The Happy Rooster — Restaurant in Philadelphia

My wife and I have been here a number of times. We have been both for drinks and for dinner/lunch. I definitely have mixed feelings about the place. It is usually easy to get into which is nice for a center city bar/restaurant. If there is a wait it's never very long. The atmosphere is comfortable and relaxed and there is a noticeable lack of hipsters which I like. I don't know what to make of the décor. I like the rooster theme, but the place needs a remodel in the worst way. It's almost tacky, which I admit adds to the character of the place, but the front bar and booths need some replacement, not to mention the awfuk ceiling tiles. The service is a mixed bag. It really depends on who's working. They're speedy enough but again, depending on who is working, they may not be the friendliest. The big bartender is nice and talkative, but the girls are so so. The beer menu is ok, but just ok. It's a bottle only menu which is fine, but the selection compared to other great bars in the area is lacking. That may be due to the fact that this is a fairly small place and there may not be room for much more. The food is what really stands out in this place and I can't figure that out. It's such a dive in some ways, that having such good food is surprising. The selection and quality is far more upscale that you would think given what I've described so far. They have a decent regular menu, along with specials. The only thing is, the specials don't change so how special are they? Well, they taste great, but specials are supposed to rotate. I like the place and I will likely go again. I just hope it isn't long before the...

A tale of two restaurants…we’d d eaten here often in the past and loved it, so expected a lovely evening. Showed up for our reservation on time and were ignored by staff. Finally got seated in our booth. This is a SMALL bar (12 tables) and is located on a corner. There are two doors at the entrance. Both doors close veeerryy ssslloowwllyy. It was 20 degrees outside. People come and go often and each time let in a long blast of 20 degree wind. We had to put our coats on. Finally, we noticed an empty table in a secluded back corner. We asked to be moved there and the waiter refused. That table remained empty throughout our entire frozen stay. Ate dinner with our coats on. Food was lackluster. Ordered the tuna nicoise salad and received bagged lettuce with a can of cold tuna fish on top. Paid the check and left. Walked a few blocks down to the Dandelion. Also located on a corner, but this place has an outer door, an inner door, and heavy velvet drapes. People can come and go with no impact on the temp at the bar. Told the bartender we were freezing and he immediately sent waitstaff in search of a seat upstairs or by the fire place. No luck but he found us a table by the bar, the exact same distance from the door as at Happy Rooster, but warm and cozy. Enjoyed some fabulous cocktails and apps. Moral of the story: It’s the small things that make or break a restaurant: the waiter who cares about your comfort; the owner who invests in making a place comfortable; the chef who does more than open a can...

Awful service bartender and server screamed in my face absolutely worse service ive ever experienced. Food was amazing though 10/10 calamari deviled eggs.

Context: Came in ordered a round of drinks, sat down at open table bc more people were coming. Server yelled at us for sitting with an open bar tab. Said sorry told her id close out but had a drink on the way. Got up closed the tab, grabbed my drink sat back down to order, and she told us to get up bc I had ordered another drink, the same drink I told her I was still waiting for. After being kicked off the table for that altercation we got food at the bar. Food came was amazing. I paid using the same card I had just covered the last tab for and it didnt go through, later Ab 10 mins I tried the same card and it worked (see photo attached) but because it gave the bartender an issue She yelled loudly “ SOMEONE HAS TO PAY ONE OF YOU GIVE ME A CARD” So my friend paid, I paid him out of my account tipped the bartender $5 and left. Ive been in service since I was 16 and this was the wildest Ive ever been treated at any bar in center. I get difficult customers but the staff at every turn would rather boss you around then solve a...