The fun fact about Jon's Bar and Grille is that Larry Fine of the 3 Stooges was born in the building that now houses it. So there is a nice mural of him playing the violin above the restaurant - apparently when he was an infant he spilled some caustic reagent on himself (his dad was a jeweler and used it to differentiate between real and fake gold), so in order to strengthen his arm muscles again his parents had him take up the violin. The more you know! But also makes me wonder why the restaurant is called Jon's and not Larry's... oh well. Also a bit surprising is the lack of 3 Stooges references (although I'm only a very casual viewer of the show, so they would probably go over my head anyways) - all I saw was a burger on the menu and a couple of posters here and there. But I almost think this works to their benefit, since over-the-top references would come across as too cheesy. 
I've actually been to Jon's once before when my mom and her then-boyfriend were in town for Thanksgiving a few years ago. Her ex was a big fan of the 3 Stooges so I thought it'd be a fun place to go. When we were getting ready to go here and I told someone this, they asked me how it was. My only response was "I don't remember" - meaning it probably wasn't terrible but also wasn't outstanding. And that's exactly how I felt this time around.
The restaurant itself has a nice layout - plenty of tables downstairs, an ample bar, outdoor seating for when the weather is nice, picnic tables upstairs for a more relaxed dining experience. It was a cold, rainy Wednesday night, so we were the only people in the restaurant save for a couple of stragglers at the bar until two more tables arrived. I've walked by this place in the summer and it does seem pretty hoppin', probably because of the great patio seating they have. I was impressed with their beer selection - a solid 20 or so on tap, and they must have had some recent event with Terrapin because there were 6 or 7 of their beers specifically. I elected for the Moo-Hoo, a delicious chocolate milk stout. Not that I'm complaining, because it's always nice to have craft beer from other areas available in the city. But they also had quite a few drafts that were local and/or ones that I don't see often in other bars, and a nice selection of bottles - my second draft was Jon's Jawn, which was brewed by Bullfrog (from Williamsport, PA) in collaboration with the bar. It was a little strange (brewed with merlot grapes, raspberries, and cocoa nibs. The cocoa nibs didn't do it for me, but I still enjoyed the beer). Add to that a bunch of rare bottles along the walls and Jon's seems to be a hidden gem of a bar with decent prices for good beer. Either that or I've turned into a terrible beer snob in the sense that I'm surprised this place has a good beer list.
The food, on the other hand, wasn't stellar. We ordered nachos, which were covered in nacho cheese, green peppers, beans, and a little bit of spice from some jalapenos. They were satisfying my hunger, but the nacho cheese was a bit of a turn off for me - it tasted too artificial. I ordered the Santa Fe panini - blackened chicken, avocado, bacon, and cheddar cheese. Everything tasted a little bland and dry, but my side salad + feta vinaigrette were pretty tasty. It's not the worst food I've ever had, but nothing to write home about either. In the end, I'd return to Jon's - but just to grab some drinks off their fantastic beer menu.
Jon's Bar and Grille
300 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 592-1390
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