Swift Half Snacks

We recently stopped by Good Dog Bar's newer and more northerly sister, Swift Half Pub, located at Northern Liberties' Piazza at Schmidts to grab drinks and ended up noshing on some $3 bar snacks, as well.

I cannot compare Swift Half to Good Dog because I've only had drinks at Good Dog (can't eat Good Dog's famed blue cheese-stuffed beef burger, anyway), but I'm wishing I had done the same at Swift Half and stuck with the drinks.Of course, I ordered the deviled eggs. A plate of four arrived with a scary pool of water around the deviled yolks, which leads to questions of how the eggs were stored and/or prepared. I should have sent the dish back instead of letting them languish on the table, but I decided to eat the egg with no water only to find a bland filling.
Next up on the bar snack menu were the Yards Porter pumpernickel bread squares topped with a hefty plop of unnoteworthy spinach dip.
The fried sweet pickle chips were the best out of three bar snacks we ordered. Ultra crispy breading and sweet (not the usual dill) pickles are perfect for soaking up alcohol. The oddly translucent pink, thick, sweet and sour dipping sauce was, well, odd. I'd rather almost any dip — ketchup, mustard, aioli — than the pink glop provided.

Swift Half does have a good beer list and a fun little cocktail menu. Pair the drinks with the outdoor seating on the piazza right next to the oft Philly-sports-playing outdoor jumbo TV, and you've got a recipe for relaxed afternoon success. Or crowded mayhem. Thanks to an overcast day with off-and-on rain drizzle to keep the outdoor crowd at bay, we found success. Success with our drinks and relaxing, that is.

Swift Half Pub
1001 N. 2nd St., Philadelphia, PA 19123
215-923-4600
Open daily 11:30am-2am; food til 1am