by Dagmar Balogun on JB's has a lot going for it, yet still comes across as an extremely annoying spot. It's by far the best music venue in town, supporting local and big name artist in an intimate setting with pretty decent sound, yet you feel like a herd of cattle due to one badly designed aspect of the upstairs. When you first walk into the top floor, there is an open area with an elongated bar stretched out to the right on the wall. To get to the stage area, you have to pass through the huddled mass of irritated people attempting to grab a beer, throwing aside any sense of politeness out of the necessity to not waste an entire night wrangling to get a single drink. The bar extends past a wall that divides the stage area, and the passageway between the two is barely big enough for an emaciated hipster. Be prepared for awkward avoidance dancing in this bottleneck. If you aren't forceful, you'll never get through. The stage isn't that big, but like I said, very intimate for viewers and bands alike. They can put on some pretty neat light shows when they feel randy, but it doesn't happen often. I'm pretty certain the food is freezer stored for long periods of time, because it barely has any taste. It's not the worst bar food out there, but it's certainly not the best. It's more useful as a booze absorber than a wakening of the taste buds. There's not much you can do about the clientele you attract, especially when you live in a part of town that is being overrun by cookie cutter "I'm too lazy to care" socialites, but staffing your establishment with people that don't act like it's a burden to serve you might be a good start. JB's will have a strong following because they are the best at what they offer, which isn't so much a testament to JB's as it is a lack of options for Philly.
by Davis D. on This is a great local spot for those who live in Culver City or Palms. They had probably the best pupusas and rebueltas I've ever had. The shrimp cocktail (big serving with lots of shrimp; serves 2), pastelitos, sopes, and fish tacos were also great. We planned on having just that for appetizers but got too full that we didn't get to try any of the actual entrees. Our server Lorena was very nice. She provided excellent speedy and friendly service. We went with another couple for dinner on a Friday night. Luckily, we got to stay long enough (about 10:30pm) to enjoy some live music and dancing. She did notify us that if we planned to stay that there was a $10 cover. My only recommendation would be that the $10 cover be waived if a patron had been there prior for dinner service or maybe suggest a min. food/drink purchase of $20 per person to get free access to stay for music/dancing. Other than than, it was a wonderful experience. My peeps and I all said we'd definitely come back and ever recommend others to this place. El Baron is awesome!
