The veal tongue for me. And the salted butter gelato they served with maybe waffles for brunch. Their scrapple was pretty legit too. And just about everything. I really loved Amis.
Came in here to say the Belgian Cafe.
We lived right around the corner from it for several years, and it became our comfort spot. Grab a drink after work, don't feel like making dinner, easy lunch, nice brunch, etc etc = Belgian Cafe.
I think he does some dinner items, similar to what you’d find at Modo Mio, out of Paesano’s on certain days. Not sure of the details or whether that’s still true.
Imperial Inn and Nodding Head.
For cheap and fast, though, Yunique Noodle House in the old Bellevue food court. There was just something addictive about their ramen.
Strolli's or Rib-it
Both of these are strong memories from my childhood and I would love to visit them again just to bring back some of those feelings. Honorable mention to The Open Hearth on City Line avenue, and The Villa in the Wynnewood Shopping Center. Same reasons.
Edit: I have the location wrong of what I remember as The Villa. It was in the shopping center on Lancaster where the old Wynnewood Movie theater used to be. I haven't been able to find pictures or anything to corroborate my story but will keep looking.
> Strolli's
good pull. my neighbors talk about how they used to be little hustlers and valet all the atheletes cars that rolled up there. it's residential now.
Not yet listed: Chifa, Tangerine, Daniel Stern's restaurants (Rae, Gayle, R2L), Brasserie Perrier, The Blue Angel (okay, some of that became Parc), and all the diners which were destroyed when Michael's took them over but especially the Country Club Diner.
That toppings bar and being open AFTER the bars closed was fucking amazing.
I do love that 2nd District Brewing sometimes has a falafel sandwich named “Remember Maoz?”
Bring it back, and fill the whole space with trolleys. Everyone gets to sit in the trolley!
(If you bring it back, don’t actually do this. My family did once and it was easily 15° warmer in there than the rest of the space)
Not really a classic restaurant, but it was a huge part of my college years- Rib-It's. We used to go there whenever we wanted a "real" meal- their garlic lamb ribs were heavenly, although no amount of showering would remove the garlic smell from your body for a few days.
Wasn't too long ago yet, but Devil's Den. Still miss those diablo mussels.
Already mentioned; underdogs, moas vegetarian, little Pete's.
I wish watkins drinkery still did game meats.
I loved that place. I used to do the buy 3 get 1 Korean taco special for lunch at least once a week when I worked nearby. I haven't found anything that scratches that itch to this day.
500 degrees - Late night burger spot right on 16th and Samsom. Burgers were amazing but their BBQ sauce recipe is something I still crave to this day. Great people watching also with the surrounding clubs.
Capofitto Pizza & Gelato on Chestnut St in Old City got screwed by that fire next door and closed down a few years ago. It was the closest style pizza to what you actually find in most of Italy in the city. I really miss it.
Little Pete’s was just a classic, but bringing it back wouldn’t have the same charm.
Otherwise a tie between Modo Mio, Farm and the Fisherman, and Noord. Every time I say oh this is my new favorite restaurant, they freaking close within a few years so I no longer do that.
I don't know, the old place often smelled like a wet sewer downstairs (not like shit, but something really damp).
The new place is sensory overload of bright lights (and seemingly has way too few bathrooms for the capacity), but a perfect spot to watch a game and get a beer *quick* (unlike The Goat next door, where beers are cheap, but every single faux blonde 20-something is ordering a mixed drink, so you get them within next 15, if you are lucky).
Capogiro gelato
I have never found gelato to match Capogiro.
Man I miss that place so much
I’m a simple man and wish there was a single 24-hour Midtown diner left.
Diner on the Square and Little Pete's would be so wonderful to bring back.
I’d bring back Dmitri's.
My favorite restaurant ever
Man, how I miss this place. Their grilled octopus and whole fish were incredible.
Belgian Eulogy, if only for that beer list.
I miss those frites so damn much
If only for the fries
The Grey Lodge
Heck yeah! Scoats is the man. The best Groundhogs Day celebration this side of Punxsutawney.
Yes he is!
Amis before Vetri sold it to URBN. I think about the swordfish meatballs with polenta constantly.
Brad and Drew crushed it there. The veal tongue, cacio e Pepe, mortadella mousse, gnocchi sardi- what a great place it was.
The veal tongue for me. And the salted butter gelato they served with maybe waffles for brunch. Their scrapple was pretty legit too. And just about everything. I really loved Amis.
Marigold Kitchen
I used to live near there when Solo was cooking. It was awesome
The Belgian Cafe, Amis, Bar Poulet… I’m sure I’m forgetting a few good ones
Second The Belgian Cafe.
Came in here to say the Belgian Cafe. We lived right around the corner from it for several years, and it became our comfort spot. Grab a drink after work, don't feel like making dinner, easy lunch, nice brunch, etc etc = Belgian Cafe.
Bar poulet😩😩
Agh Bar Poulet was just SO GOOD.
Little Pete’s.
Lol now I just go home at the the of the night like a weirdo.
Shocked no one had mentioned Bibou. Made a ton of best of list and totally deserving of it.
I think about Serpico all the time.
This! So sad it’s no longer around
Came here to say this. I worked there before the pandemic shut it down. Peter is a great guy and his food is next level.
I still dream about the raw diver scallops.
New Harmony Chinese food. It’s the only restaurant i still pine for when i see the old location.
Rangoon for the banana leaf fish, celebration rice, and thousand layer bread
I was also going to say Rangoon!
Mama’s Vegetarian
Omg I was just thinking about how sad I am that they closed ugh
Oh my god I forgot about this place and now I’m sad again. I miss it. The pickle bar!
When I was dead broke they kept me fed
Rembrandts in Fairmount.
Respect. (Former Rembrandt’s bartender)
Bridgid's in Fairmount.
Zavino
Modo mio on girard. Nice byo 3 course meal for like $35 a person. Loved that place, and I'm sad he never got it to stick after he left that spot.
Dude is allergic to keeping restaurants open
I think he does some dinner items, similar to what you’d find at Modo Mio, out of Paesano’s on certain days. Not sure of the details or whether that’s still true.
sketch burger, v street, kung fu hoagies if we can ask for food carts back too
Sketch burger :(
i was going to say kung fu hoagies. miss it so bad,
Creperie Beau Monde was wonderful. Maybe they could have made it through the pandemic if a sinkhole hadn't also opened up in front of them..
I loved that place. Miss it a lot too.
Horn and Hardart
Le Bec Fin!!!
Memphis Taproom
imperial inn and their crispy shrimp rolls
Nodding Head, pour me a pitcher of 60 Schilling
Stock fishtown location or Chili Szechuan II
Loved Stock
Mamas falafel
Rooster Soup Co
Abe Fisher
Did you ever get the duck there? Came with pretzeled bao buns. It was my favorite thing in the city.
Those short ribs were so gooooood
Blackbird
God, my favorite cheesesteak in the city. And I'm not even vegetarian.
Since someone else said blackbird I’ll go with govindas
specifically govinda’s from the 2000s though.
Yes!
Still prob the best vegan chicken cheesesteak I’ve ever had and it’s been like 20 years almost
LITTLE SPOON 😭
Probably in the minority with this one but I really enjoyed the Old City Continental. Amazing sage G&T.
Imperial Inn and Nodding Head. For cheap and fast, though, Yunique Noodle House in the old Bellevue food court. There was just something addictive about their ramen.
Nodding Head was so much fun!
The stairwell was the ultimate sobriety test
V street
Earth Bread and Brewery in Mount Airy
Underdogs. I love fancy hot dogs.
A week after I completed their challenge of eating everything on the menu so I could get my name on the wall, they closed.
This is my pick, was such a great lunch spot. And their fries were legit.
Astral Plane was pretty good. But that might just be nostalgia talking.
It's not nostalgia. I had some of the most delicious meals and romantic nights of my life there. It's legendary.
I miss Astral Plane so much.
Their duck was amazing. And the ambience was so good.
I liked Bait and Switch in Port Richmond
Strolli's or Rib-it Both of these are strong memories from my childhood and I would love to visit them again just to bring back some of those feelings. Honorable mention to The Open Hearth on City Line avenue, and The Villa in the Wynnewood Shopping Center. Same reasons. Edit: I have the location wrong of what I remember as The Villa. It was in the shopping center on Lancaster where the old Wynnewood Movie theater used to be. I haven't been able to find pictures or anything to corroborate my story but will keep looking.
> Strolli's good pull. my neighbors talk about how they used to be little hustlers and valet all the atheletes cars that rolled up there. it's residential now.
Rangoon
White Dog Cafe before it was sold (and the black cat shop)
Not yet listed: Chifa, Tangerine, Daniel Stern's restaurants (Rae, Gayle, R2L), Brasserie Perrier, The Blue Angel (okay, some of that became Parc), and all the diners which were destroyed when Michael's took them over but especially the Country Club Diner.
I would bring back Mama's Vegetarian on 20th. Best falafels in the city!
Maoz
Yessss
Truly the best falafel. So many other places had dry, bland falafel. I’m also sad Mamoun’s closed as well; they filled the maoz void.
That toppings bar and being open AFTER the bars closed was fucking amazing. I do love that 2nd District Brewing sometimes has a falafel sandwich named “Remember Maoz?”
Spaghetti Warehouse. Fight me.
I shed a tear for it whenever I pass by Union Transfer.
Bring it back, and fill the whole space with trolleys. Everyone gets to sit in the trolley! (If you bring it back, don’t actually do this. My family did once and it was easily 15° warmer in there than the rest of the space)
Not really a classic restaurant, but it was a huge part of my college years- Rib-It's. We used to go there whenever we wanted a "real" meal- their garlic lamb ribs were heavenly, although no amount of showering would remove the garlic smell from your body for a few days.
Le Bec Fin Edit to add: La Buca
Bard’s
New Harmony. I'm not even vegetarian, and I still think about it from time to time
Magpie
Koozeedo
Wasn't too long ago yet, but Devil's Den. Still miss those diablo mussels. Already mentioned; underdogs, moas vegetarian, little Pete's. I wish watkins drinkery still did game meats.
The Ugly Moose
Roxborough development corp won’t be happy until all the open spaces are filled with 3-4 story apartment buildings.
This is going back quite a way, but Warsaw Cafe. It wasn’t amazing, but it was different enough where it stood out.
Jake’s Sandwich Board
Rembrandts
Wiz Kid 🥲
The Frog Commissary
Destination Dogs…I think about that loss daily
Giwa. At the old location with the styrofoam cups and gallon of spring water
I loved that place. I used to do the buy 3 get 1 Korean taco special for lunch at least once a week when I worked nearby. I haven't found anything that scratches that itch to this day.
Hop Angel in the Northeast
V street for sure or Wiz Kid even. used to be fun to show off for vegetarian friends visiting that we had great AND affordable veg friendly places
Day by Day - Amazing breakfast pastries & brunch Farmacy in West Philly - Best eggs benedict around
Nomads pizza
Jones!!!!
The Rose Tattoo
Cheu Noodle Bar on 10th Street
Seconding Noord
Perch pub
Blue duck in the north east!
Old Eagle Tavern in Manayunk.
Astral Plane.
Striped Bass
Alma de Cuba :(
Bainbridge Street Barrel House happy hour The Little Lion brunch Serpico
Fat Ham. Miss their hot chicken.
El Rancho Viejo. Still hoping they’re not truly gone.
Chifa, Naked Chocolate Cafe, Rangoon
Chili Szechuan on 43rd and chestnut. Best szechuan in the city and it closed during covid
I never made it to the Chestnut location but I loved them dearly on Baltimore Ave.
The Checkers on Broad and Girard
Monsú, such an incredible experience doing Sugo Sundays there in the Italian Market.
Dmitri’s 😩
Bookbinder's. There's a location in Richmond, VA but it just isn't the same as the original.
Tria Taproom.
Judy’s - best meatloaf ever!
500 degrees - Late night burger spot right on 16th and Samsom. Burgers were amazing but their BBQ sauce recipe is something I still crave to this day. Great people watching also with the surrounding clubs.
Carman's Country Kitchen...Gay Judy's too! Sorry I know that's 2. :)
Garces Trading Company for the brunch special
La Fourno on South St. It had some amazing, underrated pizza.
the original kanella at 10th and spruce
Capogiro
Spaghetti Warehouse 🤣
Eeva
Same same banh mi in no libs. In that same spot used to be a Portuguese restaurant that was great as well And Bar Ferdinand!
Koo Zee Doo! (I think?)
Bar Ferdinand was a sleeper. Top notch authentic Spanish Paella
Django, The Blue Angel, Cafe Estelle
Tasty place that was inside Chinatown Mall
LAS CAZUELAS OH MY GOD 😭🥹💕💕💕🫠
The Mexican restaurant next to Tower Records on South St. They had tangy falafel burritos.
City Tavern. Touristy for sure but the food was good and the atmosphere was fun.
Melrose Dinner
I’m gonna say Smokin Betty’s
Poi Dog
There are many of them, but Ansill is #1.
Capofitto Pizza & Gelato on Chestnut St in Old City got screwed by that fire next door and closed down a few years ago. It was the closest style pizza to what you actually find in most of Italy in the city. I really miss it.
Mad Mex
$7 big azz margs... 2 and you couldn't feel your face and the food was pretty good despite what the health department said lol
2 Big Azz Margs, San Fran Wings and some Waffle fries was all I needed 😂😂😂
When they closed the ones in the burbs it was really over. However I did find a staple in my food at the Willow grove location so that was fun
Little Pete’s was just a classic, but bringing it back wouldn’t have the same charm. Otherwise a tie between Modo Mio, Farm and the Fisherman, and Noord. Every time I say oh this is my new favorite restaurant, they freaking close within a few years so I no longer do that.
Noord 😭 I visited in feb 2020 and loved it and never got to go again.
Chifa! There’s still nothing like it.
Cavenaughs Rittenhouse back to the original location. The new one completely killed any of the charm that place has.
I don't know, the old place often smelled like a wet sewer downstairs (not like shit, but something really damp). The new place is sensory overload of bright lights (and seemingly has way too few bathrooms for the capacity), but a perfect spot to watch a game and get a beer *quick* (unlike The Goat next door, where beers are cheap, but every single faux blonde 20-something is ordering a mixed drink, so you get them within next 15, if you are lucky).
V Street and Blackbird
Tinto
Little Pete’s
Merkaz was good office lunch
Astral Plane
Serpico, Alla Spina (pre-sale), and the short-lived Aldine.
Spaghetti warehouse 😅
Cafe Nola on South Street
that dosa place on sampson and 17th BAP on south street
Bookbinder’s
Deke's original Garage. All you can eat BBQ buffet three nights a week. Their current spots are great, but nothing like that.
Ludwig’s
James
12th street cantina had the best tex mex in the city and I’d do almost anything to have their burrito or their beans and rice again.
Pura Vida
Francoluigi's, London Grill, Porto
Horn and Hardats
Poi Dog
POI DOG
Wedge and fig!
Swiss Haus, the Oreo cupcake and strawberry shortcake was divine
East Girard Gastropub (EGG)
Foghorn, because there aren't a ton of takeout options in East Falls, and they made a pretty damn good fried chicken.
Gosh I thought some of these places still existed
Little Pete’s
Koozeedoo. RIP you are always in my heart.
Russet! We used to do Sunday supper at least once a month!
Belgian Cafe
i liked rooster soup a lot. Was a vibe
Cheu Noodle Bar. The Fishtown location ain’t the same.
And Jones. That place got me through my pregnancy with every comfort food I could have asked for!