whose reach extended past Izumi, the spot that they took over is now a pristinely renovated bar and shop space. Add in their own distilled spirits that you can buy on site, fresh ingredients for South Philly themed cocktails, and spot on customer service, and you have an easy contender for best cocktail bar in South Philly!
For my first cocktail I went with the "When In Doubt, It's A Jawn!" because obviously; and I was treated to an incredible mix of gin, ginger, egg whites, and old fashioned bitters that added up to one of the most refreshing gin sours that I've ever had. With my second outing being on tea time I had to do a High Tea on Passyunk Square, and it was even more delicious gin blended with lady grey tea, orange, and candied ginger. Having needed to still try their rum I decided that I Got A Guy... and had him with grapefruit, grenadine, egg white, and a cherry on top. All three were solid cocktails that have me craving more, but The Place We Meet To Drink also has a solid local beer list; and a cool shop space where you can purchase their spirits, t-shirts, some food items, glassware, and more.