Reviews of Johnny Brenda's (Restaurant)

Nicky Dee

Great place good music lighting and live sound makes it even better pool table double bar and good staff makes it’s a go to in philly bar scene

William Jantsch

This is a cozy, noisy place where young people half my age like to congregate, eat, drink, and listen to some really neat music. The quality of the performers is excellent. There are few places to sit during the shows upstairs, but it's not that kind of place... here you can let loose and unwind!

M K

One of the most consistent places in Philly. Well made mixed drinks (I'm really into the sazeracs) and a solid draft list. The bartenders are friendly and helpful and it never feels too crowded. There are often DJs on the first floor and a pool table if you're into it. Not to mention the incredible concerts on the second floor.

Shaun Carr

Solid food, good beer. Amazing venue.

Stephanie Luna

Fantastic beer selection and incredible craft food! Please consider a location more south in direction... San Antonio.

LeAnna Morris

Always riding pass this place and people are always having a good time...decided to check it out yesterday, the food was amazing. I had the fish of the day which was trout. The staff was very welcoming, Will definitely go again

Oleg Boch

Had the tower of seafood, service was quick and pleasant. The tower of seafood is a bit lackluster for the price: I expected the smaller than usual lobster tail but the oysters that they included with the platter is really where the disappointment lies - the taste and texture left a lot to wish for. I'm glad to see that this old neighborhood staple is still holding it's kitchen to a high standard year after year.

R.U. Serious

Great selection of beers and usually have 2 hand-pumps. The food is always great and unique, especially the appetizers. The bands that play range from local to international and it's a good, intimate room to see anyone play. The place does get VERY crowded on the weekends and it would be a good idea to get rid of the pool table in the front because of space.

Liberty Danger

Rad place to see a show. So much fun

Conxac

If your looking for new and different foods to try. This place is great for that...Drinks are great!

t .berkley

Great venue for live music.

Suzanne Bilhardt

Great atmosphere and excellent service!

cathy kopituk

Scrumptious food, delicious drinks, an atmosphere where all are welcome. This OG Fishtown spot is tried and true.

Joseph Tchume

JB's has been a solid staple for years. Good food, reasonable drink prices, amazing events...Johnny Brenda's does it all.

Wayne Morra

One of my favorite Philadelphia bars. Plenty of sitting and a surprisingly tasty menu. The beer selection is great for all but the biggest beer connoisseurs (is that an an oxymoron). Anyhow this is a great bar, but then upstairs is live music. This establishment is an awesome supporter of live, local music.

weston rinker

All ways a good time

Gabriel Pimentel

The food was delicious! Their service that day was perfect and I will come back for sure

John Pacewicz

Great food (best veggie burger in the city) and a great live music venue.

Nikolai Dubsky

Awesome service, decent beer list, and the vegan options are much appreciated. Would love to see more vegan choices. Beet dip and veggie kabob was amazing.

Alex Yetka

Awesome bar with great food and great beer. The music venue is very up close and personal. I highly recommend seeing any band you like here. I'd also highly recommend both the burger and the veggie burger

Sean McCarthy

Great beer. Great food. Nice staff. Comfortable upstairs music venue. I've actually come here before on date nights because the food and atmosphere is that good. At a dive bar, no kidding. I've also come here late on a Saturday night bar crawl and fit right into the lively (respectfully rowdy) late night crowd. Also a bonus that they have a pool table. This place kind of does it all, and is legendary for good reason. What more could you want?

Jonathan Richardson

Pretty good bar eats, great beer selection!

Rebecca DiBartolomeo

The veggie burger is as good as the burger

Stephen Wigmore

It is worth it to go to Johnny Brenda's and not just because of its convenient location. The beers rotate, ciders come in as Fall rolls around, the menu changes with the season too. On that note, the food here is better than I expected for a bar. I've gotten a few other items on the menu; however, I really dig their burger, and my wife is a big fan of their veggie options. The staff are friendly and attentive, and there is live music on the second floor. Plus red, green and orange lights in the tables.

Brian Paynter

waitress was very nice. Food came out very fast. Ate outside with my son that is 11 and he really enjoyed the outside as we ate.Our waitress made my son feel very comfortable. Nice place to eat. To the owners change Nothing at all. Just know that our waitress represented your company very well.

John Massey

Limited but good menu, excellent service, good variety of brews. Excellent venue for bands.

Jamiel Thompson

Great place. Cool vibe.

Dan Barnes Batista

Great hoppin bar, great live music, drinks are well crafted and not outrageously priced

Matty P

Sick room, INTIMATE venue, great club

Todd Holtsberry

Very much enjoyed the JB Burger, with a nice side salad...outside. Great service too...it's a Philly landmark...go there...eat, drink, or both.

john surowicz

Old timey and new.... hip with a great beer selection

Chris Lane

Saw a great show upstairs. Food and drinks are always straight. Good place.

Renry Rorrins

The band Acid King performed their album Busse Woods here on Tuesday, October 1, 2019. The rock and roll show was outstanding. I was able to watch the band up close and the sound quality was excellent. Good venue, great show, would attend again 10/10

Jordyn Steinheiser

I saw Cosmo Sheldrake here last week and the concert was amazing! The venue is so cool. It's a smaller space but makes for an intimate musical experience. The sound was great and the lighting was awesome. The bar options were great as well. Definitely hope I make it to another show here soon!

Rebecca Watson

Great location and friendly service. The food is really tasty and the place is extremely hygienic. I can't wait to be regular here and try all other things in the menu.

Jeremy Miles

Good place to go to to see live music. Easily found and accessible. There's a balcony with better viewing angles since the collums on the second floor get in the way.

joseph mazzone

Great food but no TV's. So get ready to miss playoff games etc

Holly Seibert

Unique food selection, great beer, and amazing service!

Patrick McGrath

Nice place , live music upstairs was fun.

Neil Vora

Really great drinks! Cool vibe and excellent beats. Throw back to the 2005 era of music and probably the 80s for decor (I'm not old enough to know). Drinks were well prepared by knowledgeable bartenders. I would go back here when I visit Phili again.

Quintin Brooks

The nicest wait staff and delicious food!

Rick Hasney

Great night at Johnny Brenda's in Philly seeing Ben Ottewell & Ian Ball of Gomez. Johnny Brenda's is small but great. My favorite type of venue. Free street parking, good food, and great atmosphere!

Nicole Campbell

My go-to brunch spot. The JB breakfast is amazing. Their specials are always delicious, and there is a great selection of beers. They have outdoor seating when the weather is nice. They even have shows upstairs, and the venue is great. If that's not your vibe, they usually have a DJ downstairs, or at the very least, an awesome playlist. The staff is always friendly. The atmosphere is great. There's also a pool table.

Andrew Leventhal

Was upstairs in this venue for a live show it was crowded but still breathable and the bar was accessible on the top as well as the bottom floors. Acoustics for the performance were better than I expected and they do have good bar food but only downstairs during performances.

Pj Williams

Fun place, hip without being pretentious.

John Bowden

Get the burger! And a great beer selection

Jay Kurtz

Great spot to take in a show with reasonably priced food and drinks.

Kai

Good venue, great drink prices and good crowd. Recommend checking out a show here if you're in town or even if you're from the area

Walker Gosrich

One of the coolest venues/bars out there. Good sound, good music, reasonably priced drinks and friendly staff.

Rob Sheppard

Awesome spot for a drink. Can't wait to see a show here. Even the vegetarian food was excellent (from someone who desperately wanted meat).

Karen McShea

Buck-a-shuck 4:30-6:30 with other Happy Hour specials!

Jess LeBorgne

Solid venue, solid service, clean bathrooms, and a decent beer menu. In the times ive been here ive had 0 negative expeiences

Mauricio Artigas

I lived right by for a few years, has a special place in my heart... The JB burger is one of my favorite all time burgers anywhere. The fries are also seasoned and delicious. Awesome vibes at this place, local PA brews...good mix drinks....pool table, outside and inside seating...music shows upstairs, a fishtown staple

Michelle Alexander

Fun as hell. Top notch sounds. Excellent food out of the kitchen.

Useless Rebel -Dante-

Love it here just don't go on a Friday or Saturday night. Must avoid the bromuda triangle.

GoTrack Yourself

Iconic corner in Fishtown, Primo music room upstairs!

Harrah’s Spa

i've been going to this place for half my life, and it's still good. but the price has been creeping up a quarter or two per year and, worse, their sandwiches are right about half of the size they were just a couple of years ago. they definitely shrank their portions/size several times in that period of time.

Walt Johnson

Always a good meal Nice waitress

Paul Scerri

Great little dive bar

Amanda Osbeck

Always great food, fantastic drinks and attentive wait staff and bartenders. Raw bar is to die for!!!!! One of the best sound systems in Philly. Crowd can get a lil "Brah" but whatevs still fantastic!

Michelle Hendrickson

Awesome fun spot....outdoor seating too..

Laura N

As far as a nice, intimate venue for music, this is top notch.

Nick Cellucci

Can't speak to their food, but this is hands-down my favorite small venue in Philly. They've got a balcony that's practically right in front of the stage, so you'll have a great vantage point from almost anywhere - service has always been excellent at the bars upstairs, and decent selection of beers.

Stephanie Clark

Good food, but a bit pricey for the amount you get. I got mushroom croquettes which tasted delicious, but you only get 4 small balls for $9. Upstairs was great for the Max Frost concert. Great acoustics and you're up close and personal to the stage

Joseph Yusem

Great bar. $3 Kensingers

Drew Goga

great vibes! super friendly staff!

Delroy Stauffer

A wonderful place to grab food and drinks! Their burger is incredible.

Tom Catullo

Great place for live music. The bottom floor of the venue is a bar and restaurant, while the upper two floors have a small stage and a balcony. It's a small space but was lots of fun. We Are Scientists were great!

Tony Gonzo

Classic venue! Amazing food especially their oysters. Great live music often happens here. One of my favorite local venues.

Derek Hueske

Great little venue that supports local music. Such great sound for such a little place! Can't talk for the food, but the bar has rotating local beers that are usually pretty good

Laurel H.

Great food! I had perfectly cooked trout frites. Great service! The waitress was very attentive. Sat at an open window to eat, very nice on a beautiful evening! Great views to the stage! Very cozy, intimate venue. Nice place to see Earth. Great decor, too!

Jenna Roadside

My friend and I are here last night. I had the calamari salad. It was delicious! Also, the service was great.

Barry Hicks

I really liked the stage area upstairs. There are two levels and two bars. It has a quirky vibe, slightly spooky, very artsy. Sound was really good, too.

Alex Reynolds

Good food. Good drinks. You should go for a show! But avoid if you don't enjoy busy spots

Brian McNicholas

Neighborhood staple, great place to grab a drink, and one of the best music venues in the city. Staff are consistent and always set a good vibe. One of my favorite bars in the city.

Manuel Jimenez

Ideal location to meet people, socialize and enjoy all kinds of events.

Amanda Larsen

Classic Philly, down home, cool kids spot. Friendly, hard-working staff. Rocks my socks.

Erin Kelly

Definitely and indie-rock type style bar. It was neat, but not quite my style. I would be interested to go back and see the basement bar! Good beers.

Robert Ford

My favorite music venue... perfect for intimate shows.

Brendan Moran

Got the fried chicken sandwich and it was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had, period. Fry was exceptionally crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Very flavorful. Beer selection is great and the bartender was friendly.

Nay N

Enjoyed the food & drink. The music was awesome.

YouChoose TheLyrics

Must have veggie burger..so good!!

Robert Cardoni

Cool spot in Fishtown for live music, food and drinks. Draught beers are all local Live music is on the 2nd and third floor. The third floor balcony overlooks the stage and has great sound and sight-lines if you can get a spot on the rail

Renata Aronson

It's a total fail today. I've given this place a 5

Megan Scott

Fantastic bar in fishtown. They have many different vibes throughout so it's fun to come here to get a different experience from a nice dinner, casual bar vibe, to even a concert... you will have a good time

Jenn Estepp

Great space. Intimate, friendly. Have never had a bad time here!

DAN WEST

Awesome place to see a band!! Great beer selection!! ( no Michelob) Great food!! Awesome sound and stage!!!

Trenton Craig

Great atmosphere, good music, decent food! (Was here for beer week event, recommend!)

Stephanie S

Cool bar. Interior really unique and unusual menu with tasty eats.

ejjackson320

Nice place. Love that it is casual and has 3 floors. Food looks good. Only had a salas which was delicious. Drinks are inexpensive as well.

Ben Carmichael

A solid no frills corner dive bar

Bart Larsen

Stopped by on a Saturday evening. Good vibes, good cocktails, nice beer selection, and solid food. A good number of people were there but we were still able to find a spot at the bar.

heather mccarron

Had dinner in the restaurant before a show. Food was very good and well priced for what you got. Upstairs venue is quirky and old school. Intimate setting to see a great live show. Bailen was awesome!

True Video Production

The food is great. The bartender was so helpful and very friendly. He needs a raise. I will always come back to this place.

Caitlin Rodgers

In the two years since I started working in the neighborhood, Johnny Brenda's has easily become my favorite nearby place to grabe a bite after work. The food is always incredible no matter what I order and the service matches.

Julian Cook

Food was alright. It was authentic, but I've had a lot better.

Chris Pirone

Small menu but right to the point. I would suggest this place to anyone. If you are trying to sit back, relax, listen to chill tunes, play pool or chat with friends. This is the place for you. At night they have an upstairs intimate venue. Many renown artist have played on this stage. It is one the best venues for its size in Philadelphia.

Dwayne Mcclam

Great place to drink, meet new people n party

Lee Pietrak

Good food. Nice beer selection. Great service.

Steven Ferrell

Vinyl dj’s, great live music venue, dynamite food & drink

Reina Williams

Very cool venue in the Fishtown part of Philly.

Leire Allo

The veggie burger is delicious. They didn't want to split the checks even though we asked since the beginning, and they didn't let our party of 10 be at the same table when the place was half empty and there was room.

Diego Navarrete

Great music venue in Northern Liberties. Great music almost every night.

Karen Carrero

Super cute & low key, ole school-ish.

mo hazard

It's always worth a trip down from NY to catch a show at Johnny Brenda's. Spent three nights here last year and it was a blast. The staff made us out of towners feel at home, the food was good in the bar area, too. Love the small show vibe upstairs.

alex courtney

This was a relaxed bar with a good crowd. They have a music venue upstairs and the were having a DJ playing some really good music in the down stairs section. The prices were really high though so it's not really a place to go for a big meal but if you want to grab a drink and play pool then this is a good place for you.

David Ortega

If a band you love is playing here, you’re in a for a treat. This is a great music venue because it is so intimate. The staff is always courteous, the beer selection excellent, and the food is mostly very good.

Shay S

Burger was exquisite. The draft kombucha was great .

Jonah Casella

Awesome venue to see a live band.

Josh Pincus

One of the best small venues in the city. Great views of the stage from nearly everywhere. The restaurant on street level offers some creative vegetarian dishes, as well as interesting takes on standard bar food.

Jennifer

Delicious fish appetizers and main Wine on tap was really good too. Nice reds! Waitstaff was sweet too.

Cheryl Veltre

Chill atmosphere. Bouncer Jay at the door is awesome. Different flavors of beer and playing pool

sarah vogel

Good food- good music- interesting company.

Jonathan Fisher

Just like your uncle's basement, with a whole bunch of his friends coming over. And maybe a couple people nobody knows who invited. But they're cool.

James Melgarejo

Try the Jebroni (aka Negroni) delicious!!!

Sherri Loonstyn

Awesome venue for a concert. Great food and Exceptional Service

Joel Knapp

Wow, just wow. Awesome place for an out of towner

Noe Madera

Cheap beer They have Draft beer <3 Bartenders are very sociable and smart I asked The bartender to make me a Silver bullet shot and they knew exactly what i was talking about.(Not many people do)They have great food to snack on and they have a pool table.What more could you ask for?

spiinn76

Good shtuff

Charles Williamson

I love this place, but I'm biased as I've performed here twice. Johnny Brenda's is a fantastic venue to see a band or to BE a band and an even better place to be an air guitarist. The food is great, the burger has some sort of secret sauce, and the fish and chips today were also good. The beer list is always interesting with a wide variety of local and less-local brews. Downstairs has a pool table in the front and a quieter room in the back. Upstairs has a good sized bar and a balcony that allows even the shortest person the enjoy a band.

Ellen Fisher

The food is absolutely delicious. Our waitress was great. The concert venue was quaint and cozy. Made me feel like I was hanging out with the band. Saw slothrust who are amazing.

Dan Price

Great beer, great music, historic venue

Leo Sweeney

Impressive selection of unique beers on tap. Food was also surprisingly well done. Only visited this location once and it was after having a couple beers across the street at the Beer garden so take that for what it's worth.

Chelon The Evil Blk Widow

Had a blast!!& A girl tried way too hard to kiss me...can't do sloppy drunk AF but kind of cute in her own world,but tuuuuummm yeah...had a great time,theme was the year 2000,so all the music was from that era. Little pricey for a pint glass of lager $6.50,though...uuuT well, I had a good time and I will be back over there, eventually..heeeheeee..

Jeff Carlson

Great bar and restaurant on the first floor, and one of my favorite concert venues on the second. A good beer list with reasonable prices and solid service.

elease fisher

Had a great time. Went early about 4:00, bar area was filled, dining area was quiet. Food was delicious.

tristan ellsworth

Unfortunately it has been consumed by the Bro-muda triangle. So long Johnny Brendas, I hung on as long as I could...at least thsres still [bar name redacted]...

Debbie Wells

Place is cool. Parking sucks but its philly.

Liz Jacobs

This place is amazing! Great service, great drinks, and great food! Definitely check out their happy hour!

Vaibhav Mishra

Great service, nice ambience. The waiter was really attentive!

Ted Nickell

Always good service and good food selections. Coming back for oysters soon.

Sam Williams

Amazing. Food, drinks, music, staff...all amazing.

Ricardo Rodrigues

Amazing venue! Home for good music, great food and a beautiful selection of local beers. Totally recommend!! Want to come back soon!! <3

George Petropoulos

Yes. Good food, good drink and hip/groovy.

Buzz Gallagher

Monday Funday night with son and daughter-in-law. Dinner and craft beers. We enjoyed everything.

CanMc

Loved it. Good service and good food

Hayley Corkery

The bar is fairly good. However, I have been here multiple times and the service is not good. We will not see our server for a while when we are almost the only table. Also, just in general I have had a negative experience where the staff has been rude in instances that were not necessary.

David Choi

They give hipsters a bad name. Food is good and the venue has a lot of history and not a bad place to catch a show. However, the service is complete garbage and normal questions are greeted with disdain and pretentiousness. If you dare to try and order a non local beer, good luck getting that night after the bartender rolls her eyes and walks away from you.