Pickelodeon: PYT

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PYT

After reading several reviews of Northern Liberites' most banging burger joint, PYT, it occurred to me that I had yet to review it myself (save for this blip here), which is inexcusable. For an entire year, as I lived in South Carolina, I heard friends raving about this new place at some Piazza that opened up weeks after I left Philadelphia. For one whole year, I heard hype upon hype upon hype about how amazing PYT was, from the menu to the atmosphere to the staff. A twelve month stream of Facebook messages, texts, calls, and more all  hailing this bar as the greatest thing since beer. Yet somehow, despite the mountainous heap of praise I heard, once I experienced PYT for myself, it managed to surpass any hype I had heard. Let me break it down for you.



Eats

Cheesesteak Pretzel Roll Burger. Try not to drool on your keyboard.

I am a proud foodie and eating is my favorite. This does not mean I will eat anything, I want the good stuff. And PYT delivers. Their base menu is enough to satisfy any burger junkie alone, but they had to go and do Burgers of the Week. It truly is difficult to not go to PYT at least on a weekly basis to try their latest creation. While some of them end up on the menu (and the Rachael Ray show), others do not. I am still kicking myself for missing the Veal Parm burger. The good people at PYT have no limits. They have made burgers with lobster, Krispy Kreme donuts, cheesesteaks, waffles, lamb, and even had their Thanksgiving Dinner Burger (a delight) featured in Food Network Magazine.

Drinks
Let us not forget that PYT is a bar. The bar used to be where I had one complaint, as I was not the biggest fan of the four beers they had on tap. But then they started doing a new beer each week to compliment the Golden Monkey, Kenzinger, and High Life and they have been making very good selections. Aside from the draft choices, PYT boasts a decent selection of bottles that changes with the season. But the coup de grace at the bar are the seasonal cocktails. Summertime favorite the PYTea is a revelation, and if you are nice to your bartender they may just whip one up for you despite it not being on the menu. As for the Fall/Winter selection, I was lucky enough to be sitting at the bar as PYT's master mixologists worked their magic and developed the cold weather drink menu. I may not be able to name any of the drinks after that night, but they sure were tasty. As for the milkshakes, well, leave your comments below about those. I am strangely not an ice cream fan, therefore my milkshake opinion is pretty much irrelevant.

Peeps
Unfortunately, I have noticed that the guys and gals at PYT have developed a poor reputation thanks to several reviews. I was quite shocked to find this information. I have never had to wait that long, and any mistakes I encountered were always handled quickly and efficiently. Furthermore, the staff at PYT has always been not only polite, but more often than not eager to engage in conversation or joke around with whoever is at our table. The bartenders especially go out of their way to not only to stay on top of your orders, but build a rapport with you as well. The staff is complimented well by their fearless leader (and PYT owner) Tommy Up, the Mad Scientist of Burgers, Booze, and Bitching Parties. Which brings us to the next point.

Gigs
Events at PYT are, more often than not, top notch. On many nights, after you have stuffed yourself silly with burgers and adult shakes, you will find a DJ blasting sweet tracks for you to shake your ass too. If you are looking for a place to spend a party holiday, I can vouch for the Saint Patrick's Day celebration as being a good time, and the New Year's Eve party as being the best I had ever been to (and that is saying something). For a more low-key vibe, you can swing by on Monday nights for themed Quizzo or Wednesday nights for free Bingo.

If I could list one complaint about PYT, it would be this. Since my return to the Philadelphia area, I made it my goal to try as many new bars and restaurants as possible. And PYT has seriously slowed down that goal by being consistently fantastic. Should you find yourself in the Philadelphia area, and you want to have a good time after taking in the tourist sites, head a few blocks north and swing by PYT. You will be glad that you did.

More Info:
PYT at the Piazza at Schmidt's in Northern Liberties
1050 N. Hancock St.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 964-9009
Website
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