Uptown Beer Garden Opens for the Season

Did you have plans for this afternoon? Really? Okay, well hold on. I got something better.

Uptown Beer Garden (on JFK Boulevard, between 17th and 18th) is opening for the season today — Thursday, May 3rd. And they’re going to be celebrating all weekend long. There’ll be a Cinco de Mayo party on Saturday from 2pm ’til midnight. On Moday, they’ll be hosting Culinary Fight Club (the wandering culinary competition that pits local chefs and amateurs against each other, this time for a burger-based battle) from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. You can get tickets in advance right here.

But really, what matters more are the improvements that Uptown Beer Garden has made for this summer. There’s going to be more seating and lots of bar space (four permanent bars now, and 8 taps pouring), an expanded food and cocktail menu, and five exclusive collaboration beers (plus one cider) being poured only here and only for this season, including a “tropical wheat ale” made with mango, guava and pineapple from Evil Genius called Cocktails & Dreams, a coconut lager called Becky Beer from 2SP Brewing, and a blueberry-lavender cider.

Yes, they also have some beer there that tastes like beer.

In the kitchen, Craig Meyers and Steve Lindabury (both from BRU) are doing a straightforward bar food menu full of tacos, burgers and dogs, pretzels, fries and the like. Here are the full menus, just to get you ready.

UPTOWN MENU 2018

Fingers

Hand Cut Fries $5
hop salt, lemon aioli

Bavarian Pretzel $6
pale ale ‘wiz’

Crab & Artichoke Dip $9
spinach, asiago, pita

MexiCorn $5
queso fresco, alleppo, cilantro

Fried Pierogies $7
sour cream, chives

Nachos $9
wiz, black bean, tomato, onion, jalapeno
add pork, chicken, or grilled mushrooms $2

Hands

Tacos $8
lettuce, sour cream, pico de gallo
add pork, chicken, or grilled mushrooms $2

Chicago Dog $6
tomato, onion, pickles, pepper relish

BBQ Pork Sliders $11
served with housemade pickles

Crabcake Sandwich $10
lettuce, tomato, lemon aioli

Village Gyro $9
chicken, tomato, onion, tzatziki, pita

Uptown Burger $10
cranberry creek aged gouda, grilled mushrooms, onion, garlic mayo

DRAFTS $7

All drafts are all custom collaboration, brewed in partnership with our local (and not so local) friends!  These are available at our location, and the associated brewery taprooms – but no where else in Philadelphia. Uptown will carry drafts from other breweries during special events and Philly Beer Week. The new line-up for 2018 includes: 

Jack’s ‘Blueberry-Lavender Cider’
semi-sweet cider / estate apples & berries / adams county, pa / 5.0%

Evil Genius ‘Cocktails & Dreams’
tropical hefeweizen / guava, mango, pineapple / philadelphia, pa / 5.0%

2SP ‘Becky Beer’
mexican lager / coconut / delaware county, pa / 5.0%

Weyerbacher ‘Gestalt Pils’
pilsner / 100% mandarina bavaria hops / northampton, pa / 5.0%

Coppertail ‘Jake News’
juicy AF ipa / 0% of proceeds go to jake / tampa, fl / 5.9%

Pizza Boy ‘Uptown IPA’
dank AF ipa / lotta hops / cumberland county, pa / 6.9%

CANS $7

Dogfish Head Seaquench
Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion
Sly Fox Alex’s Lemon Wheat
Lagunitas 12th of Never
21st Amendment Watermelon Wheat
2SP Delco Lager
Truly Grapefruit Spiked Seltzer

WINE COCKTAILS $10

Red Sangria
bluebird aged rum, red grape, blueberry, plum

White Sangria
limoncello, white grape, peach, cantaloupe

Pink Sangria
mezcal, watermelon, strawberry, kiwi

Frozee
frozen rose, strawberry, lemon

BITCHIN COCKTAILS  $10

Blackberry Whiskey Sour
kinsey whiskey, lemon, blackberry

Blood Orange Marg
hornitos, lime, blood orange

Name TBD
pinnacle cucumber, elderflower liquer, lemon

Frozen Marg
tequila, lime, sugar, slushee

The fun starts tonight at 5 p.m. Going forward, Uptown will be operating with longer hours than last year, opening at 5 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and serving until 10 p.m., then going from 2 p.m. ’til midnight Wednesdays through Saturdays. Also, since they’re opening things up a week early (and planning on staying open four weeks later), this’ll be their longest season yet.