Evil Genius Beer Company — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Came here yesterday on our way back from the Neon Museum. We'd been to Evil Genius in the past and have enjoyed a few of their bottles at Parks on Tap.

We wanted to sit outside but most of the tables in the shade were taken. We found a table in the corner that was partially in the shade, moved it a little more into the shade, and sat there. It was a hot day and being in between two buildings, I wasn't feeling any kind of breeze in that side beer garden. I think having umbrellas at each table would have helped. I'm sure it's gorgeous there at night!

We decided to get a flight so we could try little pours of everything that sounded remotely good. Typically we aren't IPA people and anything with the word "Ale" tends to end up on my "too hoppy" list, but most of the beer seemed to be in that genre. We tried the Raspberry Shandy, Watermelon Ale, Copper Lager, Belgian Table Beer, and the one with a "baseball" name. All of them were a little too crispy for me - nothing really smooth, everything had lots of bubbles and a little bitterness to it. Even the shandy!! How do you manage to turn a shandy into a bitter beer? The shandy and watermelon ale smelled amazing but just weren't smooth and drinkable as I'd hoped.

We also ordered nachos, which arrived before our beer. They were decent but it was mostly a basket of dry chips with all the toppings on the first layer of chips. You kinda had to mix them around yourself to get topping on each chip. Jalapenos aside, they were decent nachos though.

Overall, a pretty backyard that needed more shade or fans, but that day the drafts just weren't speaking to us. Kind of disappointed since we've loved some of their beers in the past (I Love Lamp,...

TLDR: Awesome atmosphere, great beer. Perfect place to spend a Saturday with friends.

Vibe: 4/5. Located in the heart of Fishtown, Evil Genius has a sprawling complex complete with both indoor and outdoor seating. On the Saturday I visited, they had the entire street blocked off directly in front of the brewery for an impromptu concert and street hangout. I am unsure if this is a weekly occurrence, but it was very well organized and welcoming to everyone. They had several tables and beer tents set up as well as a mobile axe throwing booth (free!). The band playing was extremely talented and played a great selection of pop classic covers throughout the afternoon. My only wish is that Evil Genius rented a few port o pots for the outside festivities, as the brewery only has a handful of unisex stalls which caused a wait for the bathroom.

Service: 5/5. The staff at Evil Genius were great from first to last pint. When we visited, you could purchase beer at both the inside bar and an outside tent setup in the street. Both locations were quick to get patrons their order and friendly in the process. Security manning the door was also friendly as you entered and exited the front door.

Beer: 4/5. The beers at Evil Genius were both creative and tasty. I was able to sample the bacon beer and one of their IPAs and both were tasty. Pricing was reasonable as well, with pints hovering around the $8 range. If I wasn't so caught up in the outdoor festivities, I would have loved to sample a flight of beer to really get a better idea of their beer offerings, but...

Extremely cool space, good beer, slow service. I loved the space and the retro feel. They have their menu on VHS tapes. There were lots of games at the bar to play. We went on a Friday night. They had a few vendors selling handmade items and a musician performing. While I normally am not the biggest fan of IPAs (and a majority, like 75% of their beers on tap are IPAs), I really enjoyed most of theirs. They weren’t super hoppy and had some great flavoring. They had the best watermelon sour that I highly recommend!

We had mac and cheese, nachos, and a cuban sandwich. They serve food, however, they do not have a traditional working kitchen. The “kitchen” is behind the bar with a single burner, a panini press, and a toaster oven. Definitely good drunk food, afterall my mac and cheese was topped with crushed Cheetos, but this is not fine dining, or to be honest, even a dining experience.

Bar service was horrible. It seemed like the bartenders first time working on a Friday night. We were ignored for 10 minutes after sitting down at the bar. We were never asked if we wanted more drinks. They have a line to the bar for people sitting at the tables as they do not have servers. We ended up waiting in this line to get a second round of drinks.

Overall, I would give this place another try since I loved the vibes and the sour, but definitely manage your expectations with their food...