Evan Sultanik's Semi-Comprehensive Guide to Philadelphia Area Dining

Is this your first time in Philadelphia? Maybe your first time in the United States? No problem! You probably already have a guide book or two—-that’s okay—-just rip out all of the pages that deal with food and you’ll be on your way to a memorable holiday.

Please check back on this page often; it is a work in progress.

• When to eat:
  Unlike most places in the world, there is no standard eating time in Philadelphia; people eat all day.
  • Breakfast is usually skipped or had on-the-go as an American coffee (not to be confused with a “Café Americano”), café latte, or cappucino, accompanied by a pastry or bagel. Try La Colombe for a coffee (it’s the best in the world), and walk a couple blocks away to Miel Patisserie for a pastry.
  • Lunch is usually had between 12:00 and 14:00. In center city, the area around city hall, most restaurants cater to the influx of business-people at lunch, and many do not even open for dinner. Likewise, many of the smaller restaurants highlighted on this webpage are in residential areas, and are therefore only open for dinner. Many of the restaurants in center city also have lunch specials for the business crowd, so that’s probably your best bet. The Continentals (two upscale/trendy “diners”, one by Rittenhouse Square and the other on Market street in Old City) are a good bet, although they are packed throughout the whole day (and well into the night). Lunch is also a great time to go to more expensive restaurants, such as Brasserie Perrier , as they often have reasonably-priced lunch menus. Also try taking a leisurely walk down Walnut street, between Broad street (15th) and Rittenhouse Square (19th); you’ll be sure to find a place that looks good.
  • Dinnertime ranges from 17:00 to 23:00, mostly depending on the type of restaurant. Almost all restaurants are open at 17:00, and some offer special discounts or special menus if you order before 18:00 or so (usually called an “Early Bird Special”). These specials are usually limited to lower-quality restaurants, however. Some restaurants (usually pubs or those catering to the college-aged-crowd) offer half-price discounts after a certain time (usually around 23:00. Mad Mex is one such restaurant, offering drastically price-reduced drink and food specials starting at 22:00. Most small restaurants, like BYOBs, and restaurants catering to an “older audience” will stop seating people at around 21:30. More on BYOBs below. Trendier and larger restaurants will continue seating and serving food until around midnight. If you’re in the mood for a trendy restaurant, packed with “the beautiful people” (and the occasional star) well into the wee hours of the morning, head to Old City. If you’re not afraid of the dank, dirty, and sometimes dangerous Philadelphia subway system, take the Market-Frankfurt (Blue) line to 2nd and Market (or just take a taxi, or walk, or bike). In this area of town you will find the likes of Cuba Libre , Buddakan , The Continental, and many, many more.
• Tipping and Gratuity
  The United States, in general, tips more than most other countries in the world (usually about 15%). Philadelphians, in general, tip more than those of most other cities in the United States. In general, one never leaves less than 15%. Usually, one will leave up to 20% for very good service, or sometimes even more for exceptional service. Only when the service is exceptionally bad (and the bill is small) does one leave less than 15%. Gratuity is not added to the bill automatically, unless there is a large party (usually of 6 or 8 or more). In this case, the added gratuity (and its amount, usually 18%) will be clearly printed in the bill. In all other circumstances, the gratuity must be calculated-in by the customer.
• What’s a BYOB?
  Liquor licenses are extremely expensive in Philadelphia. Therefore, most small restaurants cannot afford them. Furthermore, in order for larger restaurants to afford the licenses, they often have to mark up liquor by as much as 3 times its retail price. Therefore, an increasing number of restaurants do not serve any alcohol, and are therefore designated as “Brink Your Own Bottle” (BYOB) restaurants. Just stop by a liquor store before showing up, and they’ll be happy to serve whatever you bring, at no additional charge. This is a really great deal, since, when ordered at a normal restaurant, most glasses of wine will cost as much as the retail price of the bottle! An increasing number of non-BYOB restaurants will now let you bring your own bottle, but they almost always charge a “Corking Fee,” usually about $10 or 1/3 of their estimation of the price of the bottle.
• Couverts/Bread
  99% of the time, whatever is put on the table in front of you (without your ordering it) is complimentary. Almost all restaurants will provide some sort of bread or courverts upon your being seated. 80% of the time the restaurant will provide free refils of the bread/couverts. However, unless you have the unnatural appetite of an average American, whatever they initially give you will be more than enough. Many other countries (Portugal, in particular) will provide you with a plethora of couverts on your table; whatever you touch, you pay for. Whatever you don’t touch, you aren’t responsible for. I do not know for sure, but I assume that United States restaurants cannot do this due to FDA (the US Food and Drug Administration) regulations. Specifically, I believe that every single piece of food that makes it to one’s table must be thrown away if gone uneaten.
• How much should I order?
  Unfortunately, many restaurants in the US, including many listed on this webpage, give ridiculously huge portions. This is usually (although not always) dictated by the quality of the restaurant, with poorer quality, cheaper, and casual restaurants giving bigger portions. At these establishments, consider splitting an appetizer with 3 or more people (if you order one at all). Even if you order just a main dish, you may not have room for desert. In general, upscale restaurants and BYOBs have very balanced portions, allowing for each person to comfortably have a main course and desert, and usually one or two appetizers (split between two people). It is also unfortunate to note that American etiquette is extremely lax, compared to many other countries. On the bright side of this note, it is perfectly acceptable in almost all restaurants for the customer to request changes to (or omissions from) the dishes. Also, both appetizers and main courses may be shared or split between multiple people. Sharing is sometimes a necessity at restaurants with large portions. Keep an eye out while entering a restaurant to guage the size of the portions that other people are eating.
• Coffee?
  Unlike in many parts of Europe, us gluttonous Americans do not strictly consider frothed espresso drinks a morning commodity. It is perfectly acceptable to order a cappucino or café latte to end one’s meal. Also, coffee is generally ordered at the same time (or in place of) desert. Unfortunately, many restaurants (surprisingly) do not have espresso machines. That’s okay, because the best American-style coffee in the world is roasted in Philadelphia at La Colombe Torrefaction . Almost all reputable restaurants in Philly serve La Colombe. Try it black, at first. If needed, add cream, but never add sugar. This isn’t a social rule; it’s just my suggestion.
• What to Wear?
  You will be able to dine at 99% of the restaurants in Philadelphia when dressed “Business Casual”. This means slacks and a collared shirt for men, and a dress/pants and non-tee-shirt for a woman. Some restaurants refuse entry if men are not wearing a collar, if one is wearing sneakers, or if one is wearing a tank-top shirt. Only the most expensive restaurants require formal attire. However, I always err on the side of dressing-up; you’ll hardly ever feel out of place in a suit, especially at the more trendy and upscale restaurants.
• Dinner and a Movie?
  The best movies in town (i.e. all of the independent and foreign films) are shown at the Ritz . There are three locations, all within a few blocks of each other, and all within the “Old City” district. On every day other than Saturdays, students get in for $5.50, with proper ID. The selection of food and beverages sold within are significantly cheaper (and better) than those of mainstream theaters. Either before or after your movie, you are in the prime area of town for a meal. If you’re willing to walk a bit, you can head to a BYOB, like Chlöe or La Locanda del Ghiottone in the North, or Django or Gnocchi in the South. Trendy non-BYOBs like Cuba Libre , Buddakan , The Continental, and Fork are also within walking distance.
• Dinner and a Show?
  The Kimmel Center is an amazing performing arts center that was recently built a couple doors down from the Academy of Music . It’s worth it to go for a tour, if not for a performance. Unfortunately, the Kimmel Center is on the cusp between a very residential area of town and a very commercial area of town. Therefore, there aren’t many good places to go that are very close. That’s changing, though. Monk’s Café is the best place to go in Philly for beer, and it’s just a couple blocks away, but you might feel out of place in your concert clothes. All of the restaurants on Walnut street in the Rittenhouse Square district are fairly close. For an excellent high-class dinner, try Le Bec Fin or its sister (and more casual) restaurant Brasserie Perrier . You might want to call a taxi if someone in your party is wearing high heels, though. A great bet is also Astral Plane, which is just within walking distance, but you might want to call a taxi for that one, too. Astral Plane is also in a very residential area, and there’s basically nothing around it. Don’t go too far south from it, either (it’s still not the best area, although that’s changing). It’s worth the trek, though; the place is an institution. Finally, if you’re just in the mood for a light snack, cocktails, or a desert, you can’t beat The Rotunda at the Philadelphia Ritz Carlton. The Ritz is just a few blocks north of the Kimmel Center on Broad Street. It’s an amazing place to casually dine (although it’s best to show up in at least a sport jacket); the building used to be a bank and is encrusted with marble. The menu is surprisingly inexpensive and good. Every Friday and Saturday evening they also have an all-you-can-eat chocolate and desert bar starting at 20:00.
• Beer?
  Some local “craft” breweries include Yards (the only brewery technically within Philadelphia), Victory, Dogfish Head, and Nodding Head. There are too many more to list. Yards is a 10 minute drive from Center City and often give tours. I’m a big fan of Dogfish Head, a brewery that started as a brew-pub in Delaware. They have some really unusual beers, like “Apri-Hop” (an IPA brewed with real apricots), and “Midas Touch” (a beer brewed from a 3000-year-old recipe). At one point (and maybe still) Dogfish Head produced the world’s most alcoholic beer (about 24%). If you can find it, their 90-minute and 120-minue IPAs are great. The best place in Philadelphia to get a good beer is Monk’s Café ; if it means anything, they serve more Chimay yearly than any other place in the world. Their mussels and Belgian-style french fries are amazing. Mad Mex also has a surprisingly good and wide selection of beers.