Barra Restaurant

This place will hopefully go under soon. Can you believe if you go in there and order a beer or two they require a $ 25 card minimum? OK so technically its not a cash only establishment, however if you use their shady ATM, you pay $ 4.50 plus the $ 4.50 your bank charges you on top of that –so that $ 5 beer just cost you…$ 14! What’s the reason for this? Don’t know but listen, they need to re-​evaluate their merchant services and CC processing fees, and not take it out on the customer. I won’t ever be returning, obviously, and I sincerely hope they fail. Glad that they taught me just how sketchy a business can be, with a tiny standalone off-​brand ATM and an attached hooka bar — same business.
Maybe hooka isn’t all these people are smoking???
They’re hurting so bad for business they have to accept parties and clientele that don’t fit the neighborhood, and actually terrorize the streets after they leave with noise and screaming– weed– loud car systems keeping people awake. Sirens, fights, multiple police cars all night until 4:00 AM. On many, many levels this business needs to fold. Its a damn embarrassment to Philadelphia and the residents are already filing lawsuits. Doesn’t look like they’re cutting it anyways.
Haha and they frisk the hell out of you to enter
AVOID!!! what a s% hole

what a waste of time. Stopped in for the brew and burger on Wednesday, just a couple of people in the place. Sat at the bar and nobody was behind the bar. Waited about 10 minutes and then flagged down a server. Still nobody at the bar. Don’t know how they are still in business, seems they are not going to be open long.

The food was just ok and we waited a long time for it, even though the restaurant was almost empty. When I spoke to the manager he came out and and changed the bill to help our mood.

If my experience at Barra today (Wednesday, Nov 18, 2015 at 12 noon for lunch) is any guide, then this restaurant is a complete waste of time and money; to put it a little differently, even with a Groupon that provided $ 20.00 of food for $ 8.80, the place wasn’t worth it; or to put it another way, if a crack in the earth opened up right below Barra, which was then sucked into an abyss and never heard from or seen again, it would not be missed by the restaurant community of Philadelphia.
Here is why I am so negative about this place (which is, by the way, at night a bar and hookah club that perhaps is okay, but in this review I am merely addressing the quality of the food and the management’s ethics):
I had ordered an entrée that was supposed to be a half-​chicken, plus side of roast potatoes, and some broccoli. Even though there was no queue (I was the only person at a table), the kitchen took 30 minutes to prepare my dish, which, when it came out, consisted not of a half-​chicken, but rather two minuscule pieces of chicken (a leg and a portion of a breast, perhaps of a capon or some other kind of miniature bird or baby bird), plus the potato and vegetable.
When I protested to the server (Tianna, a very nice person who, I hope, can manage to get another job – elsewhere), she in turn sent over the owner, a Mr. Ahmad (sp?), who agreed with me that a half-​chicken should consist of a leg, a thigh, a breast and a wing. He apologized for the confusion caused by the fact that his cook was only working there one month (what an explanation!), and promised that in 15 minutes a new dish would come out of the kitchen with a real half-​chicken on it! We also agreed that the potato and vegetable would NOT be warmed over, but rather prepared anew.
The promises were not kept.
Rather, what came out, 28 Minutes Later (not 15 minutes) was the following:
1. the same two pieces of miniature chicken (the leg and breast, now quite thoroughly dried out);
2. a third piece of miniature chicken, perhaps a portion of a breast, not a dried out as the other two;
3. but there certainly was no wing (maybe it was so small or lightweight that it just flew away before the plate arrived at my table);
4. moreover, the broccoli was NOT (as promised) newly prepared, but the same old stuff, now soggy from overcooking, albeit enhanced by some green pepper which, having been cooked only once, not only was fine; however, this disparity also made it painfully clear, by way of comparison, that the broccoli had been (excessively) warmed over;
5. and finally, the roast potato side was NOT (as promised) prepared over from scratch, but rather was the same old potatoes, now enhanced (?) by their having been sauteed in oil with onion; and as with the broccoli, because the added element (earlier green pepper, now onions) tasted fine, it merely underscored the fact that the principal item (earlier broccoli, now potato) had been overcooked via re-​warming.
Good grief!
So, I left a 20% tip for Tianna (after all, it really wasn’t her fault that the owner and/​or cook are abysmally unprofessional), and then I went home and called a couple friends, urging them to cancel Groupons that they themselves had purchased for this pathetic joke of a dining establishment.
Most «new» restaurants are out of business within two years; very few survive for a lifetime, like Bistro Romano, which is just a few blocks away. Barra’s food operation (again, I don’t know about the bar or hookah club) deserves to go out of business IMMEDIATELY.
So, dear readers – don’t waste your time or your money at Barra!

I went here with my bf for dinner one day. The environment was quiet & the atmosphere was non descript. The wait staff was amicable.
We both had pizza after sharing the calamari. The calamari was ok but cane with some type of blueberry sauce. When we asked for marinara, we were given pizza sauce instead.
The pizza was hot but not very flavorful. The meats on the pizza made it somewhat salty and the crust was a little hard, not crisp. Being a pizza lover, we tried this place again and the results were the same.
Not a fan & definitely not someplace I need to go to again

Used a local deal to try out the place — the food was fine, but we’d give 5 stars to the wonderful waitress who was smart, friendly and attentive.

Unfortunately, we bought the Groupon for this place without reading the reviews first. The service was so horrendous it inspired me to create a Unilocal account! I’m not sure if this was our waitress’s first job, but she was extremely unprofessional and did not seem to care too much. She was clueless when we asked a question about the Groupon. The manager came over to answer our questions regarding the Groupon and he wasn’t much help either.
After the waitress rushed us to place our orders, we waited about twenty minutes and still had not gotten our drinks yet. We asked the manager what was going on and he apologized and brought us water. After another few minutes, the bartender came over with only one of the drinks we ordered. We decided to leave after several more minutes of waiting and dealing with an unapologetic waitress. Side note: there was about four people sitting at the bar and only one other table with people sitting down to eat.
Overall, it was a terrible experience and would not return dispite still having the Groupon.

Sadly my first visit here wasn’t memorable and coming back was only more disappointing. Even with discounts offered through Groupon and City Dining Cards I think the prices here are too high, the food quality is poor, and although the servers may have the best intentions they just aren’t professional or efficient. One my first visit we came for dinner and found the prices to be steep and the menu was basic and unexciting. Our dinner was average, but I wanted to come back since I saw they offer burgers and pizza for brunch and lunch. When I stopped by on a Saturday at 3:00 pm I wasn’t offered the brunch menu even though it says online it is served till 3:30 pm… I ordered one of the suggested burgers baked in pizza dough. The burger wasn’t served with french fries (as advertised on the menu). For being cooked inside pizza dough the burger was dry and although topped with cheese, there was barely any mushrooms and onions and it just tasted bland… my server also didn’t ask me about the temperature of my burger. Between the hostess, bartender, and my waitress I just found the service to be slow and unprofessional. Between the high prices and pathetic food I don’t really know why I would ever come back here.

We had a terrible experience. The restaurant was understaffed, has poor management, organization, and customer service. We were the only people at the restaurant, and yet it took forty-​five minutes for our entrees to be prepared. Our meals also came fifteen minutes apart. Our waiter explained that they only have one chef and he prepares the meals for this restaurant and an adjacent restaurant simultaneously.
Friends of the employees came in wearing work out attire and were talking and joking around our table as well as in the back.
Lastly, the hostess literally walked through the restaurant smoking a hookah! I would not recommend this restaurant. I hope our review will save you from a similar frustrating experience.

Had a great experience here. Our server Melissa was wonderful and friendly. Great location and beautiful interior .
Food was very delicious! Will definitely send friends there and will dine there again soon !!

We really enjoy this restaurant in the historic district of old city. It is really close to my workplace — which is convenient. They offer a great special of a burger and domestic beer for $ 10. And this burger is very good. Wood fired oven everything. To date, we haven’t had any food that was unsatisfactory. Happy hour has great deals. The hookah lounge that is attached to the restaurant is also very nice with a bar and serves all of Barra’s food. Very friendly staff, good food, good deals, win in my book! Eat it!

Went for lunch with some buds. Place was empty. Waited 15 mins for salad and 30 for burgers. Poor waitress didnt get one order right. Burger was okay.

Avoid — Avoid — Avoid
This place is terrible. Before visiting Barra I had never experienced such a thoroughly bad combination of service, quality and management. Something is seriously wrong with this place.
My wife, son and I stopped into Barra around 5pm on a weekday a couple of weeks ago. A friendly but very young waitress took our orders. When she returned with our drinks I was surprised that the beer she described as a pale ale was actually a wheat beer. But no big deal, I drank it anyway. My wife had ordered a vodka and soda, but instead was given a tiny glass a bit bigger than a shot glass with nothing but vodka. My wife pleasantly reminded the waitress that she wanted a vodka and soda. The waitress took the drink away. When she returned from the bar the drink had become a faint pink and only a few drops bigger than it had originally been. My wife expressed surprise but the waitress just shrugged.
The surprises and disappointments continued when the food arrived. The french onion soup was coated with a mixture of a white cheese and cheddar. Cheddar??? As I pressed my spoon into the top I was surprised to find that I had to continue pressing deeper and deeper until I finally penetrated a monstrous layer of cheese. Once I reached the actual soup I was disappointed to find that there was very little liquid. The cheese overload and bread took up so much room that there was very little space for the soup.
The cheve salad was even more odd and clumsy than everything else. It was drenched in oil and had a large solid blob of cheve-​like (but not actual cheve) cheese dropped into the middle. The radishes had an overly tart, acidic, biting flavor that is typical when something goes bad. My wife informed the waitress of the problems with her salad and stated that she wasn’t going to be able to eat it. The waitress went away to talk to the kitchen staff and returned with an assurance that the radishes were ok since they came from a can that had just been opened that day.
We asked to speak to the manager. We had seen her when we walked in. In fact, the place only had 2 or 3 other customers and we were nearly outnumbered by the staff. Yet after waiting for 10 minutes we were told that the manager was too busy to deal with the situation.
Like a chump I just paid the bill and walked away. It was a mistake to do so, but our waitress was so young and inexperienced I didn’t want to raise a fuss since she could get fired over it.
I’ve had worse food and worse service. But I’ve never encountered such a perfect blend of incompetence in wait staff, kitchen, bar and management. I don’t think that this was just a bad day at Barra. When a place is failing simultaneously on so many levels I have to think that they’ve got big problems.

I would have never known about Barra if I hadn’t stopped in a Vape shop I go to in Old City. I saw this burger that looked like a hot pocket on steroids with a mouthwatering aroma that would stop traffic make its way to the counter. I had to find out where he had gotten this marvel, as I also take notice to the hand cut fries with a homemade dipping sauce accompanied with his burger. A tag team, better yet a dynamic duo that would make you smack someone in the face just for a taste.
I ventured off into Barra to get me a taste of this masterpiece I had just witnessed. As you enter you’ll see a wood grilled fire pit located in the corner of the restaurant. This is where the magic happens from their burgers to their pizza. Speaking of pizza (which I love) they use pizza dough for their burgers. A shelled, wrapped delight waiting for you to devour, or manhandle.
Along with their pizza and burgers Barra has different plates you can enjoy, with an interesting antipasti section that will need some of my attention. Barra does have some unique creations with a braised short rib ravioli along with a mac and cheese that is just screaming my name to try.
I did mention unique, or better yet the creativity of their chef is pretty intense. Steve is the chef at Barra and he has come up with some of these dishes, along with dishes not on the menu. I will jump into that in a minute, but lets get onto the burger scene right now.
«The Americano» ~ This a brick oven Kobe beef burger that is wrapped in a pizza shell with American cheese, chopped or diced onions, with their own special sauce, with a pickle on the side.(I added bacon to mine btw.) This also comes with their house cut fries served in a bucket which is simply awesome. Now the issue I had was I had asked for this to be cooked to a medium rare to a medium, seeing I was dealing with Kobe beef. This was over cooked, to the point where it was well done, basically when it is over cooked it is just a waste of time, taste and meat. (Steve was not in that day, so I will give it another chance)
Here comes the unique portion of this review, you ready? Peanut Butter and Jelly wings!

Yea buddy, you read that right, and they were friggin AMAZING! Nice sized wings with a Thai peanuts with a peanut oil, mixed with a homemade jelly covered these bad boys. This clearly makes up for the burger fail I had experienced with my first visit. This is a special order that Steve makes himself, so when you are there remember 2 things. 1^st, ask for Steve, 2^nd get the wings, you’ll thank me!

Barra has a nice size bar as you enter with TVs located at the bar, along with ample seating lining the bar. Barra’s dining area has plenty of tables and booths also, so don’t worry you’ll have a seat somewhere. Beer selections are ok, they sometimes rotate a few drafts here and there with the seasons. The liquor and wine selections have more to it than their beer selections which is safe to say. The décor has a comfortable relaxed vibe to it, where you can just come in and enjoy your evening.
Go in and give these guys a try, they’re still good in my book.
Side note: They also have a «hookah» bar located next door which you can access while dining in Barra.

Lunch with Zio Vito was fantastic. I stayed in Philly for a conference and randomly strolled into Barra for lunch. Although there was some construction going on inside, it was a very pleasant experience. Uncle Vito would have been enough for two so I needed a glass of wine to flush.
Also — I checked in on Unilocal and got a discount coupon on the spot. That was nice, although the place is worth full price.

Got the Shrimp Buschetta and the meat balls both were ok
the meat balls a little bland and needs some salt.
the calamri apetizer is ok, a little salty, can taste the batter
Had the beet salad, nice presentation, fresh cheese on it. it was good.
the rest of my party 11 had some issue, 2 were served the wrong dishes and had to wait for their meal.
the pasta with vodka sauce was also good.
It is mediocre food, its a nice little place but, plenty of other places to eat that are better

came here for the burgers I heard were delicious. they definitely were. the fries that come in a cute bucket were delicious too. it felt like our food took awhile to come out but we were starving so 10 minutes felt like forever.

My friend and I recently stopped in with a $ 10 off $ 30 coupon I had. We were there at 2 p.m. on a Wed so it was pretty dead. Nice décor, and the menu looked good. I ordered the garlic pizza and the cheese burger to split with my daughter. Each were $ 10 and the burger came with fries. I was surprised to see how large the pizza was… I guess I was imagining 12″ to be smaller? I will blame it on a hot day. Regardless, the pizza was delicious. The biggest surprise to me was the burger stuffed in pizza dough. It was fantastic. I rarely order burgers and that has me wanting to go back. I ordered my burger medium well, and it had the right amount of pink in it and was cooked perfect. The dough was soft and easy to eat with the burger. Yum. It came with a spicy aioli that I didn’t really use. The fries were seasoned nice too.
The server was attentive and very nice. An odd thing, though, we noticed the guy making the pizzas be very rude to our server when she was trying to tell him something. Other than that, good experience!

This review is simply for their Sat night. I came in after bar hopping a little and the music sounded good from the outside. There was apparently a $ 10 cover which is kind of ridiculous to me, considering some of the best places in Old City don’t even have a cover. Thankfully the bouncer let us in for free (don’t know why).
So although the music was good, there was NO ONE dancing inside. There was a ton of empty space and people just gathered in the bar or the booths smoking hookahs and eating. I guess, that’s not any fault of Barra itself, but it was just an odd ambiance. It was just my hubby and I that went in, and maybe this is more of a group place because we quickly felt out of the loop and just ended up leaving.
I’ve been back in another occasion and just same «bleh» feeling. Not a terrible place, but maybe they need an MC or something to get the party started. I will have to go back and try the food and pay more attention to this bathroom door Vinny G. is raving about! lol

On a Thursday evening at around 8PM, the place was completely empty and we were the only people dining here.
The service was really friendly and attentive, but unfortunately the food wasn’t that great. We had the meatballs, which were decent but nothing special. The classic cioppano pasta with seafood was okay, but the mussels in it didn’t really taste that fresh and the salmon was really overcooked. The filet mignon was also really overcooked and rubbery and had an overwhelming charred taste. I do however hear the pizza is good, but we didn’t get to try it since we had a Groupon that did not include the pizza.
Unfortunately, I will probably not make it back here.