At the South Philadelphia Tap Room, you order a burger to complement your beer, not the other way around. The Mifflin Street pub is a brew-crowd-pleaser, serving equally well as a sports bar for the fan that doesn’t need two dozen HDTVs, or a gastropub for the diner who craves real comfort food. With a revolving craft beer stocked with local options, a kitchen that makes your favorites with a twist, and a few screens always showing the Phillies, Eagles or English Premier League, SPTR is the beer-drinker’s beer-drinking place.

During happy hour (Monday–Friday, 4–6 PM), all local drafts are half price, making it easy to try four of Philadelphia’s best pours and escape with a $10 bar tab. A current highlight on the tap list is the Lancaster Milk Stout (5.3% ABV), a beer with a hint of chocolate milk (in a good way). The Lancaster Brewing Company label is a traditional English sweet stout that is delicious and dark, but not belly-bursting – a feat not achieved by many others of this style.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is California Dreamin’ (8.5% ABV) – Manayunk Brewing Company’s double IPA, a hop-lover’s dream. The beer’s 70-word description includes all of the following phrases: highly hopped, hophead’s delight, American hops, dry-hopping, and fresh hops. Pouring a light amber color, the brew has a soft bitterness that lingers for a while.

The food menu is not extensive, but it’s built to please, and served all day from 11 AM–1 AM. Burgers are comprised of 100% local grass-fed beef and come with an excellent “secret sauce” ($10). Tomato lager soup is served with bites of oozing grilled cheese sandwiches ($6). Fun twists and surprises come with each dish, and there’s also a considerable brunch menu, served weekends from 11 AM–3 PM. Chef Scott Schroeder has made a name for himself with his witty, irreverent tweets, and was a finalist in this spring’s ?uestlove Qook-off. His creativity and personality are on full display at SPTR, and if you’re lucky, he might swing around the counter to down a pint with you.