The Black Taxi

We stopped into this place walking back to our hotel. I would give it 6 stars if I could. The food and service were phenomenal. Highly recommend the eggs Benedict with Irish bacon for a Saturday morning. If I didn’t have to catch a flight I would have spent all day here.

One of my favorite bars in the neighborhood, amazing bartender. Great atmosphere and the fries are to die for!

Great neighborhood pub. Friendly staff, good beer selection, tasty food.

Came here for dinner tonight with a friend because we were in the area and saw that it had 4 stars. Not really sure where those 4 stars came from. We started with a salad that we asked for with dressing on the side (it wasn’t). Salad was also missing the croutons it was supposed to come with. Otherwise the salad was pretty tasty but nothing special. My friend ordered a hamburger while I ordered the buffalo style chicken sandwich. Hamburger was supposed to be well done… it was very pink on the inside.
I thought my chicken sandwich might taste good with some ranch, so I figured I’d ask for it when our waitress came back to check on us… she didn’t. I ended up just going to the bar and asking her for it. The buffalo sauce was good and the fries were great. This place is really lacking in service though. Never got a refill on my water and our waitress seemed to do anything else to ignore us.
I’d come for the bar but not for a meal.

Wait staff was nice, it was clean and not too loud.
Ordered the shepherds pie, it was 90% (maybe more) mashed potatoes. They started cleaning the stove before we left and something was going on because everyone at our table started coughing.

The black taxi one of my favorite places in the neighborhood. I agree with some of the older reviews, the food when they first opened left something to be desired. However in recent months they have stepped up their game. During happy hour they have a snack menu, bring on the black bean nachos, they are tasty! You also cannot go wrong with the fish and chips. The portion is huge! The staff is super friendly, especially Aiden who always has a friendly smile to greet you when you step in the door. Overall a great addition to the neighborhood.

This place was extremely disappointing. Came here on a Saturday night because they had pretty nice outdoor seating and I wanted to try to the new place in Fairmount. We ordered two New Belguim Slowrides, and I’m about 90% sure we were both given Yuenglings. Poor start, but we were still looking forward to ordering.
For dinner I got the cheesesteak potato pancake and the Irish Stew. The Irish stew was supposed to come with puffed pastry, instead I saw two lumps of Italian bread haphazardly tossed on top. The stew tasted bland, I’m almost positive it came from a can because I’ve had similar tasting stews that I’ve bought from a CVS. The cheesesteak pancake was supposed to be topped with a garlic aioli, and instead came with a gross drizzling of ketchup and mayo that I had to scrape off in order to be edible.
To top all of this off, we weren’t given utensils (besides the spoon my stew came with). When we asked for some, our waitress just walked away. I’m sure she just didn’t hear us, but she didn’t come back to check on us for a while either so had to make do.
Final verdict — go somewhere else.

Great local Irish pub. it is exactly what the neighborhood needed. Not only is the staff awesome and friendly, the food is amazing.

I was pretty disappointed by this new spot on the corner. We were excited to have a new neighborhood option but what we got is a pub with sub par bar food and crappy service. It wasn’t that the servers and staff weren’t kind and smiling, but you could tell that they were very poorly (not?) trained.
There was a decent but short draft list, and an unexciting bottle list. I ordered a bar pie (one of the very few veggie friendly options) and the man ordered a pulled pork sandwich. The bar pie was just that-​a simple bar pie, not very exciting. The pulled pork was way over dressed. The fries were really good and the only thing I really enjoyed. The menu is limited in general and definitely nothing inventive. It’s just plain old bar food.
I don’t really understand the «Irish» theme-​it doesn’t seem to come through in anything about the restaurant. Who knows where that came from. Needless to say I won’t be coming back and will instead wait until this place rebrands itself once again.

Service was great.
What wasn’t was the food… And to watch it being prepared through the kitchen door. No gloves, a messy apron that he used to wipe his hands on, and his drink… In a bar glass sitting on his station.
Just gross.

As is in a classic pub in ireland, inhibitions will be lost in the cold drinks and lively atmosphere provided by the bartenders and local crowd. You’re pallete will be kept wet with avid consistency and attentiveness. And while bartender Dennis can pour a mean shot or whiskey rocks, don’t ask him for a Manhattan — this is Ireland people. (Someone else will make the Manhattan)

Disappointing. Food was very fast, unlike other’s experiences. But it wasn’t great. It wasn’t bad. Just not remarkable. And considering the basic nature of the menu selections it seems appropriate to ask for some refinement
The server was clueless, but it was her second night (had to ask for a draft list and desserts!). I chalk that up to bad training.
But what galled me was that I had a whiskey «on the rocks» and received an extra $ 3.50 charge for this, even listed on the itemized check. When I asked about this, was told it was «full pour» … As far as I know, «on the rocks» means with ice. I have never heard of charging extra for that. Never.
Unfortunately that is also when I will return.

Enjoyed Irish coffee and wings (extra spicy) with fresh cut fries (did send back for a second fry)…Aiden is top-​notch, atmosphere is great for a place to relax, have a beer, and chat. Bring back local vibes! Get to know your neighbors! Support an up and coming place that is working to be a staple in the neighborhood.
Note: order a classic Irish coffee and don’t scoff at the classic serving glass, okay?

Authentic Irish menu complimented by a great draft and wine list. The table had the crab cake, Shepard’s pie, Rueban and kielbasa. Everyone loved their meals! Adult and kid friendly dining room. Good service. Great new addition to Fairmount!

Happy to have a neighborhood bar/​pub again. First night of new menu a little tricky.
Ran out of burgers? But great staff, friendly and ok drinks. Don’t need more fru fru restaurants. Just down home place to hang out. Reasonable prices. Give it a chance.
Corned beef sandwich was fine.

Just what the neighborhood needed! Great pub food and plenty of beers on tap. They have this big beautiful bar. Ive been twice now and the food does not disappoint. My fiancée got the cheesesteak and loved it. Their fries are awesome!!! So are the wings. The spot is really nice and I’ve always loved the interior since going to lemon hill. The staff and bartenders are super friendly. Hope black taxi sticks around! I’ll be back for sure!

Have yet to eat a meal here, but have been a few times for beers and had a blast. Got to talk with one of the owners for a while and he was really nice. They are a great local bar to meet with friends, have a beer, and watch a game. Hopefully they’ll be showing BPL games in the mornings!

Great neighborhood pub! We went for a few beers and were happy with the selection, atmosphere and staff. We ordered a pizza and it did the trick. We will definitely be back!

Great atmosphere! Nice addition to Francesville (Fairmount is on the other side of Fairmount Ave). The fried chicken is out of this world! Burgers are delicious too. Terrific beer selection.

Great little neighborhood bar, everything was pretty much on par with expectations. They had a few great beers on tap. We had the shepherds pie and bbq chicken pizza, both were very good. Definitely check this place out if you live in the area.

Great to have a neighborhood place humming again. Good bar food and excellent selection of beer on tap.

A straightforward & much needed local for the north of Fairmount, south of Poplar neighborhood. Expanded menu selection from previous photo of menu, with over half a dozen pizzas and a few additional pub-​fare selections. Prompt service & inviting atmosphere– cozy & a friendly decibel level. Have been twice since the opening and plan to frequent regularly.

The bartenders need to learn how to make proper cocktails. I asked for an old fashioned and instead they made a sloppy Manhattan. I saw the bartender make the drink using no jigger or proper tools. Also invest in some more bourbons and rye’s it’s a beautiful place and a great atmosphere. Taking it up a notch with some really great well crafted cocktails would be amazing! Let me know when you do this, I’ll come right back in a hurry!
I did not have any of the food.

So happy to have a casual bar back in this place. Lemon hill was nice, but I prefer the new cozy and simple bar vibe that Black Taxi is offering. Haven’t tried he food yet, but the menu looks to have expanded significantly since it first opened (i.e. the menu in the pictures is currently is no more). Great place to grab a beer and watch a game.

No business can seem to stay afloat in this space. Lemon Hill, the Aspen, etc. and it usually comes down to the food. Black taxi seems no different.
Food is sub par, glad to see some people reviewing the burgers well — but we sampled a few things on the menu and all were mediocre.
Frank, one of the owners, came by and chatted for thirty minutes. Nice guy. Extremely attentive and cares about putting out a product that’s going to be good. Advise is to spruce up their menu. It’s too basic and bland of pub food to make people come up to the place to eat. Especially people who live in other parts of the city.
Definitely want this place to succeed, but the food has got to improve and the bourbon list needs to be added to. Right now it’s mostly just a local bar, which is cool, but if it’s going to stay afloat the bar is going to have to find a way to cater to more yuppies and hipsters who are looking for a great burger for $ 14 not a mediocre burger for $ 10. Can’t cater to everyone and I’m sure frank wants to appeal to the hyper local crowd, but so did the previous establishment, and the ones before that.
We have enough bland Irish pubs in Philly. Hoping black taxi can find a way to differentiate itself. Food seems to be the best way
Will definitely come back to support it, but hoping frank visits some other great bars around the city for some ideas on how to execute a great experience w/​excellent food, betters beers and bourbon, and cater to a wider audience.

This place is awesome! The food is really good, the atmosphere is perfect, and the service is great! Will definitely be back!

Great atmosphere. We sat in the front of the bar and the bartenders were super attentive. Aiden (bartender) remembered my drink from my previous visit on opening night and had a cold beer ready for me. I love burgers so that’s what I tried. It was delicious! Perfect size to go along with the crispy fries that my daughter and I loved! My husband loved the juke box. Great new place, just what the neighborhood needed!

Perhaps it’s not always the most fair to rate a new establishment on their food during their first week of opening, but… I’d feel like I was deceiving myself to give it any higher than 3 stars based on tonight’s experience. We came for dinner because my friend was super excited about this place opening just about two blocks from his place, but I have to admit that he was slightly let down by the food several times over the course of the night.
Well, let’s start by saying that the décor is excellent, with a large bar at the front and tables in the back, all surrounded by exposed red brick walls. Beers choices on tap were great, and the service was friendly and attentive.
The main trouble came with the food. Despite their simple menu with the classic pub items (burgers, wings, fries, etc.), each of the items came out a little off. Among the four of us, we ordered some wings and fries to share as appetizers; wings were just meh but the fries were uniquely tasty with a perfectly soft/​crisp combined texture (best part of the night food-​wise). However, given that the fries were advertised as being «loaded», it didn’t have much of anything on them (a bit of cheese here and there).
For the main course, my friend wanted the meatloaf but apparently they were out of that for the evening, and then I was contemplating on getting the pulled pork sandwich, but that was also unavailable too (making the small menu even smaller). Then, even though three of us ordered medium rare burgers, two of them were cooked through and through at a well-​done range. Mine was also exceedingly salty, even though the others’ weren’t (confirmed by conducting taste comparisons). My other friend who ordered the Shepherd’s Pie definitely wound up with the least palatable dish though, being unfortunately watery and bland with far too much of mashed potatoes in ratio to everything else. I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt though… perhaps food quality shall improve over time since they just opened up.
And to end on a positive note, a huge final PLUS that actually wins a lot of points in my book was that the bathrooms were impeccably clean and refreshingly large. They are the individual type bathrooms (one for the gents and one for the ladies), and I think it says a lot for a new restaurant/​pub to spiffy up the loo. Hope that after giving some time for their menu to improve, it’ll get some good business in the neighborhood!