:: eating out ::
:cheap:
:moderate:
:expensive:
:: groceries ::
:supermarkets:
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home > eating

Eating

This page will give you a primer on some of the best places to eat in Philly and where you can get groceries if you want to be your own chef.

Eating Out

Cheap ($4-$7):


Mexicali
110 S 40th St (40th and Sansom, between Chestnut and Walnut streets) (University City)

Burritos that are enormous, delicious, and dirt cheap. My favorite is the plantain burrito with citrus and hominy and a side of their special veggie-guac.

 

Maoz
248 South St (Queen Village/South Street)

This is the sole U.S. location of this European falafel favorite. You can take your falafel and frites to go, or vie for one of the handful of stools inside so you can keep going back to the fixins bar to refill your pita with grilled cauliflower, tabouli, and more!

 

Lorenzo & Son Pizza
305 South St (“South Street”)

The jury is still out on whether Lorenzo's is actually good pizza, or if it only tastes good because the only times you eat it are when you're drunk and starving and it's 3am (it's open an extra hour untill 4am on Friday and Saturday nights). Also, this is Philadelphia's pizza Nazi -- no toppings on slices, and you'd better order fast and have your cash in hand.

 

Samosa
Walnut between 12th & 13th (Washington Square West)

Reliable Indian vegetarian buffet, great deals for lunch and dinner. This location had been closed for close to a year and had just recently reopened. Word in the food blogosphere is that it is still awesome.

 

Federal Pretzel Co
638 Federal Street (South Philly)

Soft pretzels are a very Philly thing and appropriate as a breakfast, lunch or snack according to some residents. Predawn, this is the place to score freshly-baked pretzels before they sell out and/or get distributed all over town.

 

South Street Diner
South b/n Front & 2nd (Queen Village/South Street)

Reliable diner in a night-life heavy location.

 

Broad Street Diner
Broad at Ellsworth (South Philly)

Old school diner. Nothing hip about it. No one will bother you if you want to sit with coffee by yourself for a long time.

 

Rita's Water Ice
multiple locations; 1511 Spruce St, 239 South St and 9th and Market (in the Gallery at Market East) are the center city locations

In Philadelphia we eat water ice. It is like Italian ice, but slushier. There are many mom and pop's around town, but Rita's is the franchise favorite. They also have soft-serve custard which you can have alone, in between your scoops of ice as a "gelati" or blended with your ice as a "misto" (my personal fave: mango ice with vanilla custard or cherry ice with chocolate custard). Unfortunately this is treated as seasonal delicacy and closes up from Fall until Spring.

 

Metropolitan Bakery
multiple locations, including; 262 S 19th St, 1114 Pine St, 1136 Arch St, and 4013 Walnut Street and their products are sold at many local markets.

Great bakery. The croissants are the best. You don't have to run in and out, though; some locations have cafe seating and "hand-made pastries and sweets, imported cheeses and marmalades, locally grown organic greens, freshly ground coffee, and much, much more," as they tell it on their website.

 

Little Pete's
17th b/n Walnut & Locust (Rittenhouse)

Another rockin' diner with good midnight breakfasts. A great place to refuel after a late night when you don't want to deal with bougie brunch crowds.

 

Food carts/Lunch trucks
all over

These are very Philly. Many go beyond your standard hot dog and pretzel fare (think crepes, fruit salads, and specialty middle-eastern vegetarian), especially on Penn & Drexel's campuses where carts are bountiful and rarely without long lines of students off of the meal-plan.

 

Reading Terminal Market
12th & Arch, at the Convention Center (Chinatown)

A unique farmer's market in the former terminal of the Reading Railroad with expanded, although still limited hours; Mon-Sat 8-6 and Sun 9-4. A great place for locally grown fresh produce, meats, poultry and fish, this place is also well known around for two reasons; a fantastic and diverse array of lunch counters (you can get Oprah Winfrey's favorite mac'n cheese at Delilah's) and Amish people. The Pennsylvania Dutch sell everything from homemade cheese to hearty pies to hamburgers and fries. Also, my favorite non-chocolate candy "store" where you can get Twizzleresque licorice sticks in an array of brightly colored flavors; grape, green apple, and cream soda, to name a few. My only caveat is that this place can get uncomfortably crowded at lunchtime on weekends, especially when there is an event across the street at the Convention Center.

 

Nice-ish ($9-$20)


Azure
931 N 2nd St, at W Laurel St, north of Poplar St (Northern Liberties)

They call their cuisine "vacation style" which I interpret as delicious but unauthentic tropical dishes. Very vegetarian friendly; this restaurant is well known around town as being a great place for veggies and non-veggies to both get thoughtful and fulfilling meals.

Beau Monde
624 S 6th St, at Bainbridge (Queen Village)

Creperie downstairs, cabaret upstairs. This Breton creperie serves it both sweet and savory. A great date restaurant.

 

Dessert
806 S 6th St, at Passyunk (b/n Catharine & Christian) (Bella Vista)

An adorable and intimate dessert cafe that I wish was more centrally located. Coffees, loose teas and a rotating cheese plate compliment the all-dessert menu. Arguably the best hot chocolate ever, unarguably the best in the city. Hours: Weds, Thurs & Sun: 7 pm to 11 pm; Fri & Sat: 7 pm to midnight.

 

Sabrina's
910 Christian St (Bella Vista/Italian Market)

If you don’t understand what the whole fuss over brunch is, get up early next weekend and get into Sabrina’s before the crowds and you will understand why brunch really is something to center your day around. Those in the know try to defeat the crowds by calling ahead and putting their name on the list before they arrive. People will tell you about the decadent stuffed French toast, but you can’t go wrong with any of the specials that are concocted based on what is fresh around the corner at the Italian Market. Sabrina’s serves brunch all day long but also has a lovely dinner menu.

Royal Tavern aka "The Royal"
Passyunk b/n 6th & 7th, near Carpenter (Queen Village/Bella Vista)

I would be remiss not to mention Royal Tavern, even if it is not one of my favorites. If I were to dispute the best-ness of Sabrina's brunch, it would be only to the Royal's. It's to die for. Be warned though: this tavern is a bit dark inside for mornings when you're trying to be all "get up & go." It's also a bar. Hence the name.

 

Eulogy Belgian Tavern
2nd & Chesnut (Old City)

Undoubtedly one of the largest beer selections in the city. This Belgian tavern serves the traditional fare of mussels and frites and has a multi-page beer menu, focusing heavily on Belgian brews. They serve any sweet flavor of lambic imaginable, some even on tap! Good to know: there are more tables and a second bar upstairs.

The White Dog Cafe
Sansom between 34th & 36th Streets (University City)

This restaurant and bar spans across a few converted rowhomes on the quaint commercial corridor, “Sansom Row,” on Penn’s campus. The smaller front room houses the bar and is where you can order from the cheaper bar menu (and out front on the sidewalk in nice weather). The bar menu can taste surprisingly different depending on who is in the kitchen and doesn’t change frequently. The rest of the restaurant, adorned with images and tzotchkes of white dogs (like the real ones that owner Judy Wicks can often be seen taking for a walk), serves a seasonally changing vegan and vegetarian friendly menu relying on locally available fresh ingredients.

 

Pietro's Coal Oven Pizzeria
1714 Walnut St, 121 South St, and 140 W Route 70, Marlton, NJ (Rittenhouse, South Street, and New Jersey)

A friend’s description is priceless; “Excellent sit-down pizza restaurant. If anyone tries to argue that Lorenzo's is the best pizza in town, they're either a wino or they've never tried Pietro's.”

 

Tavern on Green
2047 Green St (Fairmount/Art Museum)

This is a good all-around restaurant with a good brunch and nice sidewalk seating, but another reason to go all the way out to Fairmount to eat here is because it is right by one of the prettiest blocks in the city (IMHO). Walk from 22nd to 21st on Green Street, and admire the beautiful brick homes with the lovely trees.

 

Pink Rose Pastry Shop
630 S 4th Street, at Bainbridge (Queen Village)

Mostly a dessert café, but I hear you can also get a delicious grilled cheese here. This is a great place to meet up with a friend or take a date after dinner. A sort of calico plus Victorian cuteness defines the ambience. Also, I am obsessed with their cream puffs.

 

More Than Just Ice Cream
1119 Locust (Washington Square West)

The waiters are spacey and seemingly hired on account of their metrosexual style sense, but the food is solid (yes, they serve meals -- it's more than just ice cream, get it?) and the desserts are to-die-delicious.

 

Vientiane Cafe
4728 Baltimore Ave (West Philly)

The lore around this dirt cheap and delicious Laotian/Thai restaurant (named after the capital of Laos) is that it started in someone’s backyard and was constantly getting shut down by L&I (licenses and inspections). It has now settled in a comfortable and more permanent location on the same block as a food co-op (Mariposa) and an anarchist community center (A-Space). The smallish dining room can get pretty packed on weekends, but you can call ahead and order takeout. Also, this is one of Philly’s many BYO’s, so on occasion you will see a raucous table of Penn undergrads with boxed wine and cans of Miller Lite.

 

Fellini's Cafe and Trattoria
2216 Walnut Street (Rittenhouse/Center City West), and multiple suburban locations

If you have a hankering for Italian food in this city you should head down to South Philly where the historically Italian community has set up shop with many authentic eateries. But, if for some reason that is not an option, Fellini’s is by no means a punishment. This place is wildly popular in the suburbs (they have tripled the size of their Ardmore location) but hasn’t seemed to catch on downtown yet. Huge portions of any delicious pasta dish you can imagine (my standby is the Sofia Loren; orechiette with tomato, broccoli and chicken). BYO, but lately they have been offering you a complimentary glass of sambuca after your meal.

 

Penang
117 N 10th Street, b/n Arch & Race (Chinatown)

A fast-paced Malaysian joint with additional locations in New York City and Boston. A nice change in Chinatown from the many more traditional restaurants. A great place to go before a movie or show because they really hustle you in and then right back out again.

 

North 3rd
3rd & Brown (Northern Liberties)

This place is what I like to call a restaubar; both the restaurant and bar aspects are significant. You can munch on an interesting salad during happy hour, start your drinking night off with a burger, or treat a hangover with a bloody mary and pancakes at brunch. There is also a huge painting of breasts on the wall, which you should look for and take pictures with because it is that hilarious and we are all that immature.

 

Monk's Cafe
626 S 16th Street, b/n Locust & Spruce (Rittenhouse)

Noisy and crowded, but popular for a reason. The food (with many vegetarian options) is worlds better than your typical pub fare, and it is always a fun place to spend an evening. Like Eulogy, it is popular for its mussels and Belgian beers. Still, it's not always worth the sometimes endless wait (I once waited over two hours for a table, I’m not quite sure why).

 

Continental and Continental Midtown
2nd & Market (Old City) and 18th & Chestnut (Rittenhouse)

Anyone interested in dining in Philadelphia is well aware of the Stephen Starr empire of visually and gastronomically appealing eateries. The original Continental in Old City was so popular, Starr built another location near Rittenhouse recently. The staff at Midtown are required to wear apparently fifties diner inspired uniforms that actually make them look like high school students sporting American Eagle. Both tapas serving locations are very “scene-y” and Midtown has a popular, and large, roof deck that you might need to wait in line just to get on the elevator to take you up there. A diverse menu; I recently went with a friend after going to the theater and she got steamed broccoli, miso soup, and lightly fried tofu with peanut sauce while I sat across the table with three small dessert plates.

 

Lemongrass Thai
3626-30 Lancaster Avenue (Powelton Village/University City)

Vegetarian friendly Thai in a neighborhood in need of quality ethnic food. Good for groups.

 

10th St. Pour House
262 S 10th Street, at Spruce (Washington Square West)

Solid (not terrific) food in a cool place that plays good music and keeps the prices on the lower-end of the Philly-brunch-thing.

 

Sam's Morning Glory Diner
10th & Fitzwater (Bella Vista/Italian Market)

Allegedly a Sabrina’s competitor, I think Morning Glory’s diner atmosphere and cheaper prices put it in a separate class. The dishes may not be as inventive as at Sabrina’s, but they have chocolate bread with cherry jam and homemade ketchup. A small dining room, so waits here can also be insane (a word to the wise: look for the sign-up sheet outside the entrance).

 

Restaurants to Dine at with Parents or Benefactors
or for Splurging ($25+)


Il Portico
1519 Walnut St. (Rittenhouse)

The name of this restaurant means "the ghetto" in Italian, but don't hold that against this wonderful Jewish Italian gem. The food is perfect, the service is great, the ambience is pleasant, and it's everything a visiting relative could want a restaurant to be (let the bill be on them).

 

L2 Restaurant and Bar
2201 South Street (Graduate Hospital)

From the outside, it looks like nothing special, but proceed through the bar area to the dining room in back and be surprised. It's cluttered and kitschy but totally charming and cozy. The Asian/American fusion food is really good, but the ambience makes it special.

 

London Grill
2301 Fairmount (Fairmount/Art Musuem)

This long-term establishment has consistently failed to disappoint me. A unique menu that doesn’t require you to ask for a description of half the ingredients that is also well-executed. The physical space has many rooms with different atmospheres and I think that the upstairs can be used as a banquet hall. Also, the wait staff are friendly without being fake and wonderfully accommodating; they thoughtfully put my party in a smaller quieter room away from the bustle near the bar when I told them that I was bringing my 90 year old grandmother and wanted a table that didn’t require many stairs.

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