901 N 2nd Street, Philadelphia PA 19123 (map); 215-238-0630; standardtap.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: Good burger, but I'm still on the hunt for a better one. Want Fries with That? They come with tasty skinny fries; you'll probably want to eat them all. Price: Standard Burger, $10
My search for a good burger in Philadelphia hasn't gone too well. Admittedly, I've only been to five places—Good Dog, Monk's, Royale Tavern, National Mechanics, and SquareBurger—and while none of them was bad, none was so good as to inspire spasms of delight.
During my last visit to Philadelphia, I made my first trip into Northern Liberties to eat dinner at Standard Tap, highly recommended by many AHT readers. Alas, still no delight spasms, but it was so far the best burger I've had in the city, and if the weather's nice you can take advantage of the pleasant second story patio seating like I did. Innards shot after the jump.
The Standard Burger consists of a 7-ounce grilled patty topped with an overflowing blanket of melted Monterey jack cheese, sautéed mushrooms, mildly charred onions, lettuce, and tomato, with pickles on the side. My medium rare patty was moist, although not juice-oozing, and was well seasoned with a nice smoky flavor. The fairly loose grind gave a nice texture, but a little more char would've been nice. The soft, toasted bun was a bit denser than I preferred, but maybe that was necessary for it to stand up to all the stuff inside it.
Great crispy, salty, skinny fries filled up any space left in my stomach that wasn't already filled with burger, which wasn't much. I kept eating them until I thought my belly was going to explode.
I think I may have expected too much out of this burger, but for $10 it's a good deal. Maybe I'm missing something from my burger experience because I don't drink beer, something Standard Tap has much of.
@therealpotato: Thanks! I want to try Johnny Brenda's next.
@Eating The Road: It was a nice dinner and an overall enjoyable night...because after burgering my friends and I walked to Franklin Fountain and stuffed ourselves with ICE CREAM. :)
Also, Butcher & Singer for their 6 dollar lunch special Burger. Step into Mad Men world and get an absolutely delicious example of what a Burger can be!
Village Whiskey. Probably the best burger I've ever eaten in my entire life. Stick with the Village burger, the Whiskey King burger is too ridiculous. They tend to overcook a little - both times I ordered medium they came out very decidedly medium-well, so keep that in mind. For potatoes, I prefer their tater tots to their duck fat fries, which surprised me.
Runner-up: Pub & Kitchen's Windsor Burger. So delicious, house-made bacon on top.
I remember having great burger at Standard Tap, but I haven't been back since I began my own Philly burger quest (and started a blog about it). The Royal Tavern is tops for me so far but I've barely made a dent in the supposed top 10.
From my experience (I was a 5-year Philly resident), there are only 3 really good burgers in the city
1. Sabrina's Cafe (910 Christian St.)
2. Caribou Cafe (1126 Walnut St.)
3. Triumph Brewing Company (117 Chestnut St.)
I don't know who told you that you'd get a good burger at Standard Tap... that place has an OK beer selection (better off at The Foodery around the corner), and the food is pretty average.
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17 Comments:
A few more for your list:
London Grill
Village Whiskey
Sketch Burger
Johnny Brenda's
therealpotato at 10:49AM on 10/19/09
Sad to hear it didn't meet expectations but at least you had a fairly decent dinner :)
Eating The Road at 11:19AM on 10/19/09
@therealpotato: Thanks! I want to try Johnny Brenda's next.
@Eating The Road: It was a nice dinner and an overall enjoyable night...because after burgering my friends and I walked to Franklin Fountain and stuffed ourselves with ICE CREAM. :)
Robyn Lee at 11:28AM on 10/19/09
Robyn,
Don't forget to try The Silk City Diner. Their burger is a step above the rest.
BigWoollyMammoth at 11:34AM on 10/19/09
Also, Butcher & Singer for their 6 dollar lunch special Burger. Step into Mad Men world and get an absolutely delicious example of what a Burger can be!
fieldsound at 1:17PM on 10/19/09
Keep on visiting--I love your reviews!
laurbelle2 at 1:17PM on 10/19/09
You haven't been to the best places yet, though..
Village Whiskey. Probably the best burger I've ever eaten in my entire life. Stick with the Village burger, the Whiskey King burger is too ridiculous. They tend to overcook a little - both times I ordered medium they came out very decidedly medium-well, so keep that in mind. For potatoes, I prefer their tater tots to their duck fat fries, which surprised me.
Runner-up: Pub & Kitchen's Windsor Burger. So delicious, house-made bacon on top.
peteyx at 4:22PM on 10/19/09
Thanks for your recommendations, guys!
Robyn Lee at 4:33PM on 10/19/09
Looks like a good place, I like the Intro photos Keep it up :)
DwarvenChef at 5:44PM on 10/19/09
The onions look ridiculous. Didn't they overpower it?
UnasBravas at 5:49PM on 10/19/09
@UnasBravas: Surprisingly, no; they look raw but were grilled just to the point of...not being raw anymore, haha. They had a mildly sweet flavor.
Robyn Lee at 6:04PM on 10/19/09
I remember having great burger at Standard Tap, but I haven't been back since I began my own Philly burger quest (and started a blog about it). The Royal Tavern is tops for me so far but I've barely made a dent in the supposed top 10.
Tim F at 9:23PM on 10/19/09
wow. unhinge jaw, insert burger. i like it.
grace24 at 3:37AM on 10/20/09
Go to Eulogy Belgian Tavern in Old City. I've had burgers all over the city, and Eulogy is the best in my opinion.
pahiker6 at 1:39PM on 10/20/09
Knowing Robyn's preference for a smaller, California-style burger I'd recommend Sketch Burger. Delicious hand cut fries too!
kessler at 1:50PM on 10/20/09
From my experience (I was a 5-year Philly resident), there are only 3 really good burgers in the city
1. Sabrina's Cafe (910 Christian St.)
2. Caribou Cafe (1126 Walnut St.)
3. Triumph Brewing Company (117 Chestnut St.)
I don't know who told you that you'd get a good burger at Standard Tap... that place has an OK beer selection (better off at The Foodery around the corner), and the food is pretty average.
bjb39 at 1:20PM on 10/27/09
@bjb39: Thanks for the recs! As for who recommended Standard Tap, quite a few people here and here.
Robyn Lee at 1:27PM on 10/27/09