My spouse and I
stopped at Varga Bar for a drink on a Sunday morning in late June 2017. The
restaurant/bar is open daily from 4:00 pm until 2:00 am, with brunch hours
offered on Saturdays and Sundays beginning at 11:00 am. The Anni Family Restaurant Group operates Varga, along with Valanni Social,
Butcher Bar, and Mercato.
Varga Bar is
located on the corner of South 10th and Spruce Streets in Center
City/Washington Square. It gets its name from artist Albergo Vargas, who
painted the family-friendly pin-up images on the ceiling. Inside the cozy Varga
Bar, you can sit at the bar itself, or at tables/booths adjacent to
windows/doors that can be rolled back to join the indoor and outdoor spaces. You
can dine outdoors at one of the numerous sidewalk tables that wrap around the
corner of the building and sit under the protection of a narrow canopy. (We
even noticed one well behaved dog accompanying his owners for an al fresco
brunch.)Décor includes black-and-white tile floors laid in a diamond pattern,
black-and-white patterned both upholstery, and mauveish-colored walls.
We did not dine
at Varga, but the bartender sung the praises of the food and encouraged us to
return to try it. The menu currently lists a selection of snacks, small plates,
sandwiches, and large plates, with daily specials and weekend brunch dishes. Our
bartender made the best margarita! Listed as lychee flavored on the menu, it tasted
similar to a regular on-the-rocks margarita. Without tasting like alcohol, it
packed an amazing punch that kept me “happy” for over an hour! But the bar’s real
“claim to fame” is their extensive list of craft beer on tap (with more by the
bottle).
We will return to
Varga Bar sometime to sample the food – we already know the drinks are great!
