Yell O'Bar

Bar, Eatery

2425 Grays Ferry Ave
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19146-2450
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.25
Reviews:
4
Ratings:
4
pDev:
3.76%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by roan22:
Photo of roan22
Reviewed by roan22 from New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev +3.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Yello'bar is the newest corner neighborhood beer bar worth traveling to in Philadelphia. I prefer the neighborhood beer bars as to the downtown ones, but sometimes the experiences at these bars can be hit or miss (SPTR, read my beerfly review). My Yello'bar experience however was awesome.

I went with another BA on a recent Saturday for a late afternoon lunch and some pints. We had our choice of a table, and we picked a nice one by the large front windows, overlooking the beautiful grounds of the mammoth former U.S. Naval Asylum, built in the late 1820's/early 30's, now luxury condos/apartments (with kick-ass 2nd floor french door-type porches!).

The "double-sided" bar is split-level if you will, with the bartender in the middle of the rectangle. The colors of the interior were very calming and attractive, and the beautiful sunny day accected the airy brightness of the bar and heightened the overall appeal of the visit.

The beer selection is carefully chosen, a true winning tap list and 20-30 bottles, mostly all crafts, some local and some hard-to-find, featuring beer geek high-octane faves, wheat beers, California hop ales, belgians, etc. They had North Coast Red Seal Ale on draft, an incredible beer and probably my all-time favorite California ale (besides North Coast's Acme IPA!). Kudos to Yello'bar for surprising me with this treat! I had an awesome big salad as my meal which was mixed green lettuce with chicken, mangos, nuts and goat cheese in it, my favorite type of salad.

The service was very good, but it was fairly dead in there. The downstairs (basement) is still under construction but is planning to be a lounge, fun!! Hope they decide to get DJ's and make the atmosphere chill and sexy, and not divey (like your parents' wood-paneled living room in the 70's). My BA friend went back the next week for the brunch which is both Saturday and Sunday, finally a Philly bar that has this!

This place is definitely worth the destination. Its at the corner of Catherine St. and Gray's Ferry Ave. below South St., near 24th St. Cheers!
Jul 13, 2007
More User Ratings:
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -5.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
What can be said about Yell O'Bar that hasn't already been said? Not much.

The decor is nice (including the bathrooms); and I really like the part of the bar that's upstairs and overlooks the main bar below. It's small, but very comfortable in a neighborhood, or even family-home kind of way. The colors used for the walls are very home-like, in warm, muted green, yellow, and orange, and I think that lends greatly to the feel.

And I guess the same can be said for the service, it's kind of personal and family-like. Although I've only ever sat at the bar, it seemed liked the bartenders actually cared about what you might want or need - unlike so many places where the bartender just makes the rounds for refills.

The beer selection is good. I was about as impressed as I can be, being as jaded as I am. There are 12 taps with only a few clunkers required by the masses, and an interesting selection of about 50 different bottles. There's a bottle of sparkling wine mixed in the display of bottles above the bar, which I thought was weird, and a couple of errors on the beer menu, but otherwise they're fairly beer knowledgable.

I haven't tried the food, but what I've seen com out of the kitchen has looked good; and the prices seemed fairly reasonable. I certainly wouldn't feel as if I was getting robbed. So all in all, it's a pretty decent place that's a little of the beaten track but well worth a visit. Great place for Sunday afternoon!
Dec 27, 2007
Photo of tmp155
Reviewed by tmp155 from Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Went there last night with the beerdiva for dinner and a few beers. The decor is very light. Lots of reading material around. Free wifi as well. Good natural light with windows looking out towards the old Naval facility. This bar is a sign of change for the neighborhood. I lived near there three years ago and had a roommate experience multiple car break-ins. Back then, a nice neighborhood bar/restaurant would not have been at 23rd and Grays Ferry. Now, it fits nicely with new construction and rehabs.

They have a good beer selection. They had just kicked the Otter Creek Summer Ale, but had a nice mix of other less than usual offerings like North Coast Red Seal Ale, Wailing Wench, and Arcadia Hop Mouth DIPA. The draft list on their website is a bit outdated, but represents the quality pretty well. The bottle selection was also solid. The food was pretty good, and the service was pretty good too.
Jul 27, 2007
Photo of blitheringidiot
Reviewed by blitheringidiot from Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Yell O'Bar just re-opened after renovation this year. The interior is stunning. All new and modern looking. It's a revamped "corner bar" in the Grays Ferry area which seems to be up and coming. Split into two levels on the first floor and a finished basement area where the bathrooms are located.

Beer selection is 12 taps (3 are macro beer) and 50 bottle selection. Bartender was beer knowledgeable and knew his stuff. Victory, DogFish Head, Allagash, Brooklyn, Avery, Stone and imports. Extra props for a detailed extensive beer menu.

Could you take your Mother here? Yes! Definitely. Yell O'Bar is a classy joint.

Food wise, I got the bagel & cream cheese which was a square bagel. Ha! My friend had the Irish American Breakfast plate.

$40 covered beers and breakfast for two dudes. Kinda like Tria but the other side of the city. Yell O'Bar is another welcome beer addition to Philadelphia.
Jul 18, 2007
Yell O'Bar in Philadelphia, PA
Place rating: 4.25 out of 5 with 4 ratings