The second part of my Pennsylvania burger tour had me heading over to Philadelphia’s National Mechanics.  National Mechanics is a bar and food joint that stands out so much it’s easy to mistake it as anything but what it’s supposed to be. The exterior looks more like a place you’d deposit a check than ingest a beer. Turns out, ages ago it used to be a bank for mechanics (hence the name), then was a church at one point (hence the stained glass windows), then changed through a couple of owner’s hands, then a fire…well, somehow this place is still standing as a unique and awesome spot in the Philly area.

First thing upon sitting down, my accomplice and I scope the beers on draft. Lo and behold, I find the greatest beer name that has ever crossed my eyes. Its name should be shouted from the highest mountains and exalted everywhere it is toasted with. The name you ask? Well, see below…

Yes, that’s right. Hoptimus Prime. I immediately get a sense of 80’s nostalgia and order this very hopped up beer to enjoy with our burgers. We ordered the National Burger with American cheese and the National Veggie Burger with Monterey Jack, this burger of which was highly recommended from the staff. While sipping beers and shooting the breeze with the awesome owner Jason, we catch word that a porn convention was in town and that this very place was chosen for the official afterparty later in the evening. We were extremely disappointed to hear this news as the possibility of being at this very establishment 7 hours later would have made it exponentially cooler to be inside. Hoptimus Prime, pornstars AND burgers? Now you’re talking crazy.

The National Burger is angus beef with lettuce, tomato and red onion thrown across the other top of the bun, served along with massive steak fries. The fries were perfectly seasoned, as was the angus burger. I even loved their red cabbage cole slaw. It had a nice bite of vinegar and was quite crunchy (Note: I loathe soggy coleslaw).

The National Veggie Burger is something special. What seemed like a typical veggie patty lying inconspicuously across a bun turned out to be be the best veggie burger I’ve ever stumbled across in my life. Why you ask? Well, let’s open up the burger and see…

The National Veggie Burger is made from real julienned vegetables and comes topped with lettuce, tomato and our choice of Monterey Jack cheese. You could clearly make out the broccoli, zucchini, carrots and red peppers inside the patty. I have no idea how it retains this patty form once we started eating it but it must have something to do with the teriyaki sauce inside of it. This veggie burger tasted like a delicious teriyaki stir fry. It was extremely surprising to find such a unique burger for the veggieheads out there.

At this point Jason asks Wendy and I if we’d care to try the specialty house shots. Puzzled and slightly adventurous, we allow him to expand our taste bud horizons a little more. The first round of shots he brings us are what they at National Mechanics call Bacon Vodka shots. While wide eyed with interest (I never thought those two words would be placed together in a sentence), he informs us of the simple process. Cook a few slabs of bacon, chuck them in a vat of vodka and leave it in for 3 days. We enthusiastically down our shots, which resemble bacon grease non-surprisingly, and while bracing for the strong kick of vodka down my throat I am instead met with the aftertaste of bacon. We then get offered their other house shot, Jalapeno Tequila, and quickly start to realize why people come to this place. To eat good burgers and get smashed.

The Jalapeno Tequila is made in a similar fashion to the Bacon Vodka shots (slice up the jalapenos and chuck ‘em in the tequila), except the tequila gets far hotter the longer you leave the peppers in. Feel bad for the person who finishes the end of that jar. We timidly downed our shots and I immediately felt the effects of the peppers inside the tequila. While spicy as hell, it did seem like such a perfect and obvious marriage for these south of the border indulgences.

Even in the late hours of lunchtime on a Saturday afternoon, this felt like a place that would get absolutely packed and insanely fun until the wee hours of the night. Not to mention that their kitchen doesn’t close until 1am. National Mechanics is a bar I would have no problem recommending to friends in Philly or even my New York buddies who wouldn’t mind a quick road trip to a friendly and fun bar.