Sunday 17th of March 2013 09:02:08 PM

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This area of Old City Philly has many interesting places to drink and dine within easy walking distance. Metered parking can be challenging, and there are several pay decks in the area. Three locations under the same ownership, Eulogy, Beneluxx and Bierstube, offer a great variety of cuisine and craft brews. The Bierstube heritage spans over a century, when a German beer house opened in China in the late 19th century. Their inspired franchise now spans the globe, and this Bierstube aims to bring an unparalleled German beer offering to Philly. The exterior facade is concrete with black wood, adorned by their mascot, a portly friar raising a stein. Their black awning shaded sidewalk tables are open during good weather. Inside are several tables and an 11 chair dark wooden bar, and there is a smaller cellar bar downstairs which is only rarely open. The floor and walls are wooden, decorated with German beer paraphernalia, and a glowing stained glass cross graces the bar. The bar features 16 taps, mostly German crafts, with a few European and German-inspired American interpretations. They have about 160 bottled beers, a mix of European and American common and crafts, with all the usual German traditional breweries represented. The food menu includes a mix of pub fare, appetizers, mussels, sandwiches, German sausages and entrees. The service is good and attentive. Bierstube seems to straddle the line between American bar and German bier hall, which unfortunately seems disconcerting rather than synergistic. The place is not crowded with patrons, and just doesn't have the lively festive German atmosphere you'd expect. In most cities this would be a definitive destination, but Philly offers lot of tough competition with many excellent Belgian and American craft beer bars.