Hykel’s Submarine Sandwich-Bar

The bartender here was really weird and rude. I went with a date early on a Saturday night to grab a drink. To start, we were dissapointed that the bar was pretty much empty on a warm Saturday evening. Not a good sign. The bartender carded my date and took an unusually long time staring at his ID which just struck me as odd seeing as he has a beard– with grey in it. Oh well, some people are just really bad with ages, I guess? She then carded me and after staring at my ID with her back turned and hunched over my ID for several minutes she turned around and had me recite my address, which I found kindof unnecessary and unusual seeing as I am pushing 30, but I did easily because it’s my ID, then she wanted me to recite my full name which I did easily again because it’s my ID and my birth date which I did easily, yet again, because it’s my ID. When that wasn’t good enough for her she started complaining that my hair looks different than in my picture. I had to explain to her that my photo was taken about a year ago and I’ve since had a haircut. She then turns to my date and starts actually HANDING HIM my driver’s license and saying «isn’t her hair different in the picture?» This is where I stopped being polite and lost my patience… I had to actually reach over the bar and grab my driver’s license out of her hand. What made her think it was ok to start handing my ID to another person to show them my picture (it’s embarrassing!) What if I was on a first date with this guy and I didn’t want him to know my full name and my home address?!! It was just such inappropriate behavior from this bartender. It’s not like I’m fresh out of highschool and look like and teenager– I am nearly 30.
She then proceeded to make me a drink that she said was her «secret recipe» and tastes «just like cool-​aid». We watched what she put in it and it was just grape vodka, seltzer and cranberry. (Wow…) My date ordered a dirty martini and they didn’t have olive juice and we overheard another employee say to our bartender to «just put water in it.» He later told me it was the worst dirty mart he’d ever had. And of course we were overcharged for these mediocre drinks. We didnt order food and had only 4 drinks total (one was just a beer) and the bill was over $ 40.
It’s a shame, because I just moved to the area and I live within walking distance of this bar. I would have become a regular if we weren’t treated so poorly. Truly an awkward experience.

Great place for a cheap, good burger and beer. The owner is a nice guy, he gave my boyfriend and I free drinks and sat on the deck and chatted with us.

Nice neighborhood bar. Very friendly atmosphere. Definitely laid back and not fancy at all. When we came recently, we sat out on the back patio which was nice. They even turned on the heaters for us. This is more of a bar than a restaurant, but the food is still good. The front bar is smoking, btw. Typical menu of things you would find at a pub. Our waitress was great and very attentive. I had a cheeseburger which was really good and huge. Their sandwiches are also good. The food prices are reasonable, and I think the beers are too. However, the mixed drinks are pretty pricey. My simple cranberry & vodka was 7 or 8 dollars. Overall, i’m sure we will be back

Hykel’s has decent food. Their sandwiches are the best items. The deck is a great place to grab a bite especially with the kids.
Just FYI — a little pricey for the drinks especially given that it’s a bar with a deck and yard style tables and chairs.
Went with my wife and parents last night (kidless for the night). Our meal was 2 sandwiches, a Waldorf salad, salmon quesadilla (mine and was awesome), an order of calamari and drinks. $ 140!!!
Definitely stick with beer if you go. Manhattans were small, weak and over $ 10 a pop! Our 5 little Manhattans bought them two full bottles worth of VO ;)
If you go just for a bite and a beer or two, definitely worth it. If you throw in a Manhattan or martini, expect to pay.
Also to note, this is the Main Line. An older couple showed up with their two dogs. The dogs were behaved, but I don’t need to spend $ 140 for dinner at a «restaurant» and sit next to someone’s dogs while I eat. I have a dog at home. That’s where he was while we went out. Isn’t that a health code violation? Not necessarily the bar’s fault, just annoying. When did it become ok to take your dogs everywhere? Whatever. Just know it happened and could so if that sort of thing bothers you like it does me, be prepared.
So in summary — good sandwiches, pricey liquor, casual outside seating, possible dog dining, kid friendly, good for quick bite.
Oh and they have gas heaters so the deck is open in the winter too.

It’s a great atmosphere! I love hanging out in the front bar which is smoking by the way. The food here is pretty decent but normally I just come here for the drinks. The staff members are all friendly and make you feel like part of the family. Going out to Hykels is always a good time and I would definitely recommend coming here!

The summer has the open deck which is a nice touch. The roast beef sandwich by far is the best item on the menu!

WARNING– The front bar here allows smoking. I’d rather have a double root canal with no pain meds than eat/​drink there!
Don’t let this stop you from visiting this friendly little neighborhood joint. The back bar is smoke free. Walk past the kitchen and up a short set of steps to get there.
Don’t be surprised if you are greeted by Max, the resident Cocker Spaniel. Max is 11 and slowing down a little but is the friendliest softest dog you will ever meet. Speaking of dogs, you are welcome to bring along your well behaved canines. Patrons often bring their pups to the outside patio.
The hallmark of this placed is the friendly staff. Everyone you meet is pleasant and accommodating. As others have said, the food doesn’t always come out as quick as some would like but I’ve never had it get so bad that I’m annoyed.
Expect mostly bar food here with assorted home cooked staples added to the mix. On my last visit I enjoyed a classic MEATLOAF PLATTER for $ 12.50. It looked like a picture from a cookbook and was comfort food at its best.
Tons of folks miss this place because it’s not on Lancaster Ave or on a connecting side street. It’s tucked away in a residential neighborhood and absolutely worth the extra two or three minutes it will take you to find it.

Hykels is pretty awesome. The food is great, but the staff and the owner are amazing people. Ther what will keep me going back.

My only complaint… my burger was a bit over cooked. The wings are the best in the area hands down! Stumbled upon this place ended up having a few beers and watching the football game. It wasn’t filled with loud and obnoxious people. I will definitely go again!

I recently didnt have anything at home to bring in for lunch, so I ventured out to grab takeout from Hykel’s, a bar down the road from my office. I didnt know much about it, but the reviews were pretty good, so I gave it a shot. I ordered a chicken cheesesteak and an order of onion rings to go. I went and picked it up in about 20 minutes and brought it back to my office to enjoy.
Both the sandwich and the onion rings stayed very hot. The sandwich was very cheesy and had a ton of chicken on it. The roll was what made it though. It was a fantastic chewy hoagie roll. A really solid effort on the chicken cheesesteak.
The onion rings were crispy as to be expected, and the batter coated the rings perfectly. The onions didnt pull away from the breading when I bit into them, but rather allowed them to be bitten and enjoyed in smaller amounts. Just a little bit of ketchup was all I needed to make it a perfect little lunch. I will definitely go back for more as the food was very good. Maybe I’ll dine in to give that a shot too. Worth a trip for sure.

Big fan of this place, I’ve been here dozens of times… mostly due to the outside seating which allows us to come here sweaty after soccer games!
Hykel’s is a great place for to grab a bite to eat or a drink and sit on the back deck or the seating area out front and enjoy the nice weather. They have a lot out back and street parking available.
The food and service here are both good! I would not call the service quick, but I would call it good. They are also dog friendly. The owner’s dog, who I want to say is Max, is often there and some people bring their pets when they sit out back on the deck. They also have a TV outback and usually have our local sports teams playing. It can get busy on a nice summer night, but we have been pretty lucky getting there around 730 or 800, we miss a lot of the dinner crowd. It’s great that they have an area that welcomes people right after playing sports, but its the food that keeps us coming back!
I’m a fan of just about everything I’ve had here… Burgers, meatloaf, salads… Love the roast beef sandwiches! Salads are also freshly made and quite tasty!
I have only eaten inside once. It was rather boring compared to the back deck. I think there are 2 main areas, a front bar and a back bar… with the kitchen off to the side… In the summer there is a horseshoe «court» on the next block and you can see and hear them playing well into the night… Nice ambience if you ask me.

Hykles is mainly a smoking bar — the sandwiches aren’t the focus. Nobody under 18 allowed. My friends and I tried both the chicken and steak cheesesteak hoagies and they were tasty but huge and then we felt very sick and horrible afterwards

It was a beautiful spring night. The kind of night that embraces you and whispers promises of many more to come. Coming on the heels of a long, hard winter, my soul rejoiced for it’s arrival. This was a night to be spent outdoors, on porches, in yards, on sidewalks and decks. To waste this night inside would be a crime against spring.
We were hungry, and with the Young ‘Un off with his posse, we decided to take a stroll through the neighborhood to one of the icons of Ardmore, Hykel’s. In recent years they have gone from being basically a bar to a bar/​restaurant with outdoor seating both on the front walk and in a large covered rear patio. They’ve taken care with that patio, installing sturdy awnings, wind shields, lighting and outdoor heating for those chillier nights. It is a lovely place to dine outside.
Hykel’s is not a quick-​dine place. They understand their patrons like to linger and converse and enjoy. Do not expect to be in-​and-​out in 20 minutes. Food offerings are typical of what you see at a pub with some higher-​end creative pub type food. We ordered a hoagie with parmesan-​garlic fries and an open faced turkey sandwich. The hoagie was it’s usual awesome. The fries were all kinds of YUM. The open faced turkey was the only weak note, earning a ‘meh’ from the Rev. Not enough gravy, and not enough flavor to that gravy. Also they served him broccoli. The Rev. is not a broccoli kind of guy. I am a broccoli gal, however this was canned mushy broccoli.
Service was uneven. We must have arrived during a shift change (at 7 PM?) because our first server, who was prompt and knowledgeable, disappeared, leaving us with a confused woman who asked what our order was twice and a lackadaisical younger man who barely checked up on us. That’s the one-​star-​off. Do better on your changeovers, folks, or invest in a good POS system that knows what your guests ordered.
Other than that it was truly a night to savor, and we are glad we spent it relaxing on their deck. As the moon rose a chill tinged the air, and those wonderful outdoor heaters hummed on, buffering us from that reminder that winter was not so long ago.

I rep Ardmore pretty hard and even though I spent my youth here, I never have been to Hykels. Maybe it is because I know the neighborhood crowd that hangs out it the front of the bar rather than the pleasant deck everyone likes. Maybe because there was a rumor of a driveby in the week I moved back to Ardmore. I just avoided it.
In any case, a few weeks ago it was snowing pretty bad. I didn’t feel like heading out to the grocery store so me and the dude ordered some cheese steaks and onion rings. The onion rings were awesome — definitely my fav. The cheese steaks were solid too. I am excited to explore more on the menu now. The staff is super friendly and they have take out 6 packs if you are in a bind.

This place has the BEST steaks ever! All the food is just delicious! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Another good thing is that the food is not greasy and taste very fresh.

I’ve been coming here regularly for a year.
The food here is consistently some of the best I’ve had on the Main Line. My personal favorites include their fried shrimp, grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and tomato (not on the menu), meatloaf, salmon, and Italian and Hykel’s hoagies.
The owner and staff are super friendly.

Very relaxed atmosphere. Great bar food that is well put together and tasty.
I love sitting out on the back deck — it almost puts you somewhere else. I beers are cold and the food is hot. Prices are reasonable and attract people to continue to come back time and time again.

A hidden gem! I’ve lived on the main line for a year and I’ve only just discovered this place after a friend suggested I meet him there for some wings. Got to say, I was not disappointed. They aren’t like your traditional buffalo wings– expect a mesquite flavor and a grilled, as opposed to fried, texture.
The place is bigger than it looks from the outside. Two separate bars serve a mighty decent selection of beers, including local Yards and imported Palm. Didn’t order bottled beer, but a glance indicated a robust selection.
Overall, this is a great place to go if you need a break from familiar Ardmore spots like John Henry’s or Brownie’s.

Loved it. Great neighborhood atmosphere. You feel like a regular after one visit. The food was awesome. Waaaaaay above typical bar food. No run-​of-​the-​mill chicken tenders and chips. They really pay attention to making it right. Good beer selection. Wonderful dog-​friendly patio. Trust me, you will be glad you went.

This a really great place to grab a beer and food. They had a well-​rounded beer selection that was reasonably priced.
It also has outdoor seating (on the front sidewalk as well as a sizable outdoor porch in the back).
The bartenders, waiters, and owner are all have a good sense of humor and are welcoming, making this a venue for an eclectic crowd.
And, at last, the sweet potato fries are delicious.