Non-traditional restaurants in Philly

[Marya]

I'll be in Philadelphia next weekend and would love to eat in ethnic and upscale ethnic restaurants. Primarily looking for Mediterranean and fusion cuisine. Also, if you have great wine bars, would like to visit a few. Thank you

[rlibkind]

Any particular ethnic cuisines of interest? Are there some that you have easy access to back home and, therefore, would like to try something different?

I'm sure others will add more, especially if you can provide information to refine your request. That said, and limiting my recommendations to Center City rather than some of the further reaches of the city where some excellent Eastern European and Portuguese/Brazilian fare can be had, among others, here goes:

It's not Mediterranean, but Rangoon, 112 North 9th St., is worth a visit. Try one of the "Thousand Layer Bread" appetizers at this Burmese restaurant in Philadelphia's Chinatown. And as long as we're in the neighborhood, if dim sum is of any interest, there's Ocean Harbor, 1023 Race St., or Joy Tsin Lau at 1026 Race. Although most folks will tell you Ocean Harbor is better (and I agree), I don't think they give enough credit to the latter. So if the line is too long at the former on a Saturday or Sunday, you won't suffer by crossing the street for the latter.

Now, onward to southern Europe.

For "upscale ethnic" Amada, 217 Chestnut, is hard to beat. Spanish-style tapas and more. The same chef/owner weighs into the Basque tradition at Tinto, 114 S. 20th St.

Vetri's Osteria, 640 N. Broad St. (slightly beyond the northern edge of Center City) offers high-end pizza and other marvelous fare, and is more affordable (and sometimes do-able without a reservation) than Vetri's more formal establishment at 1312 Spruce St.

Lolita, 106 S. 13th, is a B.Y.O.B. upscale Mexican. They provide the margarita mix, you provide the tequila and Cointreau. For dessert, cross the street for sorbetto or gelato at Capogiro (or visit the latter's other store at 117 S. 20th, across the street from Tinto).

Does French count as ethnic in your book? If so: Brasserie Perrier, 1619 Walnut St., is classy and classic. Less classy, but no less toothsome, would be Caribou Cafe, 1126 Walnut St., whose owner, Olivier Desaintmartin, also operates a new bistro/wine bar, Zinc, at 246 S. 11th St.

Hardly Mediterrean would be Ludwig's Garten, 1315 Sansom St., for hearty German fare (I recommend the Jagerschnitzel) and a great beer list. It's around the corner from Capogiro, too, if you have room after all the beer, potatoes and sausages.

Philly's a great beer town, and most of the beer meccas couple it with good food. Again, hardly Mediterranean or fusion, but worth visiting. These include the Belgian-inspired Monk's Cafe, 264 S. 16th St. Most recently I visited St. Stephen's Green, 1701 Green St., a new neighborhood spot not all that far from Vetri's Osteria just beyond Center City's northern edge; and the fish 'n chips and cottage pie are excellent. St. Stephen's co-owners also operate The Bishop's Collar, 2349 Fairmount Ave. (not far from the Eastern State Penitentiary historic site), and Dark Horse Pub, 421 S. 2nd St. on Headhouse Square.

For lunch, you've got many choices at the Reading Terminal Market, 12th & Filbert. DiNic's for roast pork sandwiches (get it with greens and provolone), Salumeria's hoagies, Nanee's South Asian, Fisher's for fresh Pennsylvania Dutch pretzels, Flying Monkey's cupcakes, and lots more.

I've marked all of these spots on a Google Map here.

I've only begun to scratch the surface of the possibililties; check out other Pennsylvania threads for other ideas, and I'm sure others will follow-up here.

Edited to add more spots, Google map link.

Edited February 4, 2008 by rlibkind (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Many options in Chinatown - Hand Drawn Noodles, Pho and other delicious soups, Peking Duck, food on sticks, etc. Perhaps if you tell us what you like we can make more specific selections. Or you could check out the Top Five Lists we compiled a while back.

Reading Terminal should keep you busy for several meals and snacks.

As for wine bars, there's Tria (two locations), Vintage, Panorama (with the big Mac Daddy cruvinet and 120 wines by the glass) and a humble little place I inhabit Wed-Sat. evenings you'll notice in my signature line. I'd be happy to pour you a glass or three if you stopped by Chick's during your visit.

[Marya]

Thanks, rlibkind and Katie. I suppose my inquiry should have been more specific. We will be staying in the city center and will be dining with a couple of college kids. We want rec's for good Mediterranean restaurants that have excellent food.

We live near a city (Portland, OR) rich in local, Mexican and Southeast Asian cuisine. Middle Eastern, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, North African and Turkish are poorly represented here and we crave these foods. We also want rec's for Italian food, since we love to explore those restaurants everywhere we go.

[Bluehensfan]

Thanks, rlibkind and Katie.  I suppose my inquiry should have been more specific. We will be staying in the city center and will be dining with a couple of college kids.  We want rec's for good Mediterranean restaurants that have excellent food.

We live near a city (Portland, OR) rich in local, Mexican and Southeast Asian cuisine.  Middle Eastern, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, North African and Turkish are poorly represented here and we crave these foods.  We also want rec's for Italian food, since we love to explore those restaurants everywhere we go.

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Estia has great Greek cuisine in a lovely setting. Make sure to try the fresh fish by the pound (it can get pricy so beware!) and the grilled octpous. http://www.estiaestiatorio.com/home.htm

There are a few middle eastern places in Philly but I have never been to them. There is a poorly reviewed Portuguese restaurant in the Old City section of town that I'd probably steer clear of.

As far as spanish options, Amada and Tinto should probably fit the bill. The former of the two has flamenco dancers one night.

I'd third (are we up to three?) the recommendations for Reading Terminal Market, especially the sandwich at DiNic's (which is also great with broccoli rabe). They also have great pancakes at the market at the Dutch Eating Place from Weds through Sat.

Finally, a unique Philly treat is the Naked Chocolate Cafe. Great Aztec hot chocolate... http://www.nakedchocolatecafe.com/

[Jeff L]

I will most definately second Estia. The fish here is so fresh you'll think you are in a Greek isle.

[jm chen]

For a casual lunch or dinner there's Pita Pocket on 16th (a couple streets south of Walnut, not the Pita Pit which is north of Walnut and part of a chain). Absolutely fantastic chicken shawarma and chicken kabobs. It's something like $9 for a sandwich, but that includes unlimited sides from the salad-esque bar if you eat in. I say salad-esque because it's prepared salads, not lettuce stuff, and includes garlic carrots, tabbouleh, and a rotating array of other things including bean salad and this unbelievably awesome cauliflower.

Since you mentioned Italian, I like Mercato, on Spruce between 12th and 13th. Upscale BYOB, good solid Italian especially in the pastas and antipasti. I'm addicted to their olive butter.

Both Amada and Tinto have lunch specials, if you want to sample their food but not go for a full tapas meal (or if you can't get a reservation for dinner, which wouldn't be unheard-of).

You must, absolutely must, have Capogiro gelato while you're here. Flavors from the standard stracciatella and hazelnut to honey cumin, butternut squash with bourbon, chai, all sorts of things.

Enjoy our city! It's delicious!

[rlibkind]

That update clarifies what you're looking for nicely, Marya.

One ethnic food you failed to mention having in Portland is South Asian, i.e., Indian and Pakistani. I don't dine often enough in that style to have sure-fire recommendations, but there are any number of good ones around. A few years ago a number of we eGulleters and others got together for a "Dangerous Dining Club" dinner at Karma, 114 Chestnut St., and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

For Moroccan-inspired fare, try a restaurant in my neighborhood, Figs, on N. 25th Street just a block north of Fairmount Avenue, only a block from the Art Museum's new Perelman Building and just a bit further from the main museum building. It's BYO.

Estia is perhaps the most upscale Greek seafood restaurant in town, but there are any number of others which do decent jobs with the basics of Greek food; many of them do a nice job grilling fresh fish: the fish may be lesser sought varieties, like porgy, but when fresh and grilled properly they are delightful. One in my neighborhood not far from the museum would be Zorba's Taverna, 2230 Fairmount Ave., but almost every neighborhood has a similar establishment.

I haven't tried it, but others here have recommended Divan Turkish Kitchen, 918 S. 22nd St.

Philadelphia has a substantial Lebanese community. and one of its culinary pillars is Bitar's, 947 Federal St. in South Philly, a quick and easy cab ride from center city. Cedar's, 616 S. 2nd Street, also offers Lebanese-Middle Eastern food, and is located just south of the Society Hill neighborhood.

South Philly, however, is less well known for Middle Eastern than it is for Rocky Balboa and Italian fare. If simple red gravy Italian attracts you (and it does me when I want some comfort food), Villa di Roma in the heart of the Italian Market, 932 S. 9th St., and Ralph's, which has been around for more than 100 years) two blocks north at 760 S. 9th St., satisfy.

Hope this additional ideas help. And enjoy your stay this weekend

[Andrew Fenton]

One ethnic food you failed to mention having in Portland is South Asian, i.e., Indian and Pakistani. I don't dine often enough in that style to have sure-fire recommendations, but there are any number of good ones around. A few years ago a number of us eGulleters and others got together for a "Dangerous Dining Club" dinner at Karma, 114 Chestnut St., and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Danger! Danger, Will Robinson! I went to Karma soon after it opened, and loved it; when I returned a year or two ago, it had gone drastically downhill: the food was greasier and less fresh-tasting, and even the decor looked sad and aged. I think that this has everything to do with the original owner of Karma leaving to open Tiffin (which is quite good, but probably out of range for a casual visitor.)

Still, South Asian is a good idea, and just down the street are two Afghan restaurants: Kabul and Ariana. They're both good, though I prefer Ariana, mainly because it's a little cozier.

And I know you've mentioned Portland's abundance of SE Asian restaurants, but I'm willing to bet (and a little bit of Googling seems to confirm) that you don't have any Burmese restaurants. So I'll second Bob's mention of Rangoon. It's one of my favorite restaurants in the city; here's a thread on it.

edited to add: when I saw the title of the thread, I thought that by "non-traditional restaurants" you meant something like snackbar. Which would also be a good place to go, though not, y'know, ethnic.

Edited February 4, 2008 by Andrew Fenton (log)

[Capaneus]

One ethnic food you failed to mention having in Portland is South Asian, i.e., Indian and Pakistani. I don't dine often enough in that style to have sure-fire recommendations, but there are any number of good ones around. A few years ago a number of us eGulleters and others got together for a "Dangerous Dining Club" dinner at Karma, 114 Chestnut St., and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Danger! Danger, Will Robinson! I went to Karma soon after it opened, and loved it; when I returned a year or two ago, it had gone drastically downhill: the food was greasier and less fresh-tasting, and even the decor looked sad and aged. I think that this has everything to do with the original owner of Karma leaving to open Tiffin (which is quite good, but probably out of range for a casual visitor.)

Still, South Asian is a good idea, and just down the street are two Afghan restaurants: Kabul and Ariana. They're both good, though I prefer Ariana, mainly because it's a little cozier.

And I know you've mentioned Portland's abundance of SE Asian restaurants, but I'm willing to bet (and a little bit of Googling seems to confirm) that you don't have any Burmese restaurants. So I'll second Bob's mention of Rangoon. It's one of my favorite restaurants in the city; here's a thread on it.

edited to add: when I saw the title of the thread, I thought that by "non-traditional restaurants" you meant something like snackbar. Which would also be a good place to go, though not, y'know, ethnic.

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You mean UltraHip isn't an ethnicity?

There goes my sense of identity...

[robertruelan]

Thanks, rlibkind and Katie.  I suppose my inquiry should have been more specific. We will be staying in the city center and will be dining with a couple of college kids.  We want rec's for good Mediterranean restaurants that have excellent food.

We live near a city (Portland, OR) rich in local, Mexican and Southeast Asian cuisine.  Middle Eastern, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, North African and Turkish are poorly represented here and we crave these foods.  We also want rec's for Italian food, since we love to explore those restaurants everywhere we go.

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I would also recommend the prior posts for Amada (which also has a great wine selection and available by the glass) and Panorama (both an Italian restaurant and the best wine bar in the city, Il Bar) and Kabul (Afghan).

You mentioned 'upscale', so for Middle Eastern I would also recommend Tangerine, which is in Old City. Geez, I just realized all of the above mentioned restaurants are a few blocks of each other in Old City. I guess there is alot of diversity in just the few blocks. Another new place (in Old City again!) is Beneluxx Tasting Room, for wine and cheese. I've never been there, but I've seen some good reviews on it, definitely unique in Philly.

I know I'm leaving out some great places in other parts of the city, but I'm sure others will provide some other (non-Old City) options. Enjoy!

[Marya]

Thanks, all. I expected a few names and, instead, encountered an embarassment of riches. You Philly posters are awesome!