Star|Bolt — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I don't like leaving sort of negative reviews, but Star Bolt could do way better. The good things were that the look of the place and the ambience were very cool. It's an enormous space, and I could see it being very good for groups, and especially events which is where I'm guessing they'll make most of their money. The host at the door was great--very friendly and nice. We were planning on coming in for some food and a couple of drinks, but were kind of turned off by the plastic laminated menu, and something about the vibe just caused us to hesitate on putting in a full order, which I'm glad we did (maybe it was the Jack Daniels sponsored drink menu and ads on the bar...kind of screams dive bar, which I'm cool with, but I'm not going to order a nicer cocktail and eat dinner at a dive). We didn't order food, so I can't comment on that, but I was extremely disappointed with the drink. I ordered the "Blood Orange Manhattan." First off, they were using SUPER cheap vermouth. The did use knob creek whiskey, which is I guess how they justify charging $16, but for that price I would expect at least a half decent vermouth, if not something premium, which is pretty standard at most bars which make these kinds of cocktails. Then, the bartender made it extremely dry, probably only 1/2 ounce of the vermouth, which again is not the standard expectation for a Manhattan. He used Peychaud's bitters, which was also weird, and besides a spray at the end from a bottle labeled "orange" I could see nor taste any "blood orange" at all in the drink. To top it off, it was garnished with three desiccated cherries that looked like they had already been chewed on, and were super unappetizing. Really really bad for a pretty basic cocktail for which you're charging a premium price. And, based on the great cocktail bars increasingly popping up in the neighborhood, I'd really expect better.

The bartender was pleasant when he interacted with us, but he spent most of the time standing behind the bar on his phone. I get it that it was a slow night, but it's just a bad look to have him buried in his phone the entire time we were there. In any case, pretty disappointed and would not...

As someone who has worked, opened and owned restaurants I'm always excited for New places opening. Star Bolt just opened around the corner from my home, so here I am talking about it.

First impressions are good! The location is welcome to locals, as it's in a neighborhood that has been overlooked by places like this for years. Being under the El train might turn some people off, but those folks just don't understand cities. The atmosphere is good. It's big, airy with cozy corners and big performance sized spaces. There's a patio and a couple of bars.

The kitchen is still going through some growing pains with timing and delivery, but the preparation is just fine. I expect that the menu will change over time as the clientele makes it's preferences known and the chef seems really experienced and excellent. I'm going to call out the Skate wing (yes! One of 2 places I've ever seen in this area that serves it) it's one of the best cut and cooked I've had in a while. So far they bread it along with the Frito Mixto (including head -on shrimp and wonderfully cooked calamari), but the skate could stand on its own with black butter and capers. It's really, really good.

Service right now is still getting their feet on the ground, but they are all from a professional team and know what they're doing. They'll treat you well.

The drinks are limited so far, as they are either going for a higher shelf for all their drinks, or they just haven't stocked all the liquors that many of us expect.

The glassware is cheaper, but I sort of like this as it means they are less apt to overcharge to make up for breakage. Speaking of which, there's a pretty good pricing structure with dishes ranging from $8 up to Tomahawk steak for 2 at MP which usually means towards $100. Did I mention there's a pool table?

So, over all, I think that Star Bolt is off to a great start and I'll be sure to continue to support them as they evolve and hopefully develop into a location that supports and uplifts the neighborhood that we live in.

You should give it a try at 1936 N. Front St. Philadelphia, PA 19125

Tell them Phil...

Just went here for NYE. I liked the ambience of the place, was not disappointed by my first round of drinks (got some Arlo cider from shacksbury on tap), but when I went back for the second round I was extremely disappointed. I got my friend and myself a green tea shot as well as a “strawberry select” cocktail for my partner. First thing I noticed was the bartender filled 2 shot glasses in front of me up less than half way, then poured himself a 3/4 shot with the rest of the green tea. Imagine paying for 2 shots, getting half shots and the bartender getting more than you? Crazy. Next, I realized they charged me $12 for each green tea shot, thank god I didn’t buy more than 2 or I would’ve been on the hook for a ridiculous amount of money. They charged me for 2 “neat” pours of Jim beam. I don’t know what they charge for a green tea shot, but I worked at a bar literally up the street the past year and we charge $7 so that was insane. I shrugged it off at a new years up charge. Then I tried the strawberry cocktail because it was too full to carry back to my partner without spilling. Wow. When I say this tasted like it was made with bottom shelf liquor and a bartender on their first day of work, I truly mean it. The drink was disgusting… she had 4 sips and gave it to one of her friends. Overall that second round of drinks cost me $41 and the green tea shots didn’t even taste like they had Jameson OR a correct ratio… they were overwhelmingly peach schnapps tasting with a tiny Jim beam and some sprite. Completely unacceptable if you want to charge customers $12. I did appreciate the atmosphere of the bar and the staff was nice so that is why they get 3 stars and not 2 or 1… however I will definitely not be returning knowing how poorly they make drinks and still charge top...