Review: Billy Murphy's Irish Saloon

By Glen Macnow

Score: 7.1
Price: $8.25 for the Turf Burger
Location: 3333 Conrad Street, East Falls

When I use the phrase "dive bar," I use it with affection. And this East Falls standard is a wonderful dive bar – dark, wood-paneled, with Jimmy Hendrix playing on the sound system and Smithwick's on the menu. Friendly people. I could have stayed the whole rainy afternoon.

And I could have enjoyed several burgers with that beer. The Turf Burger was $8.25, and a bargain at that price. Eight ounces of Black Angus, smothered in cheese, onions, jalapeno, bacon and a zesty chipotle aioli sauce. Nice melding of flavors. It was stuffed into a white country roll which was . . . okay. Could have used a little roll support. But at this price, for this meal, that's a minor quibble.

Billy Murphy's was trip No. 40 on the Great Burger Hunt and a nice place to finish. If I've learned one thing during this quest it's that every Philadelphia neighborhood has its local tappie, with a creative beer menu and a dynamite hamburger. This is a great food town, and my ground-beef chase proved it to me. I visited 40 places – there are probably at least that many great ones I didn't get to.