Seeking dinner venue in Philly

[gouramanda]

Will be attending conference at Convention Center in Philly next Mon-Tues. Ideally, dinner at mid-range veggie-friendly (Italian, Asian) place - for smallish group of 6. Any ideas? Thanks for any suggestions.

[Capaneus]

Will be attending conference at Convention Center in Philly next Mon-Tues.  Ideally, dinner at mid-range veggie-friendly (Italian, Asian) place - for smallish group of 6.  Any ideas?  Thanks for any suggestions.

←

Dozens. Maybe you can give us a bit more on price range, willingness to cab, prefer BYO or full bar, other preferences? We're a complicated city!

Off the top of my head, there's all of Chinatown within a quick walk, Raddichio offering excellent inexpensive Italian just a hair further away, a number of more ambitious places in various directions for about $40/head (Matyson, Gayle, Chloe, Mercato, many others - and that's sticking to BYOs for the moment).

[MarketStEl]

How far are you willing to travel? Do you want to stay within walking distance of the Convention Center?

Chinatown lies immediately east of the Convention Center, and I'm sure that many on this board will second my recommendation of Szechuan Tasty House in the 900 block of Arch Street. The menu doesn't have a large selection of vegetarian dishes, but it does have them. The place lives up to its name, and it's a great place to take a group of people for an inexpensive yet fabulous meal.

There used to be a vegetarian Chinese restaurant called New Harmony around the corner on 9th. I'm not sure whether it's still open. There is a great Burmese restaurant, Rangoon, on this same block of 9th.

Vietnam Palace, just north of the Convention Center on 11th, and Vietnam, right across 11th from the Palace, are two of the better Vietnamese restaurants in the city (but once again, it's been a while since I've been to either, so I don't know how extensive their vegetarian selections are).

One place a little further away that I know has a good selection of vegetarian dishes is Passage to India, at Juniper and Walnut. There are better Indian restaurants in the city, but all of those are out by the Penn campus, and this one's good enough and within walking distance of the Convention Center (3 1/2 blocks from the main entrance--two blocks south, one-and-a-half west).

These should get you started. More should follow from my fellow PhillieGulleteers.

[gouramanda]

Certain of us have a realistic per diem (50+) but maybe others in group do not. Also willing to cab but not crazy-far; not unlike you, if you had to go out of town for a conference.

[I_call_the_duck]

Vietnam is a great choice. Reasonable prices, good variety, and very good. We were there with some vegetarians in August, and they had no problem finding something to eat. The byos that Capaneus mentioned are great too.

[Capaneus]

Certain of us have a realistic per diem (50+) but maybe others in group do not. Also willing to cab but not crazy-far; not unlike you, if you had to go out of town for a conference.

←

Nothing I mentioned is terribly far (ten blocks tops). Chinatown is cheapest, but the other places are all under $40/head, and the BYO feature will allow those of you with the cushy ride to subsidize the poor working stiffs (there's a good wine store at 1218 Chestnut - ask for Cory).

[KatieLoeb]

Within Chinatown I'd suggest Lee How Fook Tea House (219 N 11th Street, 215.925.7266) for their many hot pots, Salt baked seafood or delicious vegetable and noodle dishes or Charles Plaza (234 N 10TH Street, 215.829.4383) for their unbelievably good selection of vegetarian fare and wonderful service. Either of these choices will have something for everyone and will be very reasonably priced.

The White Dog Cafe in West Philadelphia, a 5 minute cab ride from downtown, has excellent vegetarian selections on their menu and also has a great bar menu. A funky cool restaurant that's been around for a while, but never fails to please.

[philadining]

Given your location at the convention center, and budget, Chinatown is a good choice.

But you do need to be careful about the vegetarian issue at a few of the places we often recommend here. I totally LOVE the Szechuan Tasty House, but I get the feeling that their version of vegetarian fare is a dish with only a little bit of pork in it... There's just not loads of fully veggie stuff their menu.

Rangoon is a fave of mine as well, and Burmese food is unusual enough to make it a memorable destination, but it too is tricky for vegetarians. There IS some vegetarian food to choose from there, but just be wary, dried shrimp is a common ingredient even in dishes where you wouldn't expect it.

But there are plenty of good places there that would be good for your group, Lee How Fook, Shao Lan Kung, Lakeside Deli, Vietnam, etc.. Some more Chinatown advice here.

And just be aware, as in many cities, Monday nights are tricky, many places are closed-up. Almost everything in Chinatown will be open (but not the STH). Elsewhere in town, Radicchio was already recommended. Indeed it's very good Italian, and even better, open on monday. As Katie recommended, the White Dog Cafe is good, veggie-friendly, and open on mondays...

Please let us know what you do!

Edited December 5, 2005 by philadining (log)

[sockii]

Vietnam Palace, just north of the Convention Center on 11th, and Vietnam, right across 11th from the Palace, are two of the better Vietnamese restaurants in the city (but once again, it's been a while since I've been to either, so I don't know how extensive their vegetarian selections are).

←

Vietnam Palace is quite willing to modify dishes to use tofu instead of meat, has some yummy veggie-friendly stuff already...my friend who is vegetarian loves it there (as do I) and never has problems finding something to eat.

If your carnivorous group-members are willing, there's always Kingdom of Vegetarians in Chinatown as well. They can handle large-ish parties easily and you can't beat the All You Can Eat Vegetarian Dim Sum special, even if they finally had to raise the price from $10 to $12 a person. It's a lot of fun for a group of folks with big appetites