The Newsroom Philly

We tried this place for the first time and although cutely decorated, I think it’ll be the last time. Drinks were okay but nothing extravagant and overpriced for the portions. Food is the same for a tapas style menu. The beef in the boa buns was so overcooked and dry you could barely bite through the meat. Chicken boa buns were the best of those two. The first drinks we had came with beautiful garnish and presentation. By the second drink, it barely had any presentation and the same taste. Service was great.

Ava was the best server everrrr! actually the best atmosphere, we had an acrobatic dancer directly next to us and we had no idea it was part of it! the dancer was so talen! the food was absolutely delish, not a single complaint!!!! the spicy tuna crunchy rice and the wagyu dumplings were amazing!! def coming back

We were really excited to check out Newsroom Philly, but overall it missed the mark. We checked in with the hostess who told us to walk through the tunnel and go straight. Once inside, no one greeted us. We just stood there confused until someone finally told us to sit. The whole process felt disorganized and unprofessional. Once we sat down, our server came by to take our drink order then our food order. After that, we never saw her again until it was time to pay the bill. We even had to ask the food runner to call her over so that we could order another round of drinks. We got a lychee martini and a whiskey sour, both were good. Food-wise, we tried the umami cucumber, bao buns (one of each), popcorn shrimp, yellowtail tiradito, spicy tuna roll, editor’s roll, and salmon crispy rice. The cucumber, popcorn shrimp and bao buns were definitely the highlights. Everything else tasted bland. The sushi rolls were soft and mushy (you could get better sushi at Wegmans). The salmon crispy rice had a strange flavor and did not taste like classic spicy salmon, we asked them to take the back. They also promised us complimentary shots due to the wait, but those only came out after we reminded them. At the end, they asked for a card and handed us a screen with no itemized bill. We asked for the receipt afterwards but never received it. Sadly, we will not be returning. Ambiance: 4/5 Food: 3/5 Drinks: 4/5 Service: 1/5

So my friend and I came here for drinks after brunch. The whole place is decorated for Christmas. I like the vibe. They did have a DJ who was there for their brunch, he wrapped up at around 4:30 and then they just played Christmas music. I got 2 drinks. A strawberry margarita & the interview. I realllllly liked the interview. The presentation was top tier. I would return here after brunch for drinks and small bites again.

Lexi was absolutely amazing! Honestly it was probably the best service I have personally gotten. She walked us through the menu and all her recs were spectacular. Highly recommend the place, the food, AND the service. Thanks, Lexi!

This is my second time visiting this speakeasy. My first experience in September was amazing! The service was great. Now it seems like a whole new staff/ management that only cares about money… I was asked repeatedly if I want another drink, yet when I put my order in it takes forever for food and drinks to come to the table. I had high hopes after my first visit, but sadly I will not be returning…

Starting with the positives, the food was good and the cocktails were solid! 🍸 The drinks were super creative with flavors I haven’t had before, and they were cleverly named with a newspaper theme, which fit the vibe perfectly. The food was good, but nothing amazing. Plus, there’s a show at night so you might get dinner and a show. Now for the cons, the service was horrible. Our waiter forgot some of our dishes and sent out the wrong one, and never once checked on us. The only person who did was the manager. Some things felt gimmicky, like our steak being lit on fire for a few seconds, didn’t really add anything but flair. The place also feels more like a club. It was very dark with loud music. The worst part was the AC being out the night we went!! It was over 80 degrees inside and we were sweating through dinner. The manager did offer a round of drinks, but I wish they at least had fans to help. Overall, good drinks and food, but will most likely not visit again.

I definitely recommend newsroom. It’s a speakeasy that is a must visit in northern libs! Bianca was great and very attentive. I love the atmosphere. They did a great job decorating this place as well.

Cool spot. They work hard to set the ambience with decor, entertainment, music and service. Gyoza and shrimp were very tasty. Drinks were almost consistent but definitely inventive. They were a bit understaffed and I can only imagine how nice it would have been to stay for dinner when they are fully staffed.

Decided to go out this weekend last minute and found an available reservation. They had a hostess with a greeter stand right outside the entrance, sort of takes away from the "hidden" entrance when you have someone posted out front. We checked in and were seated quickly. The restaurant is pretty dark, with table lights and lights at the bar being the main source of light. The aesthetic of the restaurant/bar is not great. Explains why the place is so dark. We were seated next to what was most likely a DJ booth to control the lights and music for the aerial show. There were exposed staples coming out of the wood. Service was slow, but our waitress was extremely sweet. I ordered the lychee martini and my partner ordered the Japanese old-fashioned. Both drinks were pretty good but the drinks took so long that they came halfway through our meal. For food, we ordered the spicy edamame, spicy tuna, crispy rice, the editors roll, the shrimp skewers and the churrasco steak. The spicy edamame was not really spicy, and it was like drenched in some sort of oil but still pretty good. The spicy tuna crispy rice was overcooked and the crispy rice was so freaking crunchy. But not in a good way. The editors roll was fine, they lit my roll on fire, which was cool but overall seemed unnecessary for the dish. The shrimp skewers were the worst thing we ordered. They had absolutely no flavor and for some reason the shrimp were not deshelled??? Was I intended to eat the shrimp whole with the shell and tail on it? I almost sent it back, but my fiancé was willing to take the shell off the shrimp for me by hand so that I could eat it. Was wasted effort because it did not taste good. The best thing we ordered was the steak. It was cooked with a great crust and had this amazing sauce that came with it. They also lit that on fire. Throughout the evening they had a lovely lady performing aerial moves on a hoop in the middle of the restaurant. Very cool. Overall, this restaurant is for the hype. Mediocre food with a cool entrance, dancing lady and lighting food on fire. This would be a restaurant I would probably enjoy in my younger years, but not as someone who generally enjoys great quality of food and a particular restaurant experience.

Seeing Philly Mag unnecessarily stomp on The NewsRoom for no reason really got me fired up. I don't see Philly Mag stomping on Fabrika over there in Fishtown. The NewsRoom is essentially a mini Fabrika, with BETTER service and well-crafted cocktails. The vibe is similar, which is the kind we like. SO WHAT they only have one aerial dancer, at least you don't have to pay for admission! Anyway, this was The NewsRoom's 2nd week of opening, and my husband made a reservation for us to have dinner there. He called ahead of time to make sure if it was okay for us to bring our 3-month-old baby, and they said YES! I was shocked but also very happy that they could accommodate us. FYI -- it is incredibly rare for any respectable cocktail bar anywhere to allow babies. To prepare for our Friday date night, my husband bought baby earmuffs for our baby's ear protection. Friday evening came along, and we made our way over to the Diet 7Up vending machine secret door to check in with the hostess. After a few minutes, we were escorted to a corner table by the entrance. We thought this was the perfect table in case the baby cries, we could easily duck out. There was also ample space for our stroller. It was a busy Friday night, but our server, River was great. He was attentive and followed up on our food/drink orders when they didn't come out as quickly. For drinks, my husband and I had 4 of the 6 cocktails - The Front Page, The Interview, the Lychee Martini and the Old Fashioned. All were great, except for the Lychee Martini, which was just fine. The Old Fashioned was my absolute favorite though, and I like the use of Japanese Whiskey, which you don't see often used in an Old Fashioned. I will definitely be ordering this again when I return, maybe even two of this. As for food, I would have to say it's slightly better than the food from restaurants on North 2nd street. If I were to recommend one dish, it would be the Churrasco steak. 3 skirt steak skewers grilled just right. We were there for the full 1.5 hours, which flew by. During the 1.5 hours, we definitely saw the aerial dancer perform at least 3 times! Later, River had his manager comp our 2nd round of drinks. Alicia, one of the managers, also came by our table and offered us a glass of Prosecco on the house. The staff really made sure we had a great time. My husband and I enjoyed The NewsRoom so much, we cannot wait to go back. Northern Liberties could really use some quality and fun spots, and The NewsRoom is just perfect.

I was really looking forward to trying this place, but it ended up being a major letdown. From the moment we arrived, things felt off. We were greeted by the hostess in the tunnel leading to the restaurant and left to wait there in a hot, stuffy space without any idea of how long the wait would be--even though we had a reservation. Once seated, our table was barely six inches from the next one. The space is cramped, dark, and uncomfortably loud. Maybe that's part of the speakeasy vibe, but I wasn't expecting to yell across the table just to talk to my husband--while also catching every word of the conversations around us. The menu was limited, and honestly, nothing stood out. We tried the tuna and salmon crispy rice, popcorn shrimp, Editor's Roll ($24), Newsroom Roll ($32), and a lychee martini. The food tasted like what you'd get at a standard Japanese restaurant, but with inflated prices that didn't match the quality or experience. While the food came out quickly, my drink took the entire meal to arrive. I mentioned it to a staff member who checked in with us near the end, but nothing was done. Eventually our server apologized, blaming a backed-up bar--but it was hard to understand how we could get every dish and finish eating before the drink finally showed up, literally as I took my last few bites. All in all, this place was a disappointment from start to finish. Between the poor service, underwhelming food, and uncomfortable atmosphere, I wouldn't recommend it--and definitely won't be back.

Such a fun experience from start to finish. The entrance is through a 7UP vending machine, seriously cool and sets the tone for the night. Once you walk through the hidden alley, you're transported into this sleek, moody Japanese speakeasy. We hung out by the bar and tried pretty much every drink on the menu (no regrets). My absolute faves were the Mango Blossom and The Interview, both incredibly flavorful and smooth. The bartenders were fantastic, super skilled and friendly, even though it was loud and only three seats at the bar. We came a little late so the kitchen was closed, but the food menu looked . Definitely planning to come back for a full dinner night!

Seated promptly for our Saturday night reservation with 6 people. It was really dark and loud in the restaurant so hard to talk to everyone at the table. The aerialist was a fun addition! She was really entertaining. Drinks took a while to come out, the waitress apologized and said they only had one bartender working. The food came out more quickly. Everything tasted great; however, portions were pretty small for the price and as shareable plates, definitely needed to order multiples for everyone to get one. My faves were the newsroom and tuna rolls, the popcorn shrimp, and the crispy rice! You also can never go wrong with a lychee martini!

A very mid experience. the hostess' were kind and my server was nice. The poor hostess had to help me move the table just so I could sit down as there was not nearly enough room to slide in or out of the tables. (good thing I didn't need to use the restroom!) the lychee martini was good and very classic the sushi roll was mid grade. I would rather go somewhere nicer and pay the same price or honestly get it even cheaper for better quality the shrimp was fine but I think they seasoned the shell and not even the shrimp, which I had to peel myself with no lil bowl to put the shells in. I barely ate any of it since it was just okay. the salmon crispy rice was super sticky and didn't have much flavor. the performer was gorgeous and great as it is a hard job with not a lot of space to work with. she was only up there for between 5-10 mins and then took a break. the rules are a little crazy for the reservations I would expect better spacing of tables if they want to charge people for staying longer than 1.5 hrs. It may be worth going once but I definitely won't be going back again unless I hear that the food was improved and the table spacing.

Newsroom is a very stylish and cute speakeasy. The food was delicious, I had the wagyu dumplings, news room roll, steak, and cucumber dish. Everything was so flavorful and came out relatively quick. I enjoyed the NewsRoom old fashion that was made with Japanese whisky.

Hard to find at first but there are hostess outside who take you inside the restaurant. Dark and mysterious atmosphere but very cool. Food was amazing. Ava, our server was amazing! Drinks were pretty good. The newsroom sushi was soooo good. 10/10 for me.

Honestly I was a little worried to come for my husbands birthday reading a few reviews and we had a GREAT time. Drinks were awesome. Food overall pretty great. Yeah a bit pricey but all in all a great night. Ava was the bomb.

Walked by this place and decided to give it a try! Awesome drinks and great appetizers! Alex is a great bar tender who makes awesome drinks! Definitely recommend!

The atmosphere is dark with ambiance, the smaller restaurant makes for a great speakeasy feel. The service was alright, I believe they are still working out the details with their wait staff. The food was above and beyond! I recommend the chicken skewers, the drinks are fabulous very authentic tasteful Japanese food. Definitely worth it for a happy hour or something to bring guests to! The silk dancers really added to the experience!

Ava was the greatest! The food and ambience was so fun! Stay for the show. Food was delicious. Well worth a visit.

Alex is the absolute best server!!! Coming from someone who has worked in fine dining for years, it's hard to find good servers. she's the best 100% recommend for food