May 17, 2023
Provided Image/Cody Aldrich Photography
DBG, previously known as Drury Beer Garden, is being revamped with an all-new menu that includes a $700 burger made with caviar, Japanese wagyu beef and lobster meat.
Drury Beer Garden in Midtown Village will soon be known by its acronym, DBG, as it reopens this Friday with a revamped menu that includes, among other novel items, a $700 burger made with Japanese wagyu beef, caviar and lobster meat.
Located at 1311 Sansom St., DBG will keep its award-winning outdoor beer garden, though the revamped name and design allows brother and sister co-owners George Tsiouris and Vasiliki Tsiouris Balis to showcase their Center City restaurant as a brand-new burger bar. While it has remained open through much of the redesign, DBG's new menu debuts on Friday, May 19 with 15 different burgers.
The duo will celebrate the beer garden's new look and expansive menu by giving away free burgers to the first 50 people who arrive for this Friday's happy hour, from 4 to 7 p.m. The full menu will be available this weekend.
The gold standard burger retails for $700 and is made with Japanese ribeye wagyu beef, Irish cheddar cheese, Italian black truffle, caviar, lobster meat prepared in Louis XIII cognac, a brioche bun topped with gold leaf and fries drizzled with honey. The burger bar will also feature one of the city's most affordable burger options, an appetizer-style smash burger that retails for $2.95. Other signature burgers include a cheesesteak-inspired option with shaved ribeye and sautéed onions, a spicy burger made with jalapeños and a dessert burger served with a scoop of fried ice cream.
All of DBG's burgers are made with eight ounces of beef (with the exception of the $2.95 option), though guests are encouraged to stack the smaller burgers and add extra toppings. Patrons can also try their South Philly egg rolls, made with Italian roast pork and sharp provolone, and the "Hello Continental" bread rolls, which are brioche-style buns served with cinnamon cream cheese.
The restaurant's drink menu was created with each of the signature burgers in mind. Imbibers can try the Philly Dilly, a shot made with Jameson, pickle juice, pepper and cucumber or a bourbon-based cocktail served with cherry liqueur and an edible $100 bill.
"Burgers are one of the most loved food items around the world," said Tsiouris. "We are excited to provide our guests (with) some amazing, creative and tasty options with our new menu concept."
DBG will participate in this year's Center City Sips, the popular summer happy hour promotion that runs each Wednesday evening from June to August. While the restaurant has not revealed its Sips specials, the burger bar's happy hour will include appetizers for less than $10, $3 shots, $4 beers, $4 well drinks and $5 glasses of wine.
While the inside of the restaurant was revamping its food and drink menu, DBG's outdoor beer garden was remodeled with a larger bar, new seating and a 60-foot mural painted by Paul Santoleri, a Philly muralist whose work can be found at Roxborough's Pocket Park and the Care Center Foundation in West Chester.
Drury Beer Garden's menu previously focused on salads, sandwiches, pizzas and fried entrées. In preparation for the launch of DBG's new menu, the brother and sister duo spent time honing their skills at their other restaurant, Craftsman Row Saloon.
DBG will be open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., Fridays from 4 p.m. until 2 a.m., Saturdays from noon to 2 a.m. and Sundays from noon to 10 p.m. Food will be served daily until 10 p.m., and a late night menu will be added later this year. Happy hour promotions run from 4 to 7 p.m. each Wednesday to Sunday.
