The Phil's Tavern

Phil’s Tavern was recommended by the hotel I’m staying at, went there this evening. It was absolutely jammed and people waiting for tables especially busy since it was Father’s Day today. I went to the House desk and asked if I can get a table for one, she said as a 20 minute wait, but I can get a meal at the bar if that worked. I went to the bar sat round the back and ordered a drink and food. Amazing service from the barman, I had nachos which I couldn’t finish and a Greek salad with cheese sandwich toasted croutons! Tasted absolutely amazing. Will definitely recommend and would go back there again in a heartbeat. Great service, great atmosphere, genuinely friendly people, you just want to give great service. You can tell it’s a great place by the way, the barman greeted all the people at the bar by name.

Phil's tavern has become a landmark over the last twenty five years in the Blue Bell/Ambler area. Famous for their generous portions using the highest quality and freshest ingredients. They have won awards for Best Ribs, Best Burgers, Best Chili, and Best Bartender. We've been coming to Phil's Tavern for the past 20 years. They have the best barbecue baby back ribs on this planet. Very tender, not too spicy served with delicious barbeque sauce. The baby back ribs are to die for. All the bartenders are the hardest working employees we have ever seen. Super fast and very friendly. They provide an excellent service. The rest of the staff is excellent as well. We highly recommend Phil's Tavern for their great ribs and burgers, great drinks and very friendly atmosphere. :-)

It was my first time. Our server recommended trying any hamburger, so I tried the plain hamburger (accidentally...because I didn't realize it came plain. I should've asked for tomato, lettuce and onion to dress it up). Very decent hamburger, but it lacked some wow factor. The heat of the meat was off. My medium came out well done. Extensive menu...almost overwhelming. Generally speaking prices are high. It'll be a while to try this place again.

Love Phil's for the consistency and quality. I always get seafood (fish, Crab cake). My dining companions love the ribs, salads and fried oysters.

Food is good and selection is huge, almost overwhelming. There is something for everyone. Good draft beer selection. Prices are a bit high. $25 for a salmon wrap is a bit much IMO.

I come here from time to time when I visit friends. There's generally a wait because it's so popular. They have a good menu and friendly help.

This is an amazing place, and the food is amazing. Great vibes, lovely service. Ashley is GREAT!

Pleasant pub setting. Huge menu, fair prices and excellent service. Feels like a well run local joint. Food was good. Chili and ribs! My friend had the prime rib and said ut was delicious. Gets crowded and limited parking so maybe avoid the rush. Extra parking across the street.

I attend a weekly lunch meeting with a set menu of mostly salads and sandwiches. Everything I have tried has been delicious. The management and servers are all very friendly. It feels like a family atmosphere when I'm there.

I was recommended to try a grilled cheese here, so that's why I had to visit this establishment. My friend ordered a regular grilled cheese, and I ordered a Philly cheesesteak grilled cheese. We both ordered beers. Honestly, the grilled cheese is nothing to rave about. I can make the grilled cheese twice as good as the one that I had here. Given the price, I would expect the meal to be more delicious. I have high expectations, and I can easily say that my expectations were not met here. I do appreciate how extensive the menu is. But if it's not good, I have no reason to come back.

Came here with a group of 11 and were attracted by the large diverse menu. Enjoyed that the room we sat in was quiet. However, that was where the good ended. The food was mediocre. The prime rib was tough and came out over cooked. The server never came back to check on us or offer refills on drinks. Yet they still added in the 20% tip, which they calculated AFTER tax.

Huge diner like menu, expensive, tons of drink options. Went for Kentucky Derby and it was just ok. Apparently they have "award winning burgers". I tried the cajun cheddar cheeseburger (cajun seasoning, two onion rings, lettuce, tomato, cheddar) with cajun fries. Also asked for side of cheese sauce for fries. They cook cheese into bun which is bizarrre. Hardly any cheese at all! Burger is super dry and needs ketchup or sauce. Thankfully got cheese sauce to put on burger. No way this is a top tier burger. Also tried meatballs (huge and good but again hardly any sauce and dry). Sadly, best part of meal was cheese sauce lol.

Service was great. Atmosphere was very welcoming and cozy. All of our food seemed to be universally understated though, to the point of making it nearly unpalatable, My wife ordered Prime Rib which had nearly 0 taste and seemed like it had been in a steam table of some kind bc it was so tough. I ordered the veal parm which had the same issue, a little salt but nowhere near enough. I don't know if they're trying to be mindful of their senior clientele, but our meals were def underwhelming.

The worst experience ever!! Evidently if you are not a regular you are out !! Tia ugh .. I felt violated to say the least .. weird experience and they need to be called out for it Not sure about the food because 4 of us ordered and ended up leaving because we were asked to leave because a regular came in and wanted there seat WTH!! 6ABC next for my review oh I'm a white 63 yrs old woman. The lack of communication skills !! Equals I'm not that smart ..

In town for a two day college visit with my son. Phil's was recommended by the hotel front desk manager. Great recommendation! The atmosphere, food and service was top notch! I had some apps - chili, broccoli bites and onion rings. My son had the Philly Cheese Steak. The food was hot and delicious. BIG portions! I think my voracious son may have almost struggled to finish his sandwich! I needed to go boxes. Terrific spot! Very well done!

struggled trying to get my sister who is in a transport chair, into the tiny bathroom!! why is there no handicap accessible stall??? please have respect for those folks who need extra assistance!! there were no handrail'!!

Great, great night at Phil's!!! The food was terrific with a wide variety and nice, size portions. Salads were great and chick parm we're super. Liam and Nick were very responsive and personable as were the other service staff. Fun vibe. We will definitely be back!

terrible experience . staff is rude and disrespectful. Tia at the bar was totally distasteful.

We have eaten in and have ordered takeout from Phil's. Eat in the service is excellent. The selections we have ordered are very good and the portion sizes are decent. Prices tend to be on the higher end of the spectrum. For take out, be sure you check your order for accuracy BEFORE you leave the restaurant. Twice I discovered mistakes after I arrived home. Phil's does not include the sides (chips, pickles, horseradish etc.) with takeout orders that would come standard when dining in. I have also paid cash for items on pick up and and it was assumed the change was a tip. Not a fan of restaurants that assume a tip on takeout when you receive no table service.

Excellent service... food was great! Extra large menu choices... prices were upscale! Everything was very good! Soup choices were great! Ambiance was ok... we were seated in the large back dining room so that's really all I saw! Will definitely return when in the area!

Nice server. Food was good with plenty to eat. Plenty of selections to choose from on the menu.

Big portions of food, solid service. Just not overwhelmed with their menu options. Still haven't found something I actually liked there.

Food is plentiful. Service is excellent. Ambiance is friendly, lively and place is very popular. Desserts out of sight. Good drinks and beer.

Terrible customer experience when dealing with management. Servers are great ! Love the food, too bad I won't be back

I was surprised when I was here for lunch the other day. Their prices are a bit out of line! I had a sandwich and it was $22. Be aware, you are not the only place in town and I won't be back!

Love Phil's for its typical, but expansive "bar food" menu. Most portions are huge; large enough to be shared by two people.

We arrived late after driving all day to Philly and there weren't too many options open after 9pm on a weeknight. This place was a pleasant surprise. The menu was diverse with ribs, chicken, burgers, pasta-something for everyone.. Of course my first choice was pasta and it wasn't available late so I had meatballs w/sweet peppers & onions. My husband had the mashed potato & gravy burger. I ate one meatball (they are as huge like a softball) and took the other one for later. My one complaint would be that the to go container w/foil & styrofoam doesn't work well for hotel guests w/limited utensils. We improvised and split the meatball into 2 paper cups to reheat after the Philly Dead & Co show, it was still delicious

We love Phil's. Great selection of menu items and everything is good. The service there is excellent. Plenty of seating and you don't usually have to wait too long to get a table.

Very mixed on the rating here as I wanted my experience to be better. Our service wasn't great but they were nice. The food was ok but the portions were big. They crush you on the prices, especially the alcoholic drinks. $20 for a sandwich, $26 for a burger... our dessert was very good however. Probably won't be back for a while. Very expensive for very average. Note to the restaurant, your menu is too big. You could cut it by 50% and still have too many options.

Unlike the last time I was here the experience and food wasn't good. We came here for my birthday today because I wanted Prime Rib. Only served on Friday and Saturday. The table next to us was disappointed in that fact too. The menus were filthy and stuck together. The drink menu looks to have been used as a coaster and was stained and water damaged. Sine no prime rib. Ordered the Lobster Cheesesteak. The mushrooms and the steak was good. The cheese was terrible and the lobster was way over cooked. Like a super ball is was so chewy. My son got the lobster grilled cheese I think it was called and his lobster too was barely eatable. What a shame. I get that times are tough but serving that should have never happened. If you are going to have multiple dishes with lobster on it. The cook(s) need to learn how to prepare it. The table was so wobbly that it was very annoying and time someone leaned on it. There were quite a few "market price" items without any idea of what market price was. A steak could have been $80 for all we knew. Hostess was on their phone. (i get it but still.)

I recently moved to the area and have been wanting to try Phil's as every time I drive by it's packed! The only thing holding me back was that I have a 3 month old and I wasn't sure if it would accommodate him but I was pleasantly surprised! They take call ahead seating which is great so we didn't have to wait too long inside. It is very cozy and low key inside. It is surprisingly very big with different rooms and easily accommodated my family. We had plenty of space for the car seat and didn't feel overwhelmed. The menu is massive with pages and pages of selections. It was hard to choose so we relied on the waitress's recommendations and she was spot on. We started by sharing the fried mozzarella which were hot, crunchy and tasty. My husband and I both got burgers which were delicious and filling. They are quite large and could easily be split. We shared chocolate cake for dessert which was enough for probably 5! This will definitely be one of our new weekly dinner spots as the menu is large and the staff are friendly and welcoming!

Tuna salad outstanding, generous portions. Fries fabulous. Service prompt and accurate. Don't forget the pickles!

In town for a weekend wedding. Came here for a light dinner. Not sure why this place only has 3.5 stars. I had a fantastic burger, cooked perfectly, accompanied by fries that were also cooked perfectly, not soggy nor greasy. The coleslaw was also very good. My wife, who needs gluten free due to allergies, had a gluten free corned beef sandwich that she said was excellent. Reasonably priced meal served with great service.

How does one stay in business serving warm, over priced food, served by a waitress who had to be found to pay the check? I was embarrassed for Phil. Never again!

The bar gives off divey vibes. The service was great. A large menu with great selection. I ordered the salmon blt and it was a large portion . I also had the wings which were also good. The prices are affordable too! There's a large parking lot !

The prices are ridiculous. The food mediocre. The service below par. The charm and reputation of years past is totally gone. Sad. Don't waste your money.

The best buagers around. The menue us huge but everything on it is great. It's a staple in Blue Bell. Dobbs is the best bartender in the area and makes the best Martinis. The saying here is. One is never enough. Two are perfect, and three is too many. The regulars here are like central casting out of Cheers and makes coming here even better!

Very crowded but to be expected at Phil's on a Saturday night. The thing was, there were lots of empty tables. Thought they must be low on waitstaff, which was confirmed when we finally did get seated. Long wait for food and had to ask for water drink refills. Food was fine. What the problem was, is that I currently have a mobility issue, and while I knew the bathroom was tiny, I didn't realize how remarkably unmanageable it was for people who need handicapped accessible facilities. One of the tiny stalls actually had a changing table inside but can't imagine how parent can fit and close the door. It's always been this way but selfishly until it impacted me personally I didn't care. There is no way this is ADA accessible. How do they get away with this? Is it possible they were grandfathered in?

Phil's Tavern is my favorite happy hour spot. Their happy hour menu is amazing. Where can you get 2 lollipop lamb chops for 7.50$ and Mom's old fashioned MEATLOAF??? Will make you slap somebody! The pieces are hefty and smothered in a buttery mushroom gravy with homemade mashed red bliss potatoes and you know they are hand mashed because they still have little chunks of potatoes. Reminds me of my childhood and my Nana's meatloaf. Everything I've ever tried on the menu is delicious.

Best ribs I've ever had!!! Great service and friendly atmosphere...this place is awesome!!!

When your last dying wish is a Reuben.... This is the place! Classic tavern with classic food. Spicy kosher dill pickles are just the right touch. Big entrees enough to have a couple meals. Great service. Fresh brewed ice tea with plentiful refills. What else could you ask for?!

Came with a big party, 14 of us. The service was fairly quick with taking the orders. The server seemed like she was in a rush as she was rushing through taking the orders. She got 2 orders wrong so 2 of us sat without food while others started eating. The cheesesteak was not that great. Came out greasy and flavorless. I ended up just eating the fries for dinner. The meatloaf grilled cheese was ok. Nothing too special. Majority of our party got burgers and they all loved them. So maybe burgers are what to get. The server stopped paying us any mind once we paid and didn't bother to get any plates out of our way. I had to get up and put our dishes elsewhere so we had some table room. Forgot her name but would not get her again if I saw her. Mediocre experience overall.

We have been patrons of Phil's for decades. Yesterday we order 2 hot roast beef sandwiches for take out. So we paid the same price as we would have paid had we dined at the restaurant which was fine however, this sandwich is served with chips, pickle, extra au jus and horseradish. We didn't receive anything other additions we just a sandwich nothing else. The bill came to $36 and change my husband gave her $40. After he got home he look and she only gave him $2.00 instead of $3.00 plus change. We were greatly disappointed.

Ribs, service all good. Steak , not so much. Probably shouldn't have ordered that from a tavern that is known for traditional tavern food. Menu is huge, a positive imo, $23 for a patron marg was quite shocking. Not a typo...$23!

It's nice. Older crowd. Big plates of food. The Menu is too big. The Long Island was nice.

If you love simple food and huge portions you will fall in love with Phil's. I have been eating there for about 30 years and still love the place. The first thing people say when I bring them in for the first time is how dark it is inside. It has always been dimly lit but if you go during the day some of the rooms have windows and its not too bad. I think it adds to the character of the place so I have never had a problem with it. They have TV's all over and you can hear the betting crowd talking sports at all times. The decor is old and plain. They put a large addition on not too long ago and I think the person that designed it was color blind. Now on to the food! All of their portions are HUGE! You can't leave this place still hungry. The menu is immense so there is something for everyone. I go to Phil's for (3) things Burgers, Wings & pickles. They make their own burgers and they are large ( 1/2lb) monsters. Phil's used to be have one of the best burgers in the Philly area but not any longer. So many new restaurants have upped their burger game its hard to stay at the top. They make their own wing sauce and they are always cooked perfectly crispy. Besides Union Jacks Phil's wings are some of the best around. If you like pickles make sure to order a pickle boat. It comes with a large portion of very thick slices of spicy pickles. I can't write about all of Phil's other food because I rarely get something new. I have tried other items over the years and I always enjoyed them.

Have been here many times but the visit yesterday compelled me to write a review. Busy day on Father's Day and no reservations but we were seated quickly outdoors with our dog. The staff was so nice to the dog and treated her like a human guest! I ordered the Santa Fe salmon wrap for the first time and WOW it was amazing!! Not sure what the sauce was that it was marinated in but it was delicious. Salmon cooked to perfection and in my opinion the best fries in Montco. My partner had the cheese steak as usual which he claims to be the best in Philly. I have never had a bad meal here and the serving sizes are very generous and always take something home. The menu is always extensive. Thanks Phil's for another great meal and very pleasant dining experience. See you soon!

Went for an early dinner on Tuesday. The restaurant was not crowded. Ordered Maryland Crab Soup and a sandwich. When the soup arrived, the server just put it on the table, not even in front of me. Upon tasting, it did not taste like the soup I ordered. Took a few minutes to get the server's attention and told her it was not the correct soup as you could not even see any crab in it nor did it taste correct. She said that they only use crab shavings in the soup not the real thing! Never heard of shavings in a soup that is supposed to be a crab soup. After that she did not return to our table until we were finished with our meal and asked if we wanted the check. Another server brought our check to us. Very disappointed with the service especially in light of the fact that they were not busy.

Met a friend here on a Saturday night for dinner. It was so nice being able to sit at the bar. It was busy but not packed. Nice background music too. We both ordered salads. Mine had grilled portobella mushrooms. It was enormous! Great place!

Went to Phil's Tavern for the first time in a pretty long time. Just don't live over that way anymore, and some of my family used to live down Skippack Pike just a few miles away. Went tonight, on the first Monday Night of the 2022 NFL season and was expecting a decent crowd. Place was kinda empty which was kind of shocking, but at least we got seated right as we walked in. A plus Place our drink order right away and ordered food shortly after that. Waitress at first was right on top of things and was helpful with suggestions for our order. Wife and daughter both got salads which were very tasty and good size. The entrees were 2 burgers, a cheesesteak and the lobster BLT which was one of the "specials" for $24.99 I believe. The 2 burgers were cooked as requested and both good quality and size. The cheesesteak was a decent size with plenty of meat but very dry, the cheese you definitely had to look for and it just lacked cheesesteak taste and quality, for the area I'd rate that a 3 out of 10. The fries also, were a little under cooked and underwhelming to say the least. And finally I saved the worst for last. The lobster BLT was just a sandwich that shouldn't be on the menu and especially for the price!!! My wife who knows lobster sandwiches was very disappointed. The meat was scarce and the lettuce and tomato were mealy and just nothing like the salad lettuce!!! Sadly the bacon was the worst part which it was barely cooked unlike the bacon for my son's bacon cheeseburger which was cooked well with a nice crispness. Sadly spent $150 for food that I wouldn't expect to pay more than $75 for the way it was cooked and prepared... sadly, and I do mean sadly, we won't be going back to Phil's anytime soon, as I'd rather give my hard earned dollars to a Five Guys for burger and fries at still half the price where the quality is what you'd expect for your money spent, but so much tastier and precisely cooked. Had to write this after tonight's poor experience. Our waitress also disappeared too, so no refills on drinks until we were finished eating pretty much just the burgers... We also took some of Tommy's Buffalo wings home for another daughter to eat after getting done work, and she liked them a lot. So not everything was like the Lobster BLT, hence the 2 out of 5 stars. Honestly was hoping for a nice night out to watch football and eat, only about half of everything worked out for us at Phil's last night...

Food was great- Ribs tender and merry - while the sauce was delicious the ratio of sauce to ribs were just right. Our server was lo

With its huge menu, this spot seems to be a local favorite. I ordered takeout and decided on the kappa spinach salad, a healthy choice with ahi tuna. Portion was huge and I couldn't finish it! The tuna was cooked well but still rare but there was too much spinach that the ratio was a bit off. It may have been better with goat cheese which is didn't get. Plenty of olives too, further affecting the ratio. Maybe this would be better in person, and I'd be open to trying again since the menu is so large and I'm sure they're not known for their salads.

Delicious fruit bars were very well received! What a fun spot to go to get pastry. While there, to be tempted with many different treats was tough to select! Fun spot to stop and eat while viewing the farm animals.

Excellent service, roast beef sandwich was AWESOME!!! GREAT VALUE!! Especially in this inflationary period. Also Good place to watch football.

The food is really good, I will say that. My husband has a dairy allergy. He ordered a sandwich without cheese. When he took a bite, his mouth and throat immediately got itchy. I took a taste, and it definitely tasted like there was sharp cheese remnants. We sent the sandwich back to exchange with something else, but the waitress came back to the table with the food still in her hand. She told us that the kotchen staff said there was no cheese. We then had to explain that his mouth was itchy, and there was absolutely cheese/dairy. I had to reiterate that he had an allergy. It's absolutely ridiculous! If he had anaphylaxis, they would not have reacted like this. We won't be coming back.

I got the cheesesteak. Lots of glorious meat surrounded by Kaka. The bartender spent most of her time tending to her needy boyfriend and his four friends. There was a lot of very very good meat. The roll did an admirable job. The extras were not mixed in. The cheese was non existent until I saw some (unmelted) at the end of the roll. The tomatoes were weak. Overall big place, their own parking lot, several dining rooms, big bar area with TV's and several best of Montco's. The meat and roll were contenders, the rest needs to be revisited.

Spaghetti and Meat balls are decent. However, sauce tastes sour. The ribs are usually good but can be fatty.