This Rittenhouse eatery is known for its great sandwiches, and is the perfect spot to stop and grab lunch while in Center City. No need to dress-to-impress, simply pop in and choose from the huge variety of foods available here. It's also a hub for beverages, specifically beer, and can stock your fridge like nobody's business. Choose from over 600 varieties of beer, many of them craft beer. Purchase one to go along with your lunch, or grab a bunch for consumption later on with a few friends. The Foodery also offers a great selection of Italian meats and cheeses, perfect to satisfy your hunger.
Recommended for Rittenhouse Square's Best Restaurants because: When it comes to casual food options with a variety of choices, this place fits the bill to a tee.
Sharon's expert tip: Don't be afraid to eat a meal here and then shop for another meal. The beer is so varied, so mix it up and bring some home you've never tried before.
Vegetarian fans rejoice: Philadelphia has great options for those who do veg only, and this eatery is high on the list of delicious venues. Swing in for lunch and sample an old favorite, or be daring and try something new and tasty. HipCityVeg offers choices like smoked tempeh spinach salad, udon noodle salad, curry tofu wrap and the classic veggie burger as well as a variety of drinks and desserts to satisfy your midday cravings and keep you coming back for more whether you're a tried-and-true veggie lover to just a lunchtime patron looking to shake things up a bit.
Recommended for Rittenhouse Square's Best Restaurants because: Vegetarian fans (and those who just want to try something healthy) can't go wrong with the many delicious options available at this hip dining option.
Sharon's expert tip: This restaurant is designed to be primarily take-out, so don;t be afraid to grab yours to go and enjoy it in the park or somewhere else of you choice.
Challah French toast. Check. Fresh-fried potato latkes. Check. Toasted bagel platter with Nova lox or whitefish salad? No, you're not dreaming you're in your great-grandma's Brooklyn walk-up. You're at one of two locations of this Jewish-inspired breakfast diner, where the eggs are local and free-range, the mayonnaise is house-made and it feels as if your bubbie may actually pinch you on the cheek and tell you you're not eating enough while your hipster cousin snickers over her bottomless cup of La Colombe coffee. Pop into this terrific Rittenhouse Square eatery for breakfast and you'll want to try their delicious options for lunch and dinner as well.
Recommended for Rittenhouse Square's Best Restaurants because: Brunch, lunch or dinner, this venue does them up right with a cozy and homey feel.
Sharon's expert tip: The kids menu is half-off Monday through Thursday.
This wonderful Israeli hummusiya in Center City will have you rethinking what you thought chickpeas were capable of. Situated next to Abe Fisher, this cozy eatery has seating inside as well as some tables outside in warmer weather. Lunchtime will find folks lining up to order some of the best hummus in the city, alongside fresh made pitas that you can watch rise in the oven while you wait with mouth watering. The menu periodically rotates, so interesting varieties are always available, keeping your meal experience from becoming stale. Never tried hummus for lunch? Get here, and get here quick.
Recommended for Rittenhouse Square's Best Restaurants because: Casual and different, this venue will awaken your taste for hummus, and give you a new favorite place to eat it.
Sharon's expert tip: Order an extra pita if you're hungry and make your meal last longer. They're affordable, fresh and incredibly soft.
Although this restaurant is part of a mini chain, it remains one of the most popular in Rittenhouse Square. That's due to its standard popular offerings of a great steak, a delicious seafood offering, delicious drinks and a powerful dessert menu. What can go wrong with a gameplay like that? Combine it with the superb location across from the park and you've got a recipe for a meal that's sure to please friends, family, dates or neighbors. Stop in for lunch or dinner, happy hour or just an appetizer and see what strikes your fancy. Mini lobster rolls, anyone? Lemongrass shrimp taco? Grilled Atlantic salmon with lobster beurre blanc, parmesan roasted Yukon gold potatoes, and a watercress salad? We could go on, but you need to eat.
Recommended for Rittenhouse Square's Best Restaurants because: With fresh, seasonal ingredients and a delicious dessert menu, this romantic restaurant is one not to miss.
Sharon's expert tip: Be sure to try out the happy hour here, where drinks and perhaps some oysters will put a smile on your face.
If you haven't heard about this Stephen Starr's British-inspired pub in Rittenhouse Square's brunch menu, don't feel bad. It is somewhat of a hidden treasure. While this venue is indeed known for great burgers and fish and chips, not everyone knows about the delicious brunch options available here. Once you get a taste of the brioche french toast made of vanilla cr�me chantilly, and maple syrup or the pancakes with glazed apples and cinnamon-tinged cream, you're sure to be back for more. Don't forget about their signature cocktails either, as they're often the topper to a brunch that starts any day off right.
Recommended for Rittenhouse Square's Best Restaurants because: What could be more quaking than a British pub experience in the middle of Philadelphia?
Sharon's expert tip: Start out with an order of scones complete with jam, and compliment them with the tea of your liking.
Whether it's over weekend brunch or daily breakfast, the best spot in the city for people watching and a caf� au lait is on the sidewalk or by the floor-to-ceiling windows at Stephen Starr's Rittenhouse Square paean to Parisian caf� culture. The brunch menu, not surprisingly, contains more French entrees, eggs and hors d'oeuvres than the breakfast menu. But neither comes close to being petit. Two-dozen selections, including a smoked salmon tartine and a Gruyere omelette, grace the daily menu, which is served starting at 7:30 am. Grab an outdoor seat when the weather is good to enjoy the scenery and the sunshine at this popular venue.
Recommended for Rittenhouse Square's Best Restaurants because: This restaurant has a great location and offers up both good food and a fun, people-watching experience that makes for an enjoyable outing.
Sharon's expert tip: Coffee is nice but a Kir Royale at brunch is nicer.
Upon ordering an entree at Barclay Prime, you'll be asked to select your own knife, and that's when you'll know: this restaurant is serious about steak. Set in a 1920s-era luxury hotel, this renowned steakhouse boasts eye-catching retro chic decor, superb service and, of course, some of Philadelphia's most phenomenal steaks. Start with the famous Kobe beef sliders before savoring a perfectly succulent New York strip or bone-in filet paired with decadent truffled whipped potatoes. Regular diners also swear by the delicious potato skins and tater tots, as well as the chilled oysters. No matter what you fancy, this place will serve it in style.
Recommended for Rittenhouse Square's Best Restaurants because: When it comes to American steakhouses, Philly's Barclay Prime does it right, with mouthwatering steaks and delicious sides to compliment them.
Sharon's expert tip: Try the potato skins served at this stylish steakhouse for a dish you'll be dreaming about the next day.
At LaCroix you can build your own bloody Mary or allow yourself to be treated to a sparkling cocktail while dining on graceful Sunday buffet brunch entrees and salads like edamame hummus with naan bread; assorted caviar and house-cured charcuterie; and chestnut pot de creme. During the week, the buffet table at this four-star hotel-restaurant is laden with breakfast meats, smoked salmon and house-made granola, though smaller appetites will appreciate the a la carte options. Courses are served slowly with attention to detail and meant to be savored. They offer everything from small bites, to smoked fish and caviar, to hot stations which allow a tour of the kitchen and of course: the desserts and specialty chocolate.
Recommended for Rittenhouse Square's Best Restaurants because: Many claim this is one of the best upscale brunch options in the city. You be the judge. Just don't cheat yourself by skipping dinner.
Sharon's expert tip: The hotel restaurant doesn't abandon its kid-friendly approach at breakfast-time; three entrees designed specifically for little folks may make them actually want to leave behind the morning cartoons.
Two floors of ingredient-driven cuisine is what you'll find at Vernick Food & Drink. Recognized as a Rising Philadelphia Chef by Star Chefs, Greg Vernick and his wife Julie bring artful dishes to the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. Cuisine choices include a variety of small plate options, raw choices, selections served on toast, as well as a host of exquisite vegetable options. Vernick also excels at its large plate choices, such as grilled black sea bass, pork blade steak and steamed halibut over pea leaves for seafood lovers. Also tempting are their delicious meat portions roasted in the on-site wood fire oven. The lovely open kitchen layout here gives patrons the opportunity to observe their food as it's being prepared.
Recommended for Rittenhouse Square's Best Restaurants because: This dinner-only venue delivers creative, new-American cuisine in an energetic environment that makes dinner fun again.
Sharon's expert tip: Make time to have a drink or two before dinner, or try the blueberry pie with gelato for dessert, as diners rave about it.