Every day we’re shuffling… through the always jam-packed Village Whiskey. One, because they have some stellar food and two because the size of the restaurant. Connected to adjoining fellow Jose Garces tapas restaurant Tinto, this railroad style restaurant doesn’t have much room to move around. The sidewalk cafe helps expand the space a bit but they claim they never accept reservations… unless you do a buyout for large parties. However, they just started accepting reservations during lunch and brunch until 3:3o p.m. so lucky you!
Featuring a stellar selection of more than 200 whiskeys alongside what they claim is the country’s best burger, Village Whiskey is a Garces classic and Philly staple. Envisioned by Chef Garces as a spot where he and his team could enjoy a drink and a snack after a long night in the kitchen, the restaurant’s focal point is the central bar that is home to their near-encyclopedic catalogue of Chef Garces’ favorite spirit, whiskey. The outstanding bartenders shake up classic and contemporary cocktails in a space that whispers Prohibition-era speakeasy.
Since opening his first restaurant less than a decade ago, Chef Jose Garces has emerged as an enormous talent and one of the nation’s most gifted chefs and restaurateurs.Today, he is the owner and operator of more than a dozen restaurants across the country, plus a thriving event planning division and 40-acre Luna Farm. He is a 2009 winner of the James Beard Foundation’s prestigious “Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic” award and one of only a few chefs in the country to hold the coveted title of Iron Chef. Chef Garces is also the author of two cookbooks, The Latin Road Home (Lake Isle Press, October 2012), a culinary and cultural tour of Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, Cuba and Peru, and his stunning first cookbook, Latin Evolution (Lake Isle Press, Fall 2008) which we highly recommend having on your book shelves.