Everything We Ate in Philadelphia

Originally posted in April 2019 and updated from our visit in May 2022.

I absolutely love visiting Philly! Two of my favorite friends lives there. And there are just so many great restaurants to try.

Everything we ate in Philadelphia

We recently visited Philadelphia for one of my best friend’s wedding and we were able to squeeze in a few new to us restaurants throughout the weekend.

Bloomsday

My first Philly meal of the trip did not disappoint. I met up with 2 of my best friends for brunch at Bloomsday. I ordered the Croiffle (croissant + waffle). It was insanely sweet and delicious. If you’re in the mood for savory, my friends ordered the salmon and the Bravas (potatoes). I tried both of theirs because they just looked too good.

Franklin Fountain

Franklin Fountain always has a line out the door of people waiting to order their ice cream. They have a long list of flavors and options.

PS they now accept credit cards.

K’Far

K’Far Cafe was another restaurant worth waiting in a long line for. You can order ahead online (which I highly recommend). We waited for about a half hour to order and were told it would be another half hour for out hot food to be ready. Thankfully it was less than 10 minutes!

I ordered an iced coffee and we ate dessert first; started with a chocolate babka while we waited for our food. Seating at the cafe is limited and was full so we decided to take our food to go. Rittenhouse Square is a block away so we had a little picnic on a bench.

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We both ordered Jerusalem bagels – mine with smoked salmon and Jon’s with egg and cheese.

Merkaz

For lunch we tried Merkaz, another Michael Solomonov restaurant. (You might notice a theme here).

We were both still pretty full from breakfast so we ordered a schnitzel pita to share. I love Israeli food and this pita was so delicious!

Jim’s South Street

Of course we had to get Philly cheesesteaks!

If you ask anyone who lives in Philly where to get the best cheesesteak, they’re going to tell you Jim’s. The tourists will argue Pat’s or Geno’s but I have to agree that Jim’s are the best. We were there on a Monday afternoon so it wasn’t too crowded. And they make the sandwiches so fast.

I also had to get a Yard’s Pale Ale – love a good local beer! (Last time we were in Philadelphia, we took a tour of the Yard’s brewery).

Original post:

We spent a long weekend in Philly celebrated my birthday and besides the tourist attractions (you can see our itinerary here), we focused a lot of our trip on the amazing food. So here is everything we ate in Philadelphia.

Parc

Hiding behind that lettuce is my bun-less burger (this was one of my first post whole30 meals) with raclette cheese on top. It was a beautiful Spring day so we sat outside with a view of Rittenhouse Square. This is a great spot for people watching. We even saw a dog that might’ve been a lion!

Rosa’s Pizza

Rosa’s implements a pay it forward program, where you can donate so they’re able to serve a slice to a homeless person.

Mission Taqueria

We ordered a few salsas and of course their guacamole. And I’m just going to throw this out there – wayyy better than Rocco’s (Floridians know).

I ate the short rib taco. With the chips + guac, one taco was enough. And there was room for some dessert.

AND they make their own choco tacos with avocado ice cream. We couldn’t not try it.

Terrain

Terrain is actually about a 40 minute drive outside of Philly. But oh so worth it!

Have you ever thought ‘I wonder what an Anthropologie restaurant would be like?’ Then you should probably make a trip to Terrain. They serve bread in a flower pot, everything is cute, and you can order fireside smores.

My friend Emily is a wonderful sharer and has this amazing talent of ordering the best things on the menu. We decided to share a few things and made our own 4 course meal for lunch. I ordered a rose flavored spritzer (their homemade sodas) and she had a chrysanthemum tea.

We ordered a cheese plate and did a cheese tasting. Emily is also a cheese connoisseur and described each cheese with detail. And well, I stated that I liked them all. But brie-type cheeses are usually my favorites.

We also shared some truffle fries and the harvest bowl, which I knew I wanted to order as soon as I read the menu online. Its a giant delicious bowl of health. And had kale falafel – so we tried something new!

We then went outside where they had a fire set up for fireside smores.

Rice & Mix

This might be the best fast casual restaurant I have ever eaten at. You order at the counter and then your meal comes in the hot stone bowl. You pour the sauce, stir, and it starts to sizzle. Your food continues to cook as you eat it. You might burn your mouth but it just gets better and better. Just be careful not to touch the bowl.

Goldie

So we found out about Michael Solomonov restaurants about a week before we left for our trip. Which was way too late to make any reservations. (We’re already trying to plan our next trip and only eat at his restaurants). But, we were able to try a tahini shake at Goldie – so creamy and yummy.

Federal Donuts

And…Federal Donuts (also by Michael Solomonov). We decided to try the hot donuts, but will definitely go back and try some of the fancy donut flavors next time.

Beiler’s Donuts

Yes, 2 different donut places in one morning. And I have no regrets!

This was the birthday ‘cake’ my friends got for me. And yes, it is a giant donut.

Suraya

Another place where I wanted to try so many things, so sharing was a great option. We ordered the chicken sandwich with fries, hummus (amazing), and za’atar + cheese flatbread. I ate almost the entire bowl of hummus myself.

Sampan

Sampan serves asian tapas – so another perfect opportunity for sharing and trying a bunch of different things. Jon and I ordered the general tso soup dumpling, chicken bao buns (I’ve been wanting to try bao buns for months), Vietnamese chicken satay, and short rib lo main. Jon asked afterwards if there was anything I would’ve skipped but really I loved them all.

Bud & Marilyn’s

Wawa

Wawa used to always be a destination on my itinerary while visiting Philadelphia. And even though we now have them all over south Florida, it still feels like it should be a Philly activity.

Yards Brewing Company

We visited the Yards Brewing Co. and my favorite is their Pale Ale. We took the brewery tour, while drinking some beer.

Silk City

Silk City is a super funky diner that thankfully was right across the street from Yards. We came for a quick meal before heading to the airport. Jon ordered a burger with those bright pink pickled onions. And I went with a diner classic – grilled cheese.

Some other restaurants that I’ve visited on previous trips:

• Green Eggs Cafe (cash only) for brunch
• The Continental
• Max Brenners

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Comment below with any other Philadelphia restaurant recommendations!