Philadelphia

[BBQ-Dinerman]

I'm going to be visiting the Philadelphia area in early August. I would like some suggestions on where to eat that is good, cheap, and where the locals go? Please no chain restaurants they all seem to be the same.

Thanks

[Andrew Fenton]

There are tons and tons of places that are good, cheap, and filled with locals. What are you in the mood for? Philadelphia specialties? Sandwich-type places? More upscale dining? Ethnic?

[Chuckles52]

Whoa! Looking for cheap eats in Philly!!! I'm really looking forward to how this strings goes.

And as an ante, My call is for the BombBomb in South Philly Really good tho' not absotivly italian and BBQ combined. There is a good reason for the combination and also for the name.

[john b]

Tony Luke's for lunch

Ralph's or another South Philly red sauce joint for dinner.

[Holly Moore]

My feeling is that when wandering some alien land one should first seek out the restaurants that are unique to that city - that can't be duplicated elsewhere or at least that can't be duplicated well elsewhere. Here are the restaurants that are, in my experience at least, unique to Philadelphia or the Delaware Valley:

Hoagie Shops

Cheesesteak Shops

Pork Sandwich Shops

Carman's Country Kitchen

John's Hot Sausages (Grilled Hot Sausage, Egg, Peppers and Onions)

Reading Terminal Market (sort of - other cities have great but different markets).

The aforementioned Ralph's is something like the longest continually open Italian Restaurant kept in one family.

Capogiro for their wonderfully creative gelatos

Maybe La Tierra Columbiana which combines Cuban and Columbian cuisiene.

Perhaps Taconelli's for Pizza because of their giant hearth over and because it is necessary to reserve one's dough.

These are the ones that immediately come to mind. Be curious to see what others people come up with - unique restaurants found only in Philadelphia or types of restaurants founded in Philadelphia.

Most all have been pretty extensively discussed in this forum. An always fun adventure is to take cheesesteaks or hoagies or pork sandwiches and eat about a bit, researching your favorites.

The other option is to simply seek out restaurants that are very good at what they do. I'll let others do that list.

Brief commercial: My site has a good sampling of low end restaurants to help in your quest.

Eat well and often while you're in town.

[Rich Pawlak]

Yeah, what Holly said; a trip to his website, and visits to anything with "5 greasestains" should do the trick. It's as thorough a take on the real Philly food culture as anything you will ever read.

(and I do not work for Holly in any capacity)

[herbacidal]

John's Hot Sausages (Grilled Hot Sausage, Egg, Peppers and Onions)

Where's John's Hot Sausages?

[phenomprincess]

My two small contributions are:

Hot Tamales: Awesome mexican food, take out style w/some tables. Everything is under $6, and there is a line out the door for lunch. It is on 20th b/t Chestnut and Walnut.

Marra's for pizza, etc.: Classic italian pizza (regular crust, not thin like Taconelli's), and other great food (caesar salad and mussels in red sauce to name a few). The decor is outdated and the waitresses aren't super friendly, but this place is still great.

Have fun and let us know where you wound up!

[Andrew Fenton]

John's Hot Sausages  (Grilled Hot Sausage, Egg, Peppers and Onions)

Where's John's Hot Sausages?

Delaware Ave, north of Spring Garden. Of course, the other thing to get there would have to be the surf n' turf special.

[herbacidal]

Hot Tamales: Awesome mexican food, take out style w/some tables. Everything is under $6, and there is a line out the door for lunch. It is on 20th b/t Chestnut and Walnut.

I'll chalk this one up to you going back and forth between New England and here.

Hot Tamales is on the north side of JFK now, between 18th and 19th right next to City Garden.

I don't know what's going into Hot Tamales' old place, but they're done repainting it.

Where's John's Hot Sausages? 

Delaware Ave, north of Spring Garden. Of course, the other thing to get there would have to be the surf n' turf special.

Oh, so John's is where that crab cake and hot dog special is?

Never knew the name of the place.

[Holly Moore]

Oh, so John's is where that crab cake and hot dog special is? 

Never knew the name of the place.

Not crab cake. Way too high class for a Philadelphia Surf 'n Turf. It's a fish cake that is mashed into the hot dog.

And I had the name sorta wrong. It's Johnny's Hot Sausages.

Edited July 19, 2004 by Holly Moore (log)

[phenomprincess]

I'll chalk this one up to you going back and forth between New England and here.

Hot Tamales is on the north side of JFK now, between 18th and 19th right next to City Garden.

Actually I live in NJ close to Lambertville, but I lived in Philly for 10 years and was still working there until recently. Sorry about the mistaken address, however it is still good regardless!

[Andrew Fenton]

Not crab cake. Way too high class for a Philadelphia Surf 'n Turf. It's a fish cake that is mashed into the hot dog.

Gaaah! You're right, of course; my aristocratic upbringing made me make that slip.

I'm going to go hang my head in shame now.

[herbacidal]

I'll chalk this one up to you going back and forth between New England and here.

Hot Tamales is on the north side of JFK now, between 18th and 19th right next to City Garden.

Actually I live in NJ close to Lambertville, but I lived in Philly for 10 years and was still working there until recently. Sorry about the mistaken address, however it is still good regardless!

Actually, I was thinking of Holly. My bad.

Not crab cake. Way too high class for a Philadelphia Surf 'n Turf. It's a fish cake that is mashed into the hot dog.

Yea, you're right. I knew there was something weird about that.

[MarketStEl]

I imagine I'll start a mini-row over this assertion, but a hoagie is a sub is a hero is a grinder* is not quite a po' boy. But since the bread really does make the difference, I should perhaps give the Philadelphia hoagie the special status I just granted the New Orleans po' boy for the same reason (well, in the Big Easy, the bread and the seasoning).

I guess Holly's site says it all as far as these sandwiches are concerned, for I note a distinct absence of the usual individual endorsements of Sarcone's/Chickie's/Tony Luke's et al. that usually pop up in a thread like this one. So let me just add two words here: Planet Hoagie.

Let me also put in a good word here for Eulogy (2d and Chestnut), a restaurant I mentioned in passing over on another thread in this forum. This is a Belgian restaurant in Old City that--besides having that unusual decor on its second floor--has a mussel deal that can't be beat if you're an early bird diner (the cheaper but no less amply portioned lunch menu is served until 6) and great Belgian fries to boot. Its beer list also makes it one of a very few places that make me regret having given up alcohol.

Also: one general comment for BBQ-Dinerman: Want to know how to get there (wherever "there" is) on SEPTA? Just ask me. Better still, visit www.septa.org.

*There is one "grinder" sandwich I've had that is definitely different from any other sandwich in this general category. It was--and I hope still is--served at a little restaurant in downtown Kansas City called Mario's, on East 11th Street ("Petticoat Lane") IIRC.

A Mario's grinder is made as follows: Cut off the end of a torpedo roll and hollow out the roll. Fill the hole with meatballs, or roast beef, or ham and cheese, or whatever other filling the customer requests. Plug the hole with the cut-off end and bake in a 450-degree pizza oven for a few minutes. Serve piping hot. I have yet to run across a duplicate of this sandwich anywhere else.

Edited July 25, 2004 by MarketStEl (log)

[brescd01]

I agree with the above recommendations and I would add two of my own: Dmitri's and Monk's. Dmitri's is a relaxed mediterranean restaurant with two branches, the sort of which one could never find in NYC. Monk's is the "Belgian" style pub (more Epcot Belgium than real) most beloved by Philadelphians, and Belgian beer is a big deal in Philadelphia. Gourmet Magazine declared Philly America's best beer town in part due to its consumption of Belgian beer, reportedly the largest in the USA.

[MysticMilt]

Ditto on all the suggestions in here -- especially Monk's. The food there is just incredible and an excellent value.

My own suggestion is one I think I've made in other threads on here: Beau Monde. I consider that place to be one of Philly's best-kept secrets. It's a lovely little authentic Brittany crêpes, both savory and sweet. Two people can have a terrific meal there and get out for less than $40 (not including wine). It's definitely one of my top five favorite restaurants, because (like Monk's) you're getting really, really great food for very little money.

Also, while it doesn't fall into the "budget" category, exactly, I had to say this: My god, were y'all right about Django. My dad was in town this past weekend and we ate there on Friday night. I knew it was going to be good, but I didn't know it was going to be that good. The waitstaff was all very warm and friendly, and Amy, one of the owners, came by our table and chatted with us for a bit. She was quite lovely. Oh, and the buzz is true: the cheese plate is to die for, if you're a cheese fan. Best of all: three people, each of whom had an appetizer, an entrée and dessert, and the bill came to $120. I almost felt guilty. Almost.