Another July 4th in Philadelphia
 

Last year we had a fantastic July 4th weekend in Philadelphia concentrating on art. We're planning to go back again, going to Longwood on Saturday and the Renoir exhibit on Sunday for starters.

I got wonderful suggestions here last year for restaurants and would love an update.

Any great ideas for lunch and especially dinner?

Thanks!

ttt

Last try Philadelphians. Ate a wonderful dinner at Tinto last year and will probably go back. Another rec for dinner would be great. Any thoughts?

We loved James in South Philly. Sophisticated menu but low-key, friendly atmosphere. Fork with a more seafood-oriented menu and lively ambiance is also very good. If you liked Tinto, you might like Distrito another Garces restaurant up in University city with a small plate Mexican menu and a fun, loud, young vibe. On Sunday, I would do brunch at Parc or you can check out the Waterworks restaurant near the art museum.

Try Buddakan for a great experience and wonderful food.

Just making sure you've seen this thread:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...iladelphia.cfm

It's a bit of reading, but does include restaurant suggestions as well.

And there are some more recommendations in this trip report, which just so happens, I think, to be a wonderful read:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...rip-report.cfm

Enjoy your trip! Except for the year Jimmy Carter won the Liberty Medal, my 4th of July plans usually involve "Get the heck out of Philadelphia". :) But of course, I'm a bit spoiled by being here the rest of the year.

Amy - I've read both threads back when they were first posted. The 100 best things, imo, is not very helpful to a visitor because it's more about reminiscences of dishes in places (including the Jersey shore) as opposed to listing favorite restaurants and other food establishments. Last year we went to Tinto and Fork. We would do Tinto again and something new, but not Latino. Any ideas?

There are SOOOO many wonderful restaurants in Phila. I already recommended Buddakan which is one of my favorites. For a cutsey little off beat restaurant with great food and service, check out Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Go to this site for loads of info on restaurants and evrything else:
www.visitphilly.com

Thanks for the site. I will check it out. Buddakhan is also in NY. I wanted to try something unique to Phila.

I like Patou at 3rd and Market--light Mediterranean/French. And Upstares at Varalli on Broad Street is good, too. For Philadelphia Italian, Ralph's is an institution. I haven't been out much recently, but all of the above have been quite decent. Jones at 7th and Chestnut is a nice change of pace: comfort food, done slightly upscale.

I haven't been, but the City Tavern has been getting reasonably good reviews and is unique to Philadelphia due to its history. I'd guess it would be crowded around the 4th, though.

Monk's Cafe is appreciated by many locals. (Of course, so is Chickie's and Pete's, which is not exactly my personal cuppa.)

I've always enjoyed Marrakesh at 5th and Leithgow (just off of South Street): it's quirky and takes a fair amount of time, but decent Moroccan food and a nice atmosphere. (You need reservations, and you ring the bell to get in.)

A lot of "unique to Philadelphia" is, of course, street food or market food, of the type recommended in the 100 best list. Sitting in one of the parks on a nice day with lunch from a vendor is a great time in my book. And, of course, Reading Terminal Market (which appears there often) is pretty much a must. (I think Capogiro and Naked Chocolate are, too, but not everybody lunches on gelato, I realize.)

This is the Philadelphia Magazine's top 50 list:
http://www.phillymag.com/restaurants..._50/index.html

It might help you narrow things down a bit if you haven't found anything appealing in our suggestions.

Unique to Philadelphia? I'd suggest trying one of the BYOB's. Yes, you'll find BYOB's in New Jersey and some other states but the BYOB scene is flourishing in Philadelphia.

Because of the difficulty and cost of obtaining liquor licenses, there are many places which offer excellent dining and allow you to bring your own wine. Most do not charge corkage.

Our current favorite BYOBs--

www.matyson.com
37 South 19th Street

www.biboubyob.com/
1009 South 8th street

www.melogranorestaurant.com/
2012 Sansom St

www.branzinophilly.com
261 South 17th Street

Some are quite small, with only 30 to 40 seats. Reserve early.

Enjoy your visit to Philadelphia!

Now you guys are cookin'. Thank you, thank you! I will look at all the links tomorrow.

When I said 'unique,' I meant not part of a chain - even an upscale one like Buddakhan.

Amy - I understand; that's why I'm getting out of NY that weekend.

If you click on my name, you'll see my trip report from last July 4th in Philadelphia. We had the best time - that's why we're going back!

Very good restaurant suggestions so far.

I will add to the list:

August - not near a lot but I love their food, plenty of street parking if you're driving, also accessible by public transportation or cab
Zahav - Old City
For same type of food but a change from where you went last time, you could replace Tinto with Amada
Good Dog or Monk's if you want a burger and beer for lunch

A few more questions:

I'm considering seeing the Cleopatra exhibit at the Franklin late Sat 7/3. Is it difficult to get a taxi there to go to dinner (Tinto)? I could always walk back to the hotel if necessary.

Has anyone had lunch/brunch at 1906 at Longwood Gardens? Or at their Cafe? It seems like it makes sense to eat there if we're spending the day.

Any thoughts about lunch near the PMA after the Renoir exhibit?

What is the not to miss lunch spot at the Reading Mkt for someone who's never been there? DeNico?

Thanks again!

Centralparkgirl,
We just returned from a long weekend in Philly, & I highly recomment Cuba Libre in Old City for dinner. They are located on 2nd Street. The atmosphere is great, supposedly resembles old Havana, & the food is delicious, great mojitos!! I would definitely go back.

We also enjoyed Banana Leaf in Chinatown. They serve Malaysian food along with other Asian cuisine. very casual & inexpensive, BYOB.

We loved the blueberry pancakes at the Reading Terminal market at the Amish restaurant. Also, Beck's Cajun Food at the Market.

ttt

There are a number of hotels near the Franklin Institute on the Parkway; I'd go to one of them to get a cab, I think, as the street right in front of the Franklin is not great for stopping.

You might want to go to the Waterworks after the Renoir exhibit; I haven't been yet, but friends recommend it and the view is lovely: http://www.thewaterworksrestaurant.com/

My go-to in the Reading Terminal Market is Salumeria--or sometimes Pearl's Oyster Bar for a change of pace. And Delilah's, too, of course, and, well... Just do a good wander 'round and see what looks good that day!

Can't help with the eating at Longwood Gardens, sorry!

I wouldn't hesitate to eat at Longwood Gardens if you're there anyway. We've eaten there a few times, and the food has been good.

I'd get the Dinics pork and broccoli rabe sandwich at RTM.


~Liz

Amy - Waterworks looks great, but unfortunately they are closed on Monday when I'll be at PMA.

I don't know how I missed RTM last year - it looks like a lot of fun and delicious too. Can't wait!

I was going to suggest the Museum Restaurant itself (rather surprisingly good, last time I was there) but it turns out that's closed on Mondays, too! (I had thought you were going on Sunday.)

There are a number of Fairmount neighborhood places, so maybe someone will be able to give you some good suggestions nearby. (The Fountain at the 4 Seasons does serve lunch daily, and they do some pretty amazing food--just a bit of a walk down the Parkway.)

Reading Terminal Market is great; I do some of my food shopping there, and always have to have a meal when I'm there.

Oh, and I second Cuba Libre, above, plus there's an "old school" northern Italian place that's been in the city 30 years that's got the best insalata caprese I've ever had: Ristorante La Buca, at 711 Locust.

Amy - The museum is usually closed Mondays, but because of the holiday, it will be open on 7/5. I'll call them, but I'll bet the restaurant will be open too. Thanks for the suggestion. That would be most convenient unless we decide to go to Manayunk before going home. Ate in Le Bus last year. Any other thoughts?

Oh, right, that makes sense! (I'm guessing they're closed on Sunday the 4th?--I hadn't actually realized that the 4th was a Sunday this year. Here's what I'll likely be doing, by the way: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...altoona-pa.cfm)

For a neighborhood outing other than Manayunk, have you been to Chestnut HIll? It's got great shops and some interesting eating spots as well, plus the Morris Arboretum (and, going further down Germantown Ave, some important Revolution/Underground RR buildings.) Here's a site for it: http://www.chestnuthillpa.com/ I really like the vibe there.

centralparkgirl,
We took the train to Chestnut Hill East & then from there we walked to Morris Arboretum last Saturday. The Arboretum is beautiful and worth a visit. Will you have a car? The walk from the train station to the arboretum was 45 minutes, longer than we expected, so when we left the arboretum, we took a cab to the train station.

You MUST go to Reading Terminal Market!!! it is fabulous. For breakfast, go to the Amish restaurant and order the blueberry pancakes, the best I've ever had. As I previously recommended, you should have lunch at Beck's Cajun Restaurant at the market; we had the etoufee with shrimp & crayfish, and warm bread pudding with whiskey sauce for dessert. DELICIOUS!!

Just thought I would add that for sightseeing we had a tour of Independence Hall (of course!), saw the Liberty Bell, & also visited the Rodin Museum and Franklin Science Museum, which is fun & saw a great movie at the IMAX, Forces of Nature. Don't know if you are looking for other sightseeing suggestions, but we did a lot of walking through the different neighborhoods, such as Old City, Society Hill, Italian market, & South Street. On 9th Street, at the Italian Market, we had delicious lattes, cappucino & croissants at Anthony's Italian Coffee House.

I think Philly is an underrated city. We loved it and I would definitely go back again.

Kwoo - did some of that last year. You can see my TR if you're interested in killing a few minutes.

The plan:

Sat 7/3 - Drive from NYC to Sheraton in Phillie. Even though the room won't be ready, I want to see if they will accommodate us like last year and give us a room on a high floor facing the fireworks. Head over to Reading Terminal Market to walk around, browse and have lunch. Around five, we will go to the Franklin just for the Cleopatra exhibit, then dinner at Tinto.

Sun 7/4 Longwood Gardens - drive there after breakfast and spend most of the day. Lunch in their restaurant. After dinner, the fireworks.

Mon 7/5 PMA in morning - Late Renoir exhibit - lunch - head back to NY

Short and sweet.