Daphne at the bar serves up Reedy’s immense roast beef sandwich.
It’s an unprepossessing red-brick pub with striped awnings at the corner of Frankford and Arendell Avenue in the city’s Torresdale section. Driving by Reedy’s Tavern, you might not expect it to be much more than a local shot-and-a-beer joint.
Guess again. If you crave unfussy but delicious, well-prepared food, Reedy’s short, simple menu won’t disappoint. The dinner menu features blackened salmon steak, pork chops, and traditional fish and chips. But if you’re looking for rib-sticking bar food, you’ll find offerings like Irish spring rolls (details below), crispy battered fish bits, and a killer roast beef sandwich (also described below).
Guinness and many of the standard domestic brews are on tap, but the place is also known for its wide selection of craft beers. Many more are also available by the bottle.
What really makes Reedy’s so appealing is its atmosphere. It’s a blend of Irish kitsch—from the “Cead Mile Failte” mirror proclaiming the availability of Jamesons to the Phillies shamrock banner over the bar—with an easy-going neighborhood vibe. Reedy’s is dark and cozy, which most of us appreciate in our favorite locals. Simple wooden tables and benches line the wall opposite the long, well-worn bar. The exposed red brick theme continues inside.
Like many bars, Reedy’s appeals to the sports-minded as well, with four extra-large screens showing a Phillies game. (And after the Phillies lost, we watched the USA mens’ soccer team squaring off against the team from El Salvador in a gold cup game.)
The Bogside Rogues and friends were playing their hearts out in a green-walled corner of Reedy’s on the Sunday I dropped by. You can hear live music there—though not always Irish.
The place’s most recent claim to fame is Playboy’s Miss August: former waitress Val Keil, who dropped by the tavern to sign autographs a few nights before I checked in. “She’s a pretty girl,” owner John Reedy told me, “and a nice girl, too.”
If she worked at Reedy’s, there’s no doubt of that.
If you’re going, here’s the intel:
The Special: At Reedy’s, it’s their roast beef sandwich, says owner John Reedy. Customers don’t seem to be able to get enough of them. Make sure you come hungry. This mouthwatering monster, juicy slices of prime beef adorned with bubbly melted cheese on a seeded roll, is approximately the size of a Cadillac Escalade. It’s $9.99 with a pint of beer.
Also On the Menu: Reedy’s had a bunch of really great stuff on the blackboard on the day I was there. Specialties of the day include Irish spring rolls, stuffed with corned beef and shredded cabbage, with dipping sauce; cheddar fries, made with sharp Irish cheddar, Dogfish law, and dusted with Cajun seasoning; Jameson pulled pork; and Guinness stew. There’s lots more on the everyday menu.
On Tap: Reedy’s has an astonishing variety of designer brews to complement the Guinness and domestics (Coors Lite and Bud, for example). When I visited, Reedy’s was serving up pints of Allagash Tripel, Schuylkill Punch Raspberry Ale, and Goose Island Summertime.
By the Bottle or Can: Again, Reedy’s was amazing. Wells Banana Bread Beer, Chimay, Old Speckled Hen, Boddington’s, and Slyfox Seamus.
The Clientele: No question about it, says John Reedy, his tavern is a neighborhood haunt. (You don’t have to live in Torresdale to go there, of course.)
Extras: DJ Pat every Friday night at 9, occasional live music.
Where: 9245 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia.
On the Web: http://www.reedystavern.com
Call: (215) 338-9677