Usually, each semester’s round-up is just of the new places Felicia and I’ve explored that semester; however, as a rising senior now at Penn, I decided this time to do things a little differently. Although we still tried out a bounty of new restaurants, this compilation also highlights a few oldies, but goodies. However, because the number of restaurants in Philly is actually inexhaustible there are plenty of places I still want to revisit (i.e. Green Eggs Cafe, Tria, Dizengoff, Kanella… to name a few) but simply ran out of time before the end of the semester. Also as much as we love brunch, that section is not as extensive as usual because we actually started potluck-ing weekend themed brunches with two of our friends! So there’s less brunch, but more oldies in this semester’s restaurant round-up!
Breakfast
Reading Terminal Market, 51 N 12th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Highlight: An impressive number of flavors and only $0.95/donut
Maple Bacon Donut
Bridge Cafe (oldie but goodie)
The Wharton School, Jon M. Huntsman Hall, 1st Floor
3730 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: Brioche bun breakfast sandwiches (monster-sized for just $4.25)
Bacon, Egg, and Cheddar
Federal Donuts (oldie but goodie)
3428 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Highlight: Strawberry Lavender (which awesomely happens to be free and unlimited along with the other Hot Fresh donuts for students during finals week!)
Strawberry Lavender (x3)
Grapefruit brûlée donut + Za’atar seasoned fried chicken
112 N 10th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Highlight: Fresh, hot soymilk + youtiao for a nostalgic, traditional Chinese breakfast
KC’s Pastries (oldie but goodie)
109 N 10th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Highlight: Custard buns + pineapple buns
52 N 10th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Highlight: Seaweed & Pork Floss QQ Waffle
Left: Green Tea White Chocolate / Right: Seaweed & Pork Floss
4000 Locust St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: I like that their breakfast sandwiches are served on bagels, but this one was lacking a bit in flavor.
Veggie Breakfast Sandwich
United By Blue Coffeehouse and Clothier
3421 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: Coffee with a mission
127 N 10th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Highlight: Solid Chinese bakery
Brunch
627 S 3rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Highlight: Skip their brunch and jump straight for their Monday $30 3 course tasting menu (was honestly disappointed by their brunch [with the exception being their carrot cake pancakes] but was blown away by their dinner!)
Left (top to bottom): Complimentary breakfast bread / braised pork shank hash / gingerbread french toast Right (top to bottom): mulled pear mimosa + corpse reviver no. 2 / carrot cake pancakes / breakfast gnocchi
218 N 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Highlight: Shrimp & Snow Pea Leaf Dumplings (although all the other dishes were pretty disappointing, especially the leaky soup dumplings and thick fried dough rice rolls)
Ocean Harbor (oldie but goodie)
1023 Race St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Highlight: Dimsum done right complete with charming cart-style service
120 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Highlight: Strawberry Shortcake French Toast (although wasn’t good enough to be a favorite or warrant revisiting)
Lunch/Dinner
Bobby’s Burger Palace (oldie but goodie)
3925 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: L.A. Chicken Burger, but I also like how each month they feature a new menu item (the Burger of the Month); next time I’ve gotta try one of their spiked milkshakes!
Carolina Burger
4626 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19143
Highlight: Szechuan Chili Sauce Fish + Dry Pot Flavor Chicken
Reading Terminal Market, 51 N 12th St, Philadelphia, PA
Highlight: A charming place run by the Amish, but a place I’d go to more for the experience than the food
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
15 S 3rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Highlight: French Lentil Salad + Megadose of Vegetables & Grains (one of my favorite meals of this semester because of the rather rare [at restaurants] cornucopia of veggies!)
Giorgio on Pine (oldie but goodie)
1328 Pine Street | Philadelphia, PA 19107
Highlight: Homemade pastas
Linguine: prosciutto, peas, shitake, and cream with a touch of tomato
Greek Lady (oldie but goodie)
222 S 40th St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: Previously only came here for the biannual PD tradition of milkshakes after Thursday night’s show, but was pleasantly surprised by the grilled chicken plate (a well-balanced and tasty meal; I should really go here more often!)
Left: Curly fries + strawberry milkshake / Right: Grilled chicken plate (substituted with chicken gyro) + broccoli and roasted vegetables + whole wheat pita (not pictured) and tzatziki sauce
Hai Street Kitchen (oldie but goodie)
125 S. 40th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: Slammin’ Salmon + Hai Street Chicken
308 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Highlight: Came specifically for the Green Tea Lasagna; sadly, didn’t taste the green tea at all, but the smoked duck ragu and three cheeses still made for one tasty lasagna!
12 S 10th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Highlight: Fresh sushi in a chic, modern space
Left: Pyramid + Green Lady (not pictured) / Right: complimentary green tea ice cream because they unpromptedly acknowledged that their service was too slow
Kim’s Oriental Food (oldie but goodie)
37th St and Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: Orange Tofu (one of my go-to food truck meals and the only thing I’ve gotten at Kim’s because that’s what I got the first time I went there and have been satisfied by it ever since!)
38th and Spruce, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: Pretty well-balanced food truck meal, but their rice is way too salty for me
Koreana (oldie but goodie)
3801 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: Dolsot Bibim Bap (served sizzling and in a huge portion, but so good that in the end I’m still scraping the bowl for more)
4360 Chester Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (Clark Park, seasonal)
Highlight: Vegan banh mi hoagies
130 S. 17th St, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
Highlight: Lobster roll (a bit pricy but that’s because it’s the real deal!)
Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival: Half roll for $8
4618 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19143
Highlight: Chaat = a party for your tastebuds + mango lassis
Moshulu (oldie but goodie)
401 S. Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Highlight: Fine dining on a ship (a nice getaway to make you feel like you’re on vacation)
Left: Butterscotch Budino / Top Right: Moshulu roll / Bottom Right: Moshulu Pan Fried Chicken Breast
3408 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: Hearty Irish pub food
Ultimate Fish & Chips (Shepherd’s Pie not pictured)
900 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Highlight: Charming venue + comfort food to make you feel like a kid in an amusement park (think Big Thunder Mountain Railroad)
1939 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Highlight: Authentic Italian pizza with just about everything made in-house from scratch + the infamous rotolo
Pod (oldie but goodie)
3636 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlights: Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice + Vegan Stephen Roll. Still one of my favorite restaurants in Philly (not just for the inventive food, but also the posh, futuristic vibe [anyone else notice the Kim Possible-esque waiter uniforms?] and unbeatable location [right on Penn’s campus])
Left: White Tiger Roll / Middle: Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice / Right: Vegan Stephen Roll
4040 Locust St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: Solid choice for Ramen on campus (west side), but I actually prefer Nom Nom Ramen (also on campus, east side)
Tonkotsu Ramen
1149 W Lancaster Ave, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Highlight: An agglomeration of several local merchants. The cupcakes from Twelve Baskets (oldie but goodie) is what initially got us to rent a Zipcar and drive 40 minutes off campus, but I was also very impressed by Lafayette Sushi and Le Bus Bakery!
Twelve Baskets (Middle): Matcha Berry, Miso Caramel Apple, Taro on Chocolate
Thai Singha (oldie but goodie)
3906B Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: $10 3 course lunch special
Left: Pad See Ew / Right: Drunken Noodles
3131 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: Sophisticated Southern food (the skillet cornbread and grilled beets were my two favorites of this meal)
231 S 15th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Highlight: $35 3 course dinner tasting menu
Top Left: Solitary Cyclist / Top Right: Stinging Nettle Gnudi / Bottom Left: Sea Bream / Bottom Right: Chocolate ‘Three Ways’
V Street (oldie but goodie)
126 S 19th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Highlight: Vegan street food (at a fraction of the price of Vedge)
Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival: Left: $4 Blackened Tofu Taco / Right: $4 BBQ Seitan Taco
Zahav (oldie but goodie)
237 St James Pl, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Highlight: Everything! Starting with the salatim & hummus all the way through till the ice cream sandwich (my go-to dessert choice), a meal here will make you feel like you’ve traveled halfway around the world and back.
125 S 40th St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: Thin crust pizza available by the (giant) slice
Snacks/Dessert
Capogiro (oldie but goodie)
3925 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: The unbelievably spot-on gelato flavors (especially the fruit ones!)
Chattime (oldie but goodie)
3608 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: Variety of drink options and probably best bubble tea on campus
Front: Lychee yakult / Back: Passionfruit yakult
847 West Ritner Street Philadelphia, PA 19148
Highlight: The Franolli (donut + cannoli hybrid)
Note: Franollis can also be found on Penn’s campus at United By Blue
The Franklin Fountain (oldie but goodie)
116 Market St. Philadelphia, PA 19106
Highlight: Solid ice cream served with old-fashioned charm
Left: Green tea, pistachio, banana foster caramel sundae / Right: Vanilla bean scoop + Shane Confectionery chocolates
Kung Fu Tea (oldie but goodie)
1006 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Highlight: Huge variety of drink options! (my go-to place for bubble tea in Chinatown)
153 N 10th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Highlight: Hits the spot when you’re craving a slice of Chinese cake
3734 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: Free pretzel promos!
935 Race St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Highlight: Whole chinese cakes
110 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Highlight: My new standard for a box of chocolates. Their caramels and buttercreams- heavenly.
Sugar Philly (oldie but goodie)
38th St in Between Walnut & Sansom
Sweet Box Cupcakes (oldie but goodie)
339 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Highlight: Solid cupcakes with silky smooth frostings
1523 South 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Highlight: Cannolis! (however, the ones at La Fourno are still my favorite)
Termini Bros at the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival (they also have a location in Reading Terminal Market)
White Dog Cafe (oldie but goodie)
3420 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: “Boisterous doggy-themed restaurant serving eclectic fare made with local & organic ingredients.”<- Ditto
Left: Milk chocolate creme brûlée / Right: Butterscotch budino
Yogorino (oldie but goodie)
3200 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Highlight: Tart, creamy, indulgent- really what more can you ask for in froyo?
Highlights: (New) FarmiCia Percy Street Barbecue Shane Confectionery (Oldies but goodies) Capogiro Koreana Moshulu Pod Sugar Philly Yogorino Zahav
Pancake Yancake 
ah!! makes me miss philly like crazy, and i never went to farmicia – want that cornucopia!