Beneluxx Tasting Room

Beneluxx Tasting RoomBeneluxx Tasting Room
Beneluxx Tasting RoomBeneluxx Tasting Room
Bar, Eatery

33 South 3rd Street
Lower Level
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19106
United States

// CLOSED //

Now a BYOB. No liquor license.
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.8
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
17
pDev:
17.11%
View: Place Reviews
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Photo of BeerForMuscle
Reviewed by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev +13.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Ive visited this place a handful of times in the last several months. I found out about it through the Eulogy staff (Beneluxx is Eulogy's sister bar). They have about half of the amount of beers that Eulogy does, which is still a large selection. The majority of the beers are Belgian, however they do have beers from all over the world. These include some unique choices as well as some of the more rare beers. They are also noted for wine and they have about 30 on the menu. They have wine tasting and events as well. Beneluxx also boasts a great selection of food ( small plates). Patrons can also sample a variety of cheeses here with ranging textures, flavors, and origins. The charcouterie platter is a great sampler of fine meats, toasted baguette slices and spreads. This is a small establishment and it is tucked away from the noisy nightlife but it's worth the trip. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable and can offer thorough explainations of everything on the menu. Definite must for beer/wine/food enthusiasts.
Oct 14, 2010
Photo of msubulldog25
Reviewed by msubulldog25 from Oregon

4.15/5  rDev +9.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Visited 9/12/10, 7:30-9pm-ish

After a day of reminiscing and regrets over a departed friend, it was apt to walk 10 blocks from my Reading Market-area hotel to this Old City pub in a steady mist. A corrected wrong turn and the Belgian flag-like signage was right in front of me.

A quiet night, minutes after the hometown Eagles fell to the Pack in a valiant comeback effort, and I'm ready for some fine food and drink. I did some homework and figured Beneluxx could be a pre-dinner stop before heading to nearby big sister, Eulogy. Down the steps to the basement of an unassuming building, no doubt of some historic significance (Ben Franklin was once a neighbor across the street), and into a cozy and nearly empty pub I went. It's a narrow space that holds maybe a dozen seats at the bar, a row of 10 or so small tables (only one occupied) and a back nook containing a large stained glass window and a stainless-paneled cooler with a dozen+ taps. A pair of TVs, tuned silently to NFL highlights and, later, the Cowboys-Redskins battle. Tunes: an eclectic mix of The Ramones, The Who, U2, Elliot Smith and The Streets, among others...

I sat towards the bend of a copper countertop, which gave a good vantage point for the game and for conversation with my barman, Andrew; I say 'my' because I was his only customer for the better part of an hour. Bring me a beer, Andrew! My first of the night was the tasty and hefty 'Baby Tree' from Pretty Things, served to a large goblet. I started by ordering a one-person serving of traditional Swiss fondue, a goopy pot of melted gruyere, with wine and pepper, filling and tasty (comp'd extra bread came later - that cheese couldn't go to waste!). After polishing that off, I asked Andrew for a recommendation on a second dish and his pick was a winner: charcuterie! Spicy chorizo, oily duck prosciutto, garlic salami...meet housemade dill gherkins, stone ground mustard and pear chutney. My mouth waters as I tap at the keyboard. Oh, and foie gras... creamy, decadent liver-y goodness. As the only patron at the time, let's call portions 'generous'.

Time wore on and, despite a welcoming open door, the place stayed deserted (although I was told that the previous Sunday the place was 'packed'). I made time for a second beer, a sturdy pour of La Chouffe' (it's very tough to find in the PacNW!), but then decided to head around the corner for dinner once it was finished. Andrew and I chatted more about an end-of-month trip he and his girlfriend were taking to my hometown, Portland, (he even got an email from her while I was there, a first-draft list of places they were researching - I added my 2 cents, of course!). Speaking of... my tab was more than '2 cents' - more like $35+/- for 2 beers and really good food... on the pricey side but quality matches cost.

Worth checking out; I'd gladly go again.
Sep 20, 2010
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Reviewed by ZimZamZoom from West Virginia

4.58/5  rDev +20.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Very homey basement bar with room for only a few dozen people, and only 10-12 of those can sit. No matter, this is a great place to stop on a mid-afternoon Saturday. Friendly, knowledgeable (I'm talking BA here) and cute bartender. She was attentive, talkative and just cool to hang with for an hour or two.

Wish I had her name, but she recommended cheeses to pair with our beers and the were excellent pairings. The best thing about this place is the sampler sized beers that you can purchase. 4oz. samplers, most of them definitely a bit bigger and it really gives you a chance to try more of the beers they offer.

I had a Old Horizontal, Westmalle Dubbel, Green Flash Double Stout, and Rodenbach Grand Cru. All very nicely served and very fresh tasting. No stale beers here.

The NCAA final four was on the small TV, and we were sitting right in front of it so no complaints there. I will go back to this place next time in Philly.
Apr 06, 2009
Photo of Gavage
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

3.98/5  rDev +4.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
This is a cool looking basement-level bar with bar on the right with about 10 stools alongside a cheese refridgerator. There are a row of tables on the left sporting those glass rinsers in the middle of each table. The taps are on the back wall, coming to around 25 or so. This place has more of a wine and cheese vibe to it, but there were a fair amount of beer drinkers here too. A very tiny TV hangs behind the bar, so no sports watching here.

Since this is a sister bar to Eulogy, the beer list is varied between some Eulogy beers mixed with some American micros. It looks like most do not rotate, as only a few special beers were listed. We had a few Belgians beers here that were fresh.

We had some of the cheese platters to pair with the beer (the menu offers pairing suggestions). The cheese was very fresh and of high quality but you also pay for it.

I would make this place a stop on any beer tour of the area.
Mar 31, 2009
Photo of mobud
Reviewed by mobud from Delaware

3.38/5  rDev -11.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
The final stop in the Philly crawl for us was this off-shoot of Eulogy. Right at dinner time in Philly and there were only about 8 people there before we arrived. It is a little like drink in someone nice basement set up. A row of tables on the left and a small, modest bar on the right (a cheese case takes up part of the bar). Reading the chalk board, I saw Hop Head Rye, a beer I have had in bottle, but never on tap. Yeah! My friends were really finished drinking, so they ordered 2 fondues. The cheese/basil combo was unbelievable and the chocolate was only fair for my tastes. The taps had a nice mix of geek stuff and popular fare. The value was there for me. I had several fine beers and my friends had a nice finishing snack after a long day of walking and drinking good beer.
Nov 26, 2008
Photo of NolanGTI
Reviewed by NolanGTI from Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5
This place is an easy to miss basement bar off third, around the corner from its cousin Eulogy. The concept is Tria-like, Beer, Wine, Cheese and Chocolate. The selection is heavily slanted towards Belgian selections and there isn't a ton you can't find somewhere else in the city. There were more than a few handles wasted on macro craft (e.g. Guinness)

The atmosphere is decent and the bartenders I encountered were friendly and knowledgeable. For my money, I would just rather go around the corner to Eulogy, but if you are into cheese and chocolate this place is a must hit.
Aug 05, 2008
Photo of ark57
Reviewed by ark57 from Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -17.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
The idea of this place is cool. It is set down off the street with not toomany tables, but each has it's own sink. I was liking the idea already. The beer selection was decent, but it doesn't compare to some other great places in the city, but still you have the opportunity to purchase tasting size portions. I opted for beer (of course) while some of my companions went with wine to start with our cheese. We all had paninis which tasted great, but were quite messy. We rounded out the evening with some chocolate. The quality of everything was fine, but it could be overwhelming because the staff was not at all interested in eductaing the customer or even letting you know what they just put in front of you if you ordered multiple selections. On top of that the it took forever to get their attention when we were ready for another round. Yes it was busy, but it isn't very big either. Again this is a great idea, it just hasn't been executed well enough for me to return.
Jun 25, 2008
Photo of slander
Reviewed by slander from New York

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
I expected the post toast one final Victory to Heavyweight dinner but didn't think we'd get too far out after that. Crystal balls says "Heather's driving us out of Philly". Handsome Ed's blathering and the small strange man's got his head pulled down deep into his coat like a turtle (how does he do that?) Me, I'm just along for the ride for once and I can user the breather, I drive all the time. Tonight, someone, I don't care who, you can draw straws, someone's driving me somewhere, anywhere, I don't care, and um, turn up the radio some...

A quick beer at the brewpub around the corner and then Benneluxx. It's a neat little basement place. 8 alternating single double single double single double single double tables along the wall to the left, all sharing a common bench and each equipped with built in glassware rinsers. To the right, a lino backed kitcheny prep area tucked behind the chocolate case and cheese counter just inside the front door. Past there, a long angled bar running down to the rear seating a dozen and change. On the barback walls, tall arched stained glass windows and then large shelvings, some all glass candled up, holding glassware, mini beaker flasks and booze.

Pleasant décor, cheese & wine prints on the far wall, and an encased corkscrew display over door. Glass candles on mounted wall units and tall candles along the bar. Mounted stained glass lamps above the seating and similar lampage in trio groupings over the bar.

Foodings, they be soups, a salad, mixed olives, cheese fondues, crepes, panini, and mini pizzas. And then the pairing play. I think 20 cheeses and 9 chocolates (mostly ranges of semi & bittersweet), when I was there. Not really a food staple as you're generally getting them in small quantities to mix and match pair with the wines and beers there. Three dozen plus wines on (a few more red than white) and nearly 30 beers on draft (tap handles displayed and the beers pulled from the coolers to the rear), plus another 20 bottles. I'm not sure how the bottles fit in but the general concept here is that you get 50ml (about 2 ounces) or more of a few beers or wines or both, and then an ounce or two of a few cheeses or chocolates or both, and then you mix and match to compare and contrast. Pair to compliment. See what works well together, what doesn't, what you like, what you don't. I actually invented the concept, it's true.

From what I've got in my notes and a follow up visit with Shell when we were in Fairless 2 months later versus the list shown on their website, it doesn't appear as though the tap list changes up any. Nearly 3/5 of them are Belgianesque (Chimay Cinq Cents, Delirium Tremens, Duchesse De Bourgogne, Gouden Carolus, Grotten Brown, Hoegaarden, Keonigshaven LaTrappe Quadrupel, La Chouffe, Leffe Blonde & Brune, Lindemans Pomme, Lucifer, Oud Beersel Framboise, Piraat, Van Honsebrouck Premium Framboise, Rodenbach Grand Cru, Stella), and the rest mostly a mix of American micro (Anchor Old Foghorn & Porter, Brooklyn Weissebock, Magic Hat #9, Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Bells Two Hearted Ale, Troegs Hopback, Victory Storm King) and a few imports (Guinness, Youngs Double Chocolate Stout, Harviestoun Old Engine Oil, Strongbow Cider).

Some good taps but they should mix 'em up a bit, me thinks. Change out your dry Irish Stout, you have Rodenbach Grand Cru so you don't need the Duchesse De Bourgogne, flip the Lindemans Pomme for something like the Liefmans Kriek, add Orval, etc. The bottle list holds the yang to their ying counterparts on the tap list (Chimay Blue & Red, Delirium Nocturnum, Lindemans Kriek, Peche & Cassis), plus some other Belgians (Duvel, Gulden Draak), some dupes from the tap list (Duchesse De Bourgogne, Lucifer, Youngs Double Chocolate Stout), a few imports (Aventinus, Traquair House Jacobite, Franziskaner, Weinhenstephaner), American micros (Stone IPA, Victory Golden Monkey, Blue Moon) and then Yuengling and Miller Light.

We ordered up some cheese (Roomano Gouda 5 year - cow, firm, Netherlands; Manchego 1 year raw milk - sheep, soft, Spain; Ewephoria Gouda - sheep, soft, Netherlands) and chocolate (Ivoire white Feves; Jivaralactee milk 40% Feves, both from Valrhona, France). Paired 'em with the Grotten Brown, Oud Beersel Framboise, Van Honsebrouck Premium Framboise, Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Bells Two Hearted Ale, Rodenbach Grand Cru, Youngs Double Chocolate Stout.

Service was pleasant and patient (it's involved choosing and ordering) and it was a bit on the pricey side, but that's why I go to work in the afternoon. Good concept, regardless of what Randy says. I do very much so like.
May 06, 2008
Photo of DarkerTheBetter
Reviewed by DarkerTheBetter from Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
I've been here twice and both have been great experiences. Each time we stopped in right at 5:00 when it opens, so it's always been quiet and we've had the server's undivided attention.

The place is a basement with stained-glass decorations and a few candles placed about. The right side starts with a cheese cooler that turns into bar and the left is a long bench with tables and chairs in front. Each table has a glass washing station at it. The latrine is in the back down a few more stairs.

Service has been stellar. We got the same server both times and she was both personable and knowledgeable. I don't know how she does under pressure, but with a handful of people there, I felt right at home.

The beer list seems a little to inflexible for my taste, but it's still a good spread of American, German and Belgian beers. There's about 20 or so on tap and all are above average. One thing I found to be quite lame was that the tasting glasses are e-flasks from a chemistry class. This made me a bit uneasy. With a quaint atmosphere and delicious beers and cheeses, they went with industrial glass ware? Weird! I would change this immediately.

The food is the highlight in my opinion. The selection of cheese by the ounce is a lot of fun and delicious. The Ewephoria is legendary!

I look forward to my next visit. I'll probably get there early again to ensure the quality service.
Apr 24, 2008
Photo of sholland119
Reviewed by sholland119 from Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +11.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
The companion tasting room to Eulogy Belgian Tavern, Beneluxx is located in a single room below street level in the Olde City section of Philadelphia.

There is about a 10 seat bar on the right and about 10 tables on the left. The room has the same European pub feel as Eulogy. service is warm, welcoming and knowledgeable.

The restaurant offers small tastes of about two dozen draft beers, wines and cheeses, along with about 10 chocolates. All can be purchased by the ounce. There are also three types of cheese fondue, small pizzas and other small plates.

All of the food was very good, with a wide array of choices, particularly in the cheese and chocolate selections. The beer list was good, though the American choices were quite limited.

This is a fun place to stop in every now and again. Small plates and 4 ounce pours of beer are fun as a change of pace but it's easy to rack up a moderate sized bill and still walk away hungry.

HV
Apr 22, 2008
Photo of mymrnngjckt
Reviewed by mymrnngjckt from Pennsylvania

1.73/5  rDev -54.5%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 1 | selection: 2
Stopped here on a Thursday evening. The tables were full but the bar was empty. The place has a bland college frat house basement feel to it.

My party and I took four seats at the bar. After figuring out the menu, I ordered a sample size (which I like the concept) of a Brooklyn beer from the bubbly waitress. Fifteen minutes later she came back and asked me if I was ready to order. We are not off to a good start. I reordered my selection. This time it only took ten minutes to get my tow ounces of brew. The service was terrible for my entire party. Needless to say, the service sucked.

The selection was also very weak. For a bar that has 50 drafts and calls itself a Belgian bar, I was expecting more. Do you really need to waste two tap handles with Guinness & Magic Hat #9?

I will not be returning.
Mar 31, 2008
Photo of IgnatiusReilly
Reviewed by IgnatiusReilly from New Jersey

3.6/5  rDev -5.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
Stopped in here on a Friday night, February 2008.

Came for a beer and food with a friend one night around 6. The place was virtually empty but the hostess still asked us if we had a reservation (I didn't know they took them). I said no, and she said we could stay until about 730 when they had more people coming in. Apparently there is a rush on this place around the 7-8pm time slot.

Small place about five steps down from the sidewalk on Third St, just north of Chestnut. The bar runs the length of the room on the right with bench and chair seating on the left. Each table has glass cleaners for rinsing out after samples - cool idea. Gourmet cheese deli is immediately on the right upon entry. Decent vibe, very chill.

For the average bar, the selection was great. But when compared to its parent pub Eulogy, it was very limited. They had a number of Belgians on the menu, nothing too hard to find. A tasty list for the most part, about 30 deep, but I was surprised to see Magic Hat #9 on the menu. Maybe a personal favorite of the manager, I don't know.

The food menu is high end fondues and picking food with a full menu of chesses and chocolate, which are all intended to match different beers the have on the menu. Even the menu will give pairings on the menu as guidance. I'm not sure there's any other place in Philly that does this, putting such a high importance on the drink to match the food. Very cool. We split a cheddar cheese dip (w/ chicken) and ordered a Leffe Blonde (good as always) and Gouden Carolus Ambrio (which I've never had, very crisp and clean, I'll need to find a full bottle of this again).

The service was good but not great. I think for this type of place to work, you really need to have servers who are on point with their beers, who really specialize in craft/less than mainstream European ales, and who speak the language (whatever that means, but you can tell when someone doesn't). Our server was very friendly, but seemed like she could have been working at TGIFridays (she wasn't sure how to even pronounce some of their beers).

Pricy. Very pricy. As expected for a place like this, but $36 (w/tip) for two beers and a small fondue plate was too much.

We would have stayed for more, they had a whole wine list you could dive into (save that for another website), but we had to leave by 730 for the anticipated horde. I'll probably go back eventually, but not immediately.
Feb 18, 2008
Photo of ellisdee97
Reviewed by ellisdee97 from Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
My wife and I went to Beneluxx last night for the first time. The food was absolutely fantastic. We started with the Cheddar Cheese Fondue with dipping bread which was very good but not the best of the night. Next we had the Wild Boar Robiquette which I had a Duchesse de Bourgogne (Belgium) with. An absolutely fantastic pairing, I highly recommend it. We finished with the Point Reyes Blue cheese and Youngs Double Chocolate Stout (England) pairing, very interesting and the flavors and creaminess worked well together. The food was the best part of the experience, the beer list is good but not amazing by any means. Next time we will do a beer and chocolate pairing for sure.

The atmosphere was pretty good, they did a good job removing any semblance of a "Bar named Sue".

The only downfall was the service. Our server seemed to have no idea about the beers.

Overall it was a good experience, and I do recommend it.
Feb 01, 2008
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -3.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
Beneluxx is situated in a tiny subterranean spot that reminds me of some places that I've enjoyed in Manhattan. Whether Philadelphians can accept that or not, only time will tell.

As you descend the stairs and enter there are some tables for outdoor seating that might be great in summer. Once inside, the bar is on the right and there's bench seating that runs along the left hand wall with regular chairs opposite. It's cozy, but it feels kind of cold at the same time. It's bright enough that you wouldn't feel you were in the dark (and they certainly don't want that as they want you to sit and eat), but it's not warm. Maybe something as simple as pink lightbulbs might help, because there are certainly enough light fixtures along the walls and ceiling. And they look great, but just a little new. There are also some lights right along the bench seating that are kind of modern looking, and look like they're candle-lit. The tables are concreted into the floor, however, and that just feels like I'm in McDonald's. They do have glass rinsers built in though! And that might make it a little harder for them to put in carpet, which I think they really need as it would cut down on the noise and add warmth. But OK, forget about that, except that the bar stools are a little tall and crowded, we're really here for the beer, wine, and cheese, right? Chocolate I can pass on, even if it is Belgian. Oh, but hey, maybe that might be a nice finish when out with a date!

I wasn't impressed with the wine selection. Nor the cheese. And the beer selection left me dry. It's mainly draft, or should I say all draft, as some of it's run from bottles through a wine "cruvinet". All in all there are 50 wines, 30 cheeses, 20 chocolates, and 30 beers.

You can buy them by the ounce, which is supposed to make it easier for tasting, but I have to question that. The cheese I understand and agree with, but they normally serve an ounce at Tria, and you can even get a big enough sample right at the cheese counter at DiBruno Brothers. The beer and wine, however, is a different story. Part of what I do for a living is tasting, and I don't think that an ounce of wine is enough to get a clear picture of it. Two, yes, but not one. And beer is the same. I think that to really understand a beer you need to taste at least four ounces because of the way it changes on the palate. Or maybe that's just me. Perhaps for someone who hasn't got a clue, a single ounce would be enough. But are those the people who are really interested in tasting beers? I think not.

And on to that, some of the beers on tap that made me yawn were Guinness (C'mon, the stuff is brewed in 17 countries!!!... how uncommon is that?), Anchor Porter (good beer since the 80's), Hoegaarden (is there a decent bar in Philly now that doesn't serve this?), Stella Artois (oh, so it does get worse), and Magic Hat #9 (big WTF!). There was also a menu error that caused me to lose confidence...Brookyln Weiss from Vermont (it's not from Vermont, and they meant Weissbock), but at $6.99 a glass I wasn't going to order it anyway. I can go to the Grey Lodge and get a full pint for @ $5. And speaking of cost, I thought that Tria was expensive, but Beneluxx costs more and the atmosphere isn't as nice. Two beers with an average bar tip will cost you $15 to 18 - I can get three full pints at Triumph for that!

Service is the last on my list except to say that the Old Engine Oil I had was a bit flat. (Maybe it's been on tap for a bit too long?). On my last stop in, when my date and I entered two or three servers flew at us, as if they were bats that had dropped from the ceiling. They were obviously hungry for business as the bar was full but all of the seats along the wall were empty. Stil NOT OK. They then stood like a murder of crows waiting for a crumb to drop. Unfortunately no one else came in. The bartender was friendly but not really educated on the beers. And that's OK, as it's usually the case. He tried. He was friendly and we joked a bit. There was one incident that I found unacceptable though. A server was standing behind the bar off to the side listening to the conversation between my date and I. We could not see him. At some point, from behind the half-wall or whatever it was, he interjected something that was meant to be funny. OK, that's nice, but WTF? How creepy!!! My date was bothered by it and said she wanted to leave, and I was fine with that. If he'd worked for me and I'd seen that, he'd have been fired on the spot.

What will become of Beneluxx? I don't know. I have high hopes. But at the same time I'm thinking that I won't go back even to see if it's improved.
Nov 11, 2007
Photo of roan22
Reviewed by roan22 from New Jersey

4.47/5  rDev +17.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
BTR has a chill atmosphere...which is a plus in this hype, baller type neighborhood. You can relax in here and take a breather with some real folks and great beer. Its inviting, homey and authentically 'Belgian pub' look is solid, if not basic.

Their website is really cute, nice use of colors. It allows you to make a reservation online, although right now you don't need to [which is a good thing!]

I sat at the bar, with my non-BA friend on a Wednesday evening, and it was really dead in there, which honestly is what I was hoping for. We met Mike N. who really went out of his way to talk to us about his new bar. I admit I am not the biggest fan of Eulogy's SCENE, but Mike knows how to draw in a curious beer lover with the tantalizing international crafts selection offered [10 more taps than TND]....and he is planning to get all 50 taps going soon and his cruvinet system for the rare 750 bottles, an original awesome idea that has drawn me back into a neighborhood I avoided for some time now...

Regarding the food, the beer cheese soup is really good. The cheeses I had were also good. The chocolate was the best lol....ah I love this place already! Next I need to try some of the fondues. Cheers!
Oct 27, 2007
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Reviewed by MarcGetty from Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -8.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 1.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
I've seen Beneluxx advertised on the front of Eulogy's menus for quite some time now. If I'm not mistaken it was due to be open about a month ago, yet every time I made a special trip to go past it was not yet open.

Saturday night I went with some friends and found it is now open! Very nice atmosphere. There is nothing better in the world then having your own table top glass washers!

It was pretty empty for 10:00 PM on a Saturday night. There were 4 groups of customers including my small party with about 5 or 6 staff. Only one person was waiting tables, the rest of the staff were behind the counter audibly complaining about a number of things and obviously giving the single guy waiting tables a hard time at every turn. Overall the service was poor and clearly the reason I did not stay longer.

Good collection of beers, but I had hoped for more based on being a "tasting room". Hell, Jager's "shot bar" a few doors down has about the same number of taps, not of the same quality I will grant you, but everywhere seems to have 30 taps these days! Not complaining mind you, it's a good start which I hope to see expanded.

I ate, but did not have much food, but that was because the slow and poor service was exhausting and I decided to get up and go elsewhere.

Please improve the service! The great "should I go to Eulogy (Beneluxx) or Monks" debate that many of us Philly BAs contemplate can often be translated to "do I feel like putting up with poor service or a super-packed house". Both places are great, but they each have their drawbacks as well, with the former fixable.
Oct 23, 2007
Photo of deyulis1
Reviewed by deyulis1 from Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 2 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Stopped in with my buddies Saturday night. We love Eulogy and have heard about this place being in the works for months.

We were 3 of about 8 people in the place. We started off by ordering a couple beers and 15 minutes later they arrived. I thought maybe they were going to serve the beer with the food but not so.

We then saw our bartender ask the fondue cooks where our order was and saw him say, "What fondue?"

This place has great potential, a great beer selection, and food was above average. Just on potential alone I would go back..hoping the service was better
Oct 23, 2007
Beneluxx Tasting Room in Philadelphia, PA
Place rating: 3.8 out of 5 with 17 ratings