Our Story
Barrel’s tradition of offering homemade Italian dishes dates back to the 1950’s when friends often congregated in John & Jenny’s home for friendly banter and delicious food. Deciding to capitalize on this phenomenon, Johnny “Barrels” (a nickname acquired due to his legendary ability to drink a barrel of beer) and his wife, Jenny opened a corner bar and restaurant on 18 and Sigel Streets in South Philly. Currently, this area is now growing in popularity commonly referred to as Newbold. Family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances all met at this warm and friendly establishment to eat, drink, chat, and socialize. Some 60 years later, this tradition continues.
Barrel’s offers patrons traditional Italian dishes, such as linguine and meatballs, their famous mussels (red or white), and gigantic sandwiches including roast beef, pork, veggie hoagie and chicken cutlets, of course! All of Barrel’s sauces, from their gravies to picante, are homemade and always consistent on the palate. In addition, Barrel’s has varieties of large salads, such as antipasto and Caesar salads with grilled or blackened chicken – which are most popular with customers! Their rotation of soups are second to none! Soup call lists are found behind the counter so regular “soupies” can be called when their favorite soup is being served. Among the most requested are the cream of potato, creamy vegetable tortellini, tomato bisque and beef bowtie. Stracciatelli soup, commonly referred to as “Italian Wedding Soup,” is available daily due to its popularity and classic taste. The menu also has more generic, American type dishes like cheeseburgers and award winning cheesesteaks.
