It has been no easy task getting this review done. The Black Sheep gets crowded by 9PM and is absolutely packed by 10PM on the weekends. It probably took us a good 3 tries to visit Black Sheep before being able to grab a table and soak in the "Irish." It's just no fun reviewing a place standing shoulder-to-shoulder, getting beer spilled on you.

So one concerted effort was made on a Saturday Night to get out to the Sheep early (8:30PM). The whole P-town crew (minus Nutty) found an open table in the basement game room. We ordered up a half-dozen pints of Guinness and watched the end of Gladiator on Black Sheep's lone basement TV.

The Black Sheep comes in 3 flavors: there is a frou-frou restaurant on the top floor, a straightforward pub on the main floor and a laid back game room in the basement.

The upstairs caters exclusively to the Rittenhouse Square aristocracy. They even brought in a chef that used to work at Striped Bass to make a name for da Sheep. I don't understand this. The mere connotation of "pub" brings to mind a meeting place for the proletariat to socialize, drink and carouse. You climb the stairs of Black Sheep to the 2nd Floor and you're greeted by cotton table cloths, frou frou china and people wearing the latest from Boyd's and DKNY. I knew I was out of place when I hit the landing. So back down the stairs I went, trying to forget the opulence.

The main floor of The Black Sheep contains a bar (small around 10 person capacity), tall bar tables in front of the bar, and sit down tables towards the back of the room around a fireplace. On the walls are the perfunctory Guinness posters (Nice Day for a Guinness) and beer related mirrors that you would find in any pub. Sure the taps have the standard pub brews on tap: Guinness, Harp and Bass; but getting the barkeep's attention proved difficult. More on that later...

In the basement of The Black Sheep is a game room with a small bar (much smaller than the one upstairs), a golf video game (oh c'mon how tacky), a TV and a pair of dart boards. The biggest disappointment of hanging out in the basement game room is that all of the brews are either bottled or canned. Sure the Boddingtons' chalk board has some notable local talent listed: Guinness (in can), Flying Fish Dubbel, Dogfish Head Ale, Newcastle and Strongbow Cider. But it's just not the same as getting the brews from a draft in a pint glass.

The Black Sheep is owned by 2 Irish blokes. One of the owners used to tend bar down at the Dicken's Inn, off of South Street. I guess since we've put together this website, we've had a chance to meet many-a-barfolk in our travels. For lack of a better word, the ex-patriot from the Dicken's Inn (his name is Matt) is/was a jerk. Whenever he was tending bar at The Dicken's, you were guaranteed slow service, an offhand comment about Americans, and an unpleasant manner. Sadly, it seems as though he has managed to impart some of these un-pleasantries to The Black Sheep.

One of the first things you notice, is that the bar service is slow. The crowd on this Saturday Night wasn't that thick when we walked in at 8:30PM. For some unknown reason, the bartenders were ignoring us. It took a few minutes for one of them to even acknowledge us, and even then we were told to "hold our horses, we'll get to you." Sorry, but if you know the place is going to be crowded (it's a Saturday Night for God's sake!), either get your ass out of Neutral gear or hire a couple of capable barkeeps to handle the crowds.

The other thing that was uncomforting was that there appeared to be only one waitress working the tables. When you roll out to a place with a party of 6 and it's time for refills, it's a major pain in the ass to carry 6 pint glasses back to your table. With the sub-par service, your away from your table for a good 20 minutes waiting for bar service. I guess management assumes that lazy Americans can use the exercise.

Unisex bathrooms are located in the basement. One door has a white sheep on it and the other a black sheep. I couldn't figure out which was male or female but I don't think it really matters - they're equally dirty and small. It's places like this that make me glad I'm a man so that I don't have to touch the porcelain to perform Number 1.  

The music "pumped in" caters to the American crowd: Metallica, Santana and assorted alternative selections. This neighborhood attracts the beautiful honey babies that you would expect. I guess even they grow tired of the Rouge, Circa and Opus 251 crowds.

If you plan on going to The Black Sheep, get there by 9PM to get a seat. Arriving any later than 9PM and you're most likely standing, getting pushed around the place. They may not have the best pour of Guinness in the city, but when you've had your fill of the frou frou Rittenhouse/Walnut Street offerings, this pub will do in a pinch. If you're in the mood to walk 3 blocks West you can hit Bard's on Walnut and experience a nice Irish pub without the pretentious crowd. (Or just take a cab down to The Plough and the Stars at 2nd & Chestnut and taste the way a Guinness is supposed to be poured.)