“Don’t deny, until you try.” -Argyle, Stranger Things Season 4
Admittedly, the idea of a brick and mortar Netflix experience seemed a lot like pineapple on pizza. How could this even work? Why would Netflix even do this?
However, like our favorite employee of Surfer Boy Pizza proved to a group of doubting teenagers from Hawkins, Indiana, “don’t deny, until you try.”
Pop Break was invited to try Netflix House: Philadelphia before it officially opened to the public, and admittedly there was some skepticism as we made the drive from our New Jersey office to the King of Prussia Mall, which is about 20 minutes or so, outside of The City of Brotherly Love. The skepticism lies within the concept of “themed” experiences — these aren’t always a slam dunk. Look at Planet Hollywood, or Disney’s Galactic Star Cruiser Hotel, both good ideas on paper, but in execution and appeal, not so much.
Yet, as we entered the venue, it was like we were taken by the hand by a long-haired stoner and shown that our trepidation need not apply at Netflix House: Philadelphia. This experience is visually dazzling, thoroughly delicious, and genuinely, flat-out fun.
Now before we get into the full critique of Netflix House: Philadelphia, let’s set the table for the entire experience.
Netflix House: Philadelphia is located at the King of Prussia Mall (180 N Gulph Rd, King of Prussia, PA 19406) between Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. The venue is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.
You can access the venue through the mall — don’t worry there are plenty of signs for it throughout. If you’re entering from inside the mall, you can enter on the first floor – just pass Derpy from KPop Demon Hunters, walk through the Beyers’ living room, and up the Squid Game themed stairs to the second floor. However, we recommend going through the exterior entrance for a multitude of reasons.
First, the outdoor artwork is gorgeous (thanks to local artist Emily White), and the huge red entrance way is meant to symbolize the old Netflix red envelopes. Walk into the lobby and you’re greeted with that signature Netflix spectrum of colors, and the famed “tudum!” sound.
You’ll then be floored by the visually masterwork the designers of the venue put together. You’ll be surrounded by the Creel House from Stranger Things on one side, then a massive replica of Thing from Wednesday on the other. Netflix IP from One Piece, Bridgerton, The Queen, Love is Blind, Squid Game, Is It Cake?, and more cover the 100,000 square foot venue.
Now your big question will likely be, “How much does it cost to get in?” The answer is absolutely nothing. Netflix House: Philadelphia is free to enter. Cost here comes three ways — food and drink, merchandise and experiences. Experiences include Wednesday: Eve of Outcasts, One Piece: The Quest for the Devil Fruit, Top 9 Mini Golf, and Netflix Virtuals (a VR game powered by Sandbox VR with Rebel Moon, Squid Game and Stranger Things games). Each one of these are individually ticketed experiences. You can click here to buy tickets in advance.
The merchandise store at Netflix House: Philadelphia is stacked. Currently, the store is teeming with KPop Demon Hunters, Strangers Things, Bridgerton, Wednesday, One Piece, anime and Frankenstein displays. The Bridgerton, One Piece and Stranger Things displays in particular were the most details displays. One Piece had a display modeled after the “Go Merry,” while Bridgerton had a more regal display. Stranger Things had sections dedicated to Hawkins High merch, WSQK (which will be featured in Season 5), and a tree from the upside down. The spread out nature of the shop, and quality of the merch is a must-shop for the holidays.
We’ve been told that the shop will be a dynamic store that will reflect the current popular series and films that will drop on Netflix in years to come.
One of the biggest, and justifiable fears heading into Netflix House: Philadelphia was the food. Historically, venues like this serve a board of fare that — at best — is on the level of a chain restaurant. That is not the case at all here.
Netflix Bites, like the rest of the venue, is a visually dazzling bar and restaurant. You can get lost in the cavalcade of neon signs making reference to Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Great British Baking Show and Emily in Paris, while there’s wall pieces reflecting famed quotes from the biggest Netflix shows of all-time.
The bar at Netflix Bites, is no joke. This isn’t just a couple of domestic beers and a generic well drinks. Jaeala Salala, a sommelier with a mind for mixology, was brought in from California to be the mastermind of mixed drinks. Salala poured (pun intended) Netflix shows to create comfortably sophisticated drinks that jump off the menu. Some of her favorite creations include:
- The Morticia (Wednesday) – spiced tomato, mezcal, sherry, lemon juice and a dash of balsamic.
- An Old Fashioned Gentlemen (The Gentlemen): Bulleit bourbon, maple syrup, smoked sea salt, orange bitters and more.
- Dalgona’s Gamble (Squid Game) – Honeycomb-infused Soju, yuzu and club soda.
There’s also mocktails, old and new world wines by the glass, local beers on tap, and hot coffee beverages (latte, Americano, Machiatto, etc.) on tap as well.
The menu has no right being as good as it is, and we’re all better for it. First off, if you like a big Bavarian pretzel, then dig into the Netflix Plot Twist — which feeds 4-6 to people and is the size of Dr. Tony Tony Chopper. Apps also include the Knives Out inspired Killer Onion Dip, a Squid Game inspired chicken app, and a Salt Fat Acid tinned fish app.
Salad wise there’s dishes inspired by Emily in Paris, Bridgerton and Selling Sunset and pizzas inspired by Stranger Things and The Chef’s Table.
The sandwiches are inspired by Virgin River, WWE, Stranger Things, One Piece, and Bridgerton. There are also “Red Plate” Specials inspired by KPop Demon Hunters, Nonnas, Emily in Paris, and Sweet Magnolias.
At Netflix House we tried the Hollywoo’ Hangover Cure. To be honest, we originally thought this was a burger with bacon, egg and cheese on it. Well, this was not the case. This was a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich — the size of a hearty burger. The eggs, from a look perspective, were reminiscent of what you’d see on a McDonald’s biscuit sandwich. However, the mere reminiscence is the only thing the two have in common as this is a massive, juicy and protein packed egg. The bacon, you could tell, was freshly cooked on demand, and the cheese melted perfectly into the warm, buttery brioche roll. There’s a spicy aioli that will 100% open your eyes, and if we had a hangover, it would’ve easily been cured. If spice isn’t your thing, add it to the side. 10/10 would eat again.
Now let’s get to the reason you come to Netflix House, the experiences. We took part in two experiences – the Top 9 Mini Golf Course, and the One Piece: Quest for the Devil Fruit escape room. Outside of these two, there’s the immersive Wednesday: Eve of Outcasts, Netflix Virtuals and The TUDUM Theater. The theater is located between the Wednesday and One Piece experiences. It seats 229 guests and will host, ” Netflix shows, movies, and fan events on the big screen, along with trivia nights, live sports – like WWE Raw and NFL games, and special local and seasonal programming.”
The Top 9 Mini Golf is a one-room mini golf experience that will absolutely pop golfers once they enter. WWE fans will 100% lose it when they see the WWE Monday Night RAW inspired hole which is a wrestling ring with cutouts of Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley standing in opposite corners. The Floor is Lava hole is also a blast, while the Wednesday, Squid Game and Stranger Things holes and wonderfully designed, and not easy at all.
We took part in the One Piece: Quest for the Devil Fruit escape room experience. (Editor’s Note: I am saving the Wednesday experience from when I return with my family). This event takes about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your group, and your proficiency at escape rooms.
This escape room experience is not unlike the series star Luffy D. Monkey — pure fun. The premise of the room is you and your group are pirates trying to find the powerful Devil Fruit. Your group breaks into a fortress and are taken prisoner. The group has to break out from jail while also dealing with the likes of Buggy the Clown, Alvida, and Arlong. The puzzles are quite intricate and the rooms themselves are pretty strong representations of set pieces from Netflix’s live adaptation of the long-running anime and manga. The 45 minute run-time definitely breezes by as you are constantly on the move, and working in tandem to solve the multitude of puzzles. It’s definitely worth the price of admission.
In closing, Netflix House: Philadelphia is a must-do for pop culture aficionados of all-ages. It’s a visually beguiling venue that is loaded with delicious food, exclusive merchandise, and worth-your-money experiences.
For tickets, menus and more information on Netflix House: Philadelphia, check the official website.
