Philadelphia: NBC Sports Arena (July 2017)




My spouse and I visited 1100 Social for lunch on a Saturday afternoon in late July 2017. We were in Philadelphia to attend a concert at the Wells Fargo Center, and the NBC Sports Arena provided a convenient place for a meal. The restaurant is open daily beginning at 11:00 am. (On the day and time that we visited, hours prior to any events, the NBC Arena was the only restaurant/bar open in the XFINITY Center, and we were glad to find it!) Parking is available in an adjacent lot; however, it is only complimentary when there are no sporting events or concerts. (We arrived on foot because we stayed nearby at the Marriott Courtyard at the Navy Yard.)

The NBC Sports Arena is located in the XFINITY Live! Center, the entertainment venue at the South Philadelphia sports complex. It occupies the central indoor hall of XFINITY, so you have a great view of all the other dining and drinking establishments in the complex (which include PBR [Professional Bull Riders] Bar & Grill, Victory Beer Hall, and Broad Street Bullies). Approximately 250 patrons can choose to dine at the bar, at one of the semi-circular booths, or at a regular-height or high-top table. But wherever you sit, you remain within view of the enormous 32-foot LED screen in the center of the venue, surrounded by smaller (but still huge!) rows of televisions on either side. An LED sports ticker circles the room. In addition, NBC offers two rectangular bars surrounded by stools on the floor in the open atrium, with high-top communal tables located on either side.

The NBC Sports Arena serves classic pub food with an Italian twist. We shared two appetizers: the cheesesteak eggrolls (two to an order, and served somewhat “open-faced” because they were cut diagonally down the length of the roll for a unique presentation) and the cheesy tater tots (served on a bed of melted cheese and sprinkled with scallions and tomatoes topped with a bit of shredded cheese and sour cream; next time we would forgo the Velveeta-like cheese on the bottom).

We enjoyed our lunch at the NBC Sports Arena.






No comments: