Philadelphia Restaurants & Shops
 

We are going to be in Philadelphia this weekend and would appreciate it if someone could recommend some good restaurants that would not necessarily "break the bank." We are willing to splurge somewhat but nothing of the 5 star restaurant quality. Also, the ladies are interested in some unique shops, boutiques - not department store types, necessarily. Therefore, any information anyone could provide for us would be most appreciated.<BR><BR>Thank you.

For boutique type shopping go to Manayunk. While there- some great restaurants that will not break the bank are LeBus and Sonoma. Manayunk consists of a Main Street lined with boutiques and dining options. If you are staying in Center City, it is probably around a 12 dollar cab ride. Its a great place to spend the day- or just go for brunch (Le Bus has the best brunch) and some walking around. Also, it would be a great dinner and shopping spot.<BR><BR>As for Center City, Olde City has some nice boutiques as does Walnut Street area between Broad and 18th. Marathon on the Square has suprisingly good food and is very inexpensive (19th and Spruce). Its a nice local place for dinner or lunch.

Thanks, Alli, for the information. There was recently published that Green Valley Tavern or Valley Green has the "best brunch in the U.S." Have you been there. We were thinking about trying it.

The brunch at Valley Green Inn on Sundays is very good. It is not a buffet. The ambience is excellent if the weather is good. It is on a walking trail and near a small lake where you can sit and watch the ducks. Many people walk on the trail to get there. It may be a little difficult to drive to and park at if you don't know the way. Get detailed directions.<BR><BR>The place is small and popular, so get reservations ASAP if you are thinking of going.<BR><BR>In which area are you staying?

Philly is a restaurant city. From Friday Saturday Sunday, the Continental, Blue Angel, Django, Pif, Bistro St. Tropez, Ralph's, Audrey Claire, Marrakesh, Pod - these are all good little restaurants that definitely won't break the bank. Be sure to also check out Reading Terminal Market for some interesting and very good lunch options.<BR><BR>Also try doing a search on Zagat.com if you're looking for something in particular.

I was just in Philly last weekend and had a really exceptional dinner at Pasion! Dinner for 2 with wine, apps and a shared dessert was $150.

Some restaurants to consider that are reasonably priced:<BR><BR>Spasso: Great italian food in Old City at 2nd and Chestnut St.<BR><BR>I second the recommendation about Reading Terminal Market, but remember that it is closed on Sunday.<BR><BR>Jolly's at 17th and Walnut St. in Rittenhouse Square<BR><BR>Philadelphia Fish and Company at 2nd and Chestnut St. in Old City<BR><BR>Jack's Firehouse Grill at 22nd and Fairmount Ave. in the Art Museum area.<BR><BR>Italian Bistro on Broad St. at Walnut<BR><BR>There are lots of shops on Walnut Street between Broad and 18th Streets.<BR>

If you like Italian food there is a great place right off of funky south Street on Passyunk. "Gnocchi's" It is a BYOB nothing special from the outside. Very reasonable. But excellent food. Also an area for just walking around, Society Hill area.

If you want italian, be sure to check out Dmitris, it's reasonable and just awesome. And then there's a great place that only the locals know about called Ristorante Der Ghiottone on N. 3rd street. It's a small, semi-casual kind of place, but the food is incredible. And note that they don't take reservations and they're BYOB.

Was in the same situation a couple of weeks ago and did some investigating on Citysearch. Discovered that BYOB restaurants are sort of a Philadelphia thing, and made a reservation at La Viola, 253 S 16th St, Philadelphia, PA, close to Walnut, the Kimmel Center, major hotels, etc.<BR><BR>The place was packed, mostly with locals, and it was truly one of the finest Italian meals that I've had anywhere. And the tab averaged about $30 a person. Just pick up a bottle or two of wine beforehand.

Manayunk is fun for shopping; I would also recommend shopping in Chestnut Hill. Lots of small, individual shops.<BR>If you are are a fairly small size, check out Asta de Blue (sp?) on 20th, near Rittenhouse Square.

I'm trying to find a restaurant in Philadelphia that has good service and a romantic ambience. Would prefer a place where you don't need to shout in order to be heard. Does anybody have opinions about the following restaurants? <BR><BR>1. Morimoto's (9th &amp; Chestnut)<BR>2. La Roya Persian (19th &amp; Sansom)<BR>3. Cuba Libre (2nd &amp; Market)<BR>4. Cafe Spice (2nd &amp; Market)<BR>5. Porcini's (21st &amp; Sansom?)<BR>6. Bistro St. Tropez (23rd &amp; Market)<BR><BR><BR>

Go with Bistro St. Tropez. It's a little hard to find for some people, but it's worth it. Romantic, quiet, and with good views of the water if you get a table near the window. Service and food are good for the price.<BR><BR>Never heard of La Roya Persian (and have been in Philly quite some time). Morimoto's is very popular - need to reserve way in advance. Forget Cuba Libre - too noisy.

We had a good dinner with a pleasant room at Cuba Libre. We had a table on the second floor (twice) and don't remember it as being noisy.<BR><BR>Cafe Spice has less ambiance.<BR><BR>I would have doubts about St. Tropez.

I have been to Morimoto's and it was a rather noisy place. I personally felt that it was overpriced for what you get. One of the people in our group even got food poisoning after eating there. Hardly something I would expect from a restaurant of that caliber.

Thanks for the great feedback. My wife and I tried Cafe Spice for dinner and enjoyed the interior decor and atmosphere. However, our dishes seemed a bit bland compared to other Indian restaurants in Center City (i.e. Taj Mahal, Minar's Palace).<BR><BR>But this morning, we enjoyed a delicious brunch at Cuba Libre. The interior was bright, festive, and romantic while the huevos rancheros, which included Cuban fries and fruit salsa, were excellent. Our waiter provided outstanding and friendly service. We certainly plan to return there again!<BR><BR>Any thoughts out there on: <BR><BR>1. Pigalle (2nd &amp; Fairmount)<BR>2. Twenty Manning <BR>3. Audrey Claire (20th &amp; Spruce)<BR>4. Vietnam Restaurant (11th &amp; Race)<BR>5. Penang (???)<BR><BR>

Audrie Claire has good food, &quot;minimalist&quot; room.<BR><BR>We have always had a very good dinner at Friday, Saturday, and Sunday which is at 21st around Spruce. Room is more intimate.<BR><BR>Both listed in Zagat's at 22 food.

Audrie Claire has good food, &quot;minimalist&quot; room.<BR><BR>We have always had a very good dinner at Friday, Saturday, and Sunday which is at 21st around Spruce. Room is more intimate.<BR><BR>Both listed in Zagat's at 22 food.

Just within the past few months, we have had an excellent dinner at Pigalle (above average bistro food), a really nice brunch at Twenty Manning (which has more atmosphere than Audrey Claire and as decent a wine list as you'll find in Pennsylvania), and an uneven lunch at Penang (although I've also had some really good meals at Penang--it all depends on what you order). Penang has a fun atmosphere, thought

Just returned from a great dinner at Azafram on 3rd St. between South and Bainbridge. Would recommend it - dinner averaged about $25 per person including soft drinks, rice with beans, pulled chicken appetizer, and tuna con fufu. It's also a BYOB. Service is a bit slow but I would recommend it as the food quality is well worth the wait!

My wife and I have enjoyed several outstanding brunches in Philadelphia. We find its a less crowded, less expensive alternative to dining out. <BR><BR>Does anyone have opinions on their dining experiences for Sat/Sun brunch at the following places?<BR><BR>1. Bleu (18th &amp; Locust)<BR>2. Figs (25th &amp; Meredith)<BR>3. White Dog Cafe (36th &amp; Sansom)<BR>4. Brasserie Perrier<BR>5. Alma de Cuba<BR><BR>

I know some people are huge fans, but we have had some terrible brunch experiences at White Dog. Long waits for tables (with reservations) or conversely, very bad tables when hardly anyone was there, spotty, forgetful service or bad attitudes, errors on the bill (never in our favor), etc. We have had many wonderful dining experiences, but the White Dog consistently let us down (after the 2nd bad experience in a row, we went only on the insistence of out of town friends, who left wondering &quot;why does everyone think this place is so great?&quot;).

I've eaten dinner at Bleu and Brassiere Perrier and both were outstanding, very different dining experiences. Never had brunch at either of them, but since the dinners were excellent I have to assume that the brunches are excellent too. Actually, I wasn't even aware that they had brunch. I will definitely have to try both!

Gilbert: Penang is actually one of my favorites. Good, inexpensive food, festive atmosphere. I love getting a window seat in the nice weather. (Otherwise it's too drafty sitting by the door.) I've been to Vietnam Rest., but was a few years ago and I don't remember it that well, however I'm actually going there on Mon. w/some co-workers, so will report back. <BR><BR>I'll agree w/the others that White Dog cafe is hit or miss. I like the atmosphere more than the food. I can also attest to bad wait service - I briefly was a waitress there (bad service not being a fault of mine), but the service and attitude of the other waiters blew me away! Don't spend your money there unless you like bad attitude with your bad food.

Mika, thanks for backing us up on the White Dog. Its long-lived popularity surprises me. <BR>Re Audrey (Audrie?) Claire: try to get an end table--the tables are very close together and if you're in a middle table, hope you don't have to get up for any reason! But it's hugely popular. We used to live a block away and think of it as a summer place, everyone spilling on the street and inside enjoying fresh salads.<BR>Our favorite place for winter brunch was (we live in Europe now) The Plough and Star on 2nd and Chestnut. A big fire in the fireplace, live accoustic music, excellent food (not typical Irish pub fry-ups, more French/Irish). The Plough and Star also has the most relaxing afternoon tea in town--go there on a wintry, snowy week-day afternoon, sit by the fire, read the Inky or a book, watch the world go by and enjoy a delicious, hearty Irish tea spread.

My wife and I recently went to Porcini at 2048 Sansom St. for dinner. It's a very cozy but cramped neighborhood BYOB restaurant. The dining experience was claustrophobic with 15 other people in a tiny living room space. <BR><BR>The main dishes were not as great as I had expected. The borghese pasta special was too salty. Most entrees were only $12-17, and the appetizers ranged from $6-9. Overall, it's not a bad place but did not meet expectations.<BR><BR>Any recommendations for other Italian restaurants in Center City?

I thoroughly enjoyed Cuba libre (society hill) and I don't remember it being that noisy. also Le Coloniel (vietnamese) is outstanding, with excellent atmosphere, can get crowded though.

Didn't Le Coloniel close?

Le Colonial has become Alma de Cuba (another Starr restaurant).<BR><BR>As for Italian in Center City, I've heard good things about La Castaigne (sp? should be Italian for Chestnut, which is the street where it's located near 20th) but haven't been there yet. I think it's owned by the same people who own Panorama. There's also De Angelos, but it's way overpriced.<BR>

Oh no! Le coloniel closed? well it was great while it lasted. I only go to philly every once in a while so I didn't know it closed. They are still open in Chicago though-and great!

oh and another thing. we are wasting our time, she went to philly 3 months ago, and probably no longer needs our advice.

The original poster may no longer need our advise, but I think this is a valuable thread for anyone looking for good Philly restaurants.

My wife and I enjoyed a lovely Valentine's Day prix fixe dinner at Zocalo's. It's a contemporary Mexican restaurant on 36th St. north of the Penn campus. A bit off the beaten path from other restaurants in Center City.<BR><BR>We enjoyed a choice of 3 entrees (poblano oyster gratin, braised pork with pumpkin puree, and a three leches cake) for $35. The atmosphere is romantic and ideal for couples. <BR><BR><BR><BR>

Has anyone dined at a new brasserie, Loie, that opened recently? It's on 19th St. next to La Colombe just north of Rittenhouse Square.

Haven't eaten there yet--it's owned by Avram Hornick, same guy who owns Lucy's Hat Shop and several other places in Old City. I think this is his first venture west of Broad.<BR>

I went to Loie, on 19th St., this past Sunday for brunch. It's very new (they're still remodeling parts of the place) and had great service and atmosphere. <BR><BR>But it's not as delicious as Bleu. The double ham omelette I ordered was a little too salty, but it should improve over time. My wife loved the eggs benedict. Dinner and late-night entertainment may be better experiences than the weekend brunch.<BR><BR>Anybody out there who has dined at either Jones or the Blue Angel on Chestnut St.?<BR>

Just went to Philly this past weekend. Do not go to La Locando de Ghiottone on N.3rd. It was a real rip off and the food was awful.

The Bleu Angel was a delicious choice for duck cassoulet, moules frites, and other bistro specialties. It's a bit more expensive than other bistros in Center City. Our total bill for 2 people came to $60, with an escargot appetizer, Belgian beer and bottled water.

My wife and I are in search of Cuban cuisine and mojitos. Are there any dining or bar lounge experiences out there with the following?

1) Alma de Cuba (17th &amp; Walnut)
2) Cibucan (20th &amp; Sansom)
3) Cafe Habana (S. 21st St.)

Go to Pasion! It is fantastic and they also have amazing ceviche! You can make a meal out of trying all the different types.