PHLReview
Bar Jawn
Included In
Manayunk’s Bar Jawn has big not-your-average-bar energy. Cutesy, mismatched china tops black-and-white checkered table. When people throw surprise birthday parties, everyone joins in to sing. In the doorway, there’s a red neon sign that says, “All I Care About Is Carbs & Three People." It's an understandable statement, especially at a place with very good smashburgers, cheesesteaks, and chicken parm with penne. Sure, Bar Jawn has TVs, beer on tap, and the word “bar” in the name, but you should be coming here to eat.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Everything arrives in super-sized portions. So when you order mozzarella triangles, they’ll fit in your hand like a boomerang. Salads are like mini gardens. Sandwiches would be better described as mammoths with a side of frisbee fries. Whether you go for Bar Jawn's classic cheesesteak, buffalo chicken sandwich, or South Philly chopped cheese, each version will be a testament to what can happen when beautiful crackly bread meets quality meat. But it’s the smashed burger, dripping with creamy chipotle sauce, that will challenge the idea that you couldn’t eat just one thing for the rest of your life.
Unlike the sandwiches, Bar Jawn's pastas aren’t made with much precision. Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe has pools of oil. Bucatini and meatballs taste just a step above what you’d throw together on a busy Wednesday night. If you need to diversify your order beyond sandwiches and bar food staples, head straight for the chicken parmesan with penne. It’s the only pasta-adjacent dish that’ll provoke an audible “oh” that has nothing to do with seeing a 28-year-old drunkenly tumble on Main Street.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Just because Bar Jawn makes thoughtful and consistently good food, doesn’t mean you won't find a hyperactive Manayunk scene during Happy Hour (when well drinks cost $4) and game day (when you can get all-you-can-eat wings and fries for $40). Bar Jawn orbits the sweet spot between a pumped-up bar and a casual American restaurant. So stop in for a Sixers game and then stay for dinner to celebrate a win. Or just use a couple of seeded rolls as napkins after a loss with the three people you care about.
Food Rundown
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Mozzarella Triangles
These plump, crispy mozzarella triangles are the best starters on the menu. Watching the gooey cheese pull apart will awaken a primal instinct in you—as will a dip into the sweet basil marinara.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Wings
Bar Jawn gets their wings right when it comes to crunch and crackle. But both the buffalo and cacio e pepe styles surprisingly lack flavor, despite being lathered in sauce or buried under pecorino and black pepper confetti. You can skip these unless you're recording an ASMR video.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Chicken Parmesan
If you have to eat pasta, make it this one. The crispy chicken cutlet is so massive that it's easy to forget the bed of penne underneath. But it’s there, properly absorbing marinara and ready for showtime.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Orecchiette
Other than the chicken parm, the pastas at Bar Jawn changes fairly often. If you see orecchiette with spicy Italian sausage and broccoli rabe on the menu, keep moving in search of something less basic and forgettable.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
South Philly Chopped Cheese
We know, a chopped cheese is usually for people who enjoy paying too much money for small apartments and arguing about the “real” Brooklyn. But this version got a Philly makeover, so we’ll allow it. It's made with ground sausage, fried onions, cherry peppers, banana peppers, crisp iceberg lettuce, and oozing cooper sharp. Think of this like a cheesesteak’s spicy and crunchy Point Breeze cousin.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Cheesesteak
In this city, some cheesesteaks are just OK. Some are straight up ill-advised. And some will prompt you to go Hungry Hungry Hippos mode. This layered cooper sharp mess on a crackly, seeded roll is in the third category.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Burger
This smash burger is what the Big Mac wanted to be if it wasn’t hot garbage. It comes with two patties, cooper sharp, special sauce, and Fishtown Pickle Project habanero dill pickles—all on a buttery seeded bun. And the result is a sandwich that somehow looks simple but is rich and indulgent in each bite. You're going to flip.
