Philly Steaks Medellín Finally Feels Like It Grew Into Itself

• 🏈 Philly Steaks Medellín completed a full relaunch, turning the space into a true South Philly–style sports bar with better screens, improved sightlines, and a game-day atmosphere that actually works

• 🍝 Weekly pasta nights are a standout addition, featuring rich, house-made lasagna powered by in-house Italian sausage and some of the best garlic bread you’ll find in Medellín

• 🍟 A new executive chef from Pennsylvania brought consistency to the kitchen, elevating everything from cheesesteaks to fries and eliminating the hit-or-miss factor

• 🌿 Multiple seating options fit different moods, from high-energy sports viewing inside to relaxed outdoor canopy seating for dates or people-watching

• 🚴 Perfect for Sundays after Ciclovía, Philly Steaks has become a go-to spot in Manila, El Poblado for NFL, fútbol, UFC, and comfort food that feels like home

If you’ve spent any real time in Medellín, chances are that you already know Philly Steaks. It’s been one of those dependable spots you keep in your back pocket. The place you take visiting friends when they’re tired of “creative” menus and trendy rooftop Poblado concept restaurants and just want something familiar that won’t disappoint. It’s always had a following, but lately it feels like Philly Steaks stopped coasting on being good and decided to follow the Eagles (last season) in becoming champions, just on the culinary gridiron

The relaunch is not subtle at all. When you walk in now, the space immediately reads as a sports bar, not a sandwich shop that happens to have a few TVs on the wall. The dining room has been completely reworked, and the result is a room that actually wants you to sit, watch, order another round, and stay. Long reclaimed wood bars and small tables with Philly sports teams on them has replaced the standard wooden tables. It has that South Philly sports bar energy where the screens matter, the sightlines make sense, and you don’t feel like you’re fighting the room just to watch a game. They have also invested in the network infrastructure to ensure that you will always be able to watch your game. We are still in Colombia and we all know how terrifying the internet connectivity is here, but they've gone above and beyond to mitigate that nightmare.

Carmen, the owner, is Philly to the core, and that DNA has always been part of the place. What’s different now is how disciplined the operation feels. He brought in an executive chef from Pennsylvania, and that decision shows up in the details. The food comes out the same way every time. Portions are consistent. Execution is tighter. You’re not wondering which version of the kitchen showed up that night. The kitchen as also been moved upstairs and now it feels like a real kitchen, and not just an afterthought. They even installed a food elevator to increase efficiency.

One of the biggest quiet improvements is the fries. That sounds small, but anyone who’s lived in Medellín long enough knows that fries are often an afterthought here. At Philly Steaks, they’ve become part of the meal instead of background noise. They’re crisp, well-seasoned, and sturdy enough to survive a full game without turning sad. It’s the kind of upgrade you don’t notice until you eat it.

The real curveball, though, is pasta night. No one had “weekly pasta nights at a Philly cheesesteak spot” on their Medellín bingo card, but here we are and it just works. The lasagna in particular is legitimately good, not “good for Medellín,” just good. They use their in-house Italian sausage as the backbone of the dish, which gives it depth and keeps it from feeling like a filler option. It’s rich without being heavy, and it tastes like someone actually cared while making it. The garlic bread seals the deal and might quietly be one of the best versions in the city. I'll tell you this, you will only finish the lasagna if you are famished. It's filling and hearty, not something that Medellin food is known for. Your nona would be proud.

What Philly Steaks also gets right is flexibility. If you’re in full sports mode, the inside delivers. Big screens, proper audio, and enough energy to make big games feel like events. If that’s not your scene, you can sit under the canopy outside and treat it like a relaxed date spot. There’s room to talk, people to watch, and none of the pressure to care about what’s happening on the screen. The high tables outside split the difference and are perfect if you want to keep an eye on the game without committing to the full sports bar experience.

This is why the place works so well as a regular stop. It fits into real Medellín life, not just vacation mode. My Sundays usually start with Ciclovía, like they do for half the city. You walk, you run into people, you sweat a little, and then you’re ready to sit down somewhere that feels easy. Philly Steaks has become my default landing spot after enjoying the weather, and sights - lets be honest of Sundays in the city. Football on, cold drinks, food that shows up ready to go, absolutely no overthinking required.

Medellín has no shortage of new openings and trendy concepts, but reliable places age better than flashy ones. There are many sports bars in the city too, and they all have something that sets them apart. Philly Steaks seems to understand that, and the relaunch isn’t about chasing the label of being the new trendy spot. Not dressing up girls in skimpy outfits and chasing the "Sex sells" angle, they are letting the food and the ambience tell the story. After all, Philadelphia may be called the city of brotherly love, but if you know Philly like I do, especially now as a Philly sports writer, you know that it's gritty, scrappy and loves it's sports. Philly Steaks Medellin embodies that. It's not just the food, the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Sixers and Union stuff on the wall, but it's in the hard work and fingerprints of it's owner.

A South Philly sports bar, in Manila, with food that finally matches the vibe of the room. A Chickies and Pete's vibe with the famous "Go Birds!" mantra echoing in the restaurant and all of this in Medellin, Colombia? That’s not a Philly fever dream, it's a real place and you can enjoy it for yourself.