New Deck Tavern

Friendly staff and good food. Nice location within easy walking distance of U Penn. Atmosphere was noisy so not great for conversation. Took away one star only because it took a long time to get service initially and then it felt like we were being rushed out at the end.

Decent Food OK service and good drinks.
Popped in late Friday night for a snack after a local show I attended. The Ruben was good.
I ordered the quesadilla and steak fries. Fries were undercooked and soggy. I bit into one and you can still taste raw potatoes. Bar tender claimed that's how they serve them and if I want a crisper fry, the shoe string is the one I want. Well, know that they serve soggy steak fries. The shoestring fries were tasty. Had a Margarita that wasn't that tasty and a Moscow mule, which was ok. Overall decent spot with and Irish pub vibes.

We had a really enjoyable time here playing trivia on Wednesday night. Food was good and prices were reasonable. But when they hit me with a 20% automatic gratuity on a party of three, that earned them one star review for shady business practices. I may go back; I may not; but I will remember this nonsense.

Look, you know what you're going to get with New Deck. No one is coming here for a culinary tour de force. We're coming here to have some drinks in a loud, friendly environment, and let's be honest, the convenient location helps a ton as well. The best part about New Deck is the vibe--it's a college bar and thus boisterous, social, and on the cheaper side (although definitely not a dive bar).

Service can be hit or miss, especially if it's busy, but again, you aren't really coming here for top notch service or dining. It's always a fun time here--definitely a place for groups. Trivia on Tuesdays is fun (8-10PM, so a bit on the late side for me, but it's a good time). The karaoke nights in Thursdays are also great (NOT high budget at all, but great to scream sing songs with your friends in a chill environment).

With food, you must keep it simple. The fries and the nachos are both huge in portion, perfect to munch on as you catch up with friends. You must skip the pizza. It is an affront to all pizzas (see my posted picture if you don't agree). The cocktails are all fairly standard, I like the wide arrays of citywide modifications for economy's sake. My go to is the shot of tequila and a white claw for nine bucks, but mileage can definitely vary on that. I like that the crowd isn't super young--even on weekend nights, there are plenty of the 30s 40s crowd until 10 or so, although the majority of people are college age or graduate students.

We went here for dinner last night before our drive back home to NY. First off all, the decor and atmosphere of the place is very welcoming, homey and pleasant. It's gorgeous inside with all the brick and it just has a very authentic Irish tavern feel (which is what it is).

The food was excellent. The pretzels and cheesesteak egg rolls were delicious. The French onion soup was perfect. The Philly cheesesteaks were good, not the best I've ever had but I enjoyed them regardless.

The service was very friendly. Our waitress was very accommodating and there was a gentleman behind the bar who also helped out and he was extremely pleasant. We had two small children with us who fully enjoyed their burgers & fries. They had yummy desserts as well (which got eaten too fast for a picture).

I'd definitely come back here on another trip.

Bar food is not something this place gets right. The curry fries, even in the photos, look so appetizing. Take one bite and you will be sorely disappointed. Everything was just extremely bland. Though it is a nice place to have drinks (you can be by the bar where it's louder and you're ready to get rowdy, or you can sit by the tables and talk amongst friends), it's just not worth spending money on the food.

I've been going to New Deck since college and it still hasn't changed much in the last 13 years! They still have bar food at a super cheap price. The cheesesteak egg rolls were delicious but they tasted kind of sweet. The city wides are kind of overpriced (8 bucks compared to the usual 5?!). The chicken burger tasted pretty average. I liked the chicken quesadillas (they were pretty decent). The waitress got our food out real quick.

My friend and I had gone there and gotten the loaded baked potato soup. It was super filling and delicious it was pretty cheap as well so that was awesome. The server was great and helpful he was super nice and it was his first day which was surprising because he knew exactly what he was doing. The tavern was super cool it was like a classic Irish bar it was a nice ambiance.

Poor service. Our food arrived before our drinks. I ordered the chili which was $8 on the menu and was charged $10 on the bill. When inquires the waitress said I ordered a bowl and that there was nothing she could do to change it. She flat out lied as there is no option for a cup vs a bowl. Very very disappointed.

I popped in for some lunch after a conference at Penn. The beer was cold, the service was good, and the cheesesteak and fries were very tasty!