When I first heard about this spot back in June, I was excited. People from Marigold were in charge. So I met with my good friend Quinn for dinner. and we arrived at 7 pm on a Wednesday. The place was busy, but not full. The atmosphere is great; big wooden tables and benches among other nice decorations. There weren't any two tops open. The hostess walked us through the restaurant and then pushed back two huge barn doors to open an additional seating area. Within ten or twenty minutes the area was packed and pretty hopping.
The menu is deep, but not wide. It's basically meats and sides. There is a lot of choices in those two, with sausage, brisket, chicken, pork belly and spare ribs. Many four to six dollars sides are available: pinto beans, vegan chili, mac and cheese, sweet potatoes, German potato salad, collard greens and more.
The drink section of the menu is a little disappointing. There are several mixed drinks featuring sweet tea, and five to six dollar pints with local beers such as Brooklyn Brown Ale, Yard Philly Pale, Slyfox Rauchbier, Stoutd's Pils, and one rotating tap. There's also Yard's rootbeer, which looked interesting. Oddly, sweet tea isn't on the menu, but it's available in large 24 oz bottles for only $4. Considering the price and how well sweet tea and BBQ go together, I think this is easily the best option.
The service here is great. Sure, it's a new spot and they need to do a good job to jump start business, but the servers are enthusiastic, attentive, and quick. One thing that bothers me is people complaining about the authenticity of this joint. Maybe it's because I'm not a BBQ aficionado, or maybe it's because I realize I'm in Philadelphia and want to take this joint for what it is.
The best options for order here are the "all-in" combos. You can chose one or two meats and also two sides per person. If you have a table of four or more, you can really go for it and get all of the meats and sides at $24 per person. We went with the brisket and spare ribs for meat. The brisket is great, moist, well cooked throughout. It comes in small slices to make your own sandwiches topped with onions, pickles, and BBQ sauce. The spare ribs are also great. They're also excellently cooked, dryer than the brisket. The skin is excellent, nicely charred with great flavor.
Sides: Pinto beans were awesome. More like baked beans cooked with chunks of pork. The vegan chili would have been good if I wasn't comparing it to the pinto beans. The mac and cheese was creamy; nicely topped with breadcrumbs. Not nearly as good as baked mac and cheese made by the unbeatable Rashid-Kealey duo. The German potato salad was also impressive. All of the food ranges from good to excellent. I think it would be hard to make a bad choice. You get a lot of food here, I wish I would have had room for dessert. There are some pretty good choices, including a root-beer float with Yard's brew and homemade ice cream. Yum.
Bottom Line: Percy St slow cooks some awesome meats. The highest temp in the oven is 250F. They are serious about serving up some of the best finger food in the city. There's enough options and the quality is high enough to warrant repeat visits. South St is starting to develop a serious food scene. I just wish the beer list was better.
Essentials:
9th and South
(215) 625-8510
Hours: 5-11pm (currently)
Meats: 8-11, Sides: 4-6 Combos:15-24 per person
Cash only: No
Reservations: Recommended for busy nights
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