The Royal Tavern, Philadelphia

From our DC contributor...

The place: Despite the Red Sox loss at Philly Stadium, it was still a perfect day for baseball and burgers. Having heard about Philly’s best burger at the Royal Tavern, we duly exited the subway at Ellsworth-Federal and walked the 3/4 mile trek to the Royal Tavern. Situated on an unassuming block, the restaurant was quiet in the late afternoon/early evening. There was a tangible friendly vibe that made me wish I had something like this on my block in DC. At one end of the sunny bar, one man was reading with a pint, at the other end, the waitress was quietly chatting with a regular who had just become a father. The menu was expansive, but not overly so. Enough variety for a good, if not great, meal and slightly upscale bar food without hinging on gastropub fare.
The burger: thick 8-ounce patty, decently seasoned and well cooked to a medium rare with seared crunchy crust.
The cheese: Topped with a round slice of smoked gouda, not always my favorite cheese, but worked well here as it became slightly caramelized on the edges as it was grilled atop the burger.
The bun: They called it a seeded-brioche bun, I call it a large kaiser-style roll, but no seeds and slightly dense. I’ve never seen a brioche looking like that. Maybe they once served it on a brioche? In any case, a lot of bread. Perhaps too much? But then again, a good solid bun is needed to stabilize a burger of this proportion. It did hold up well and was nicely fresh.
The toppings: caramelized onions, buttery and flavorful, always a delicious addition; pickled longhots—some sort of roasted spicy pepper which was too spicy for me on this particular burger...a surprise because I can take the heat. I just did not want to. Chile mayonnaise was unremarkable, but balanced. Bacon was very well cooked and added a very nice crunch.
The cuts of potato: The fries were fine, not limp, not particularly crispy. No complaints...but perhaps the best part of the meal, the starter of tater tots. With a long and undeserved history of being a slightly trashy frozen food, the tater tot deserves a day of fame. What could be better than shredded potato nuggets deep-fried to a lightly golden brown with a superbly crispy crust. They were served with an seasoned old bay mayonnaise that was the perfect dipping sauce. A tater tot, by the way, is the perfect size for dipping. I am not a regular connoisseur of tater tots, typically preferring french fries, but the Royal Tavern’s version is not to be missed. In fact, I might go out of my way to have those tots again but next time, I’d skip the burger and try something else.
The beer: I had a Farmhouse Ale—nicely refreshing and flavorful enough to stand up to the burger.

The Royal Tavern is located at 937 East Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia
215 389 6694