Ten Places to Eat in Downtown Philly
I’ll admit it – Philadelphia has some of the best food (not just limited to cheesesteaks). I visited in January, and although I was freezing, I was kept warm by all the delicious food in Downtown Philly. We took suggestions from Philly locals of the best places to eat and, of course, looked up a few yelp reviews and just ate our way through the city. Here are some of the best places to eat in Philadelphia:
Philly Food Spots You Should Try
McGillin’s Old Ale House
This Philadelphia Irish Pub was the perfect spot for grabbing food before the game. The beers were so affordable (most pints were about $5), and so was the food. The wings were bangin’, and the French Onion soup was the best that my friend Ethan (a soup connoisseur) had ever had. Plus, they had TouchTunes, so you can manufacture the vibe for everyone in the building.
Chubby Cattle
Chubby Cattle was my first hot pot experience, and it set the bar high. If you’ve never had hot pot, it’s essentially a boiling broth filled with herbs, spices, and other ingredients. You choose vegetables, meat, seafood, and noodles. And then you cook them right there in the pot (think of it almost like Korean BBQ.) You also get to make your own sauce to dunk your creations in.
The cuts of meat — and everything really — were so fresh. We left extremely stuffed and happy – we still got Boba after, though.
El Vez
I popped into this Mexican restaurant one night, and it was packed. I just ordered chicken nachos, and wow. Whatever seasoning they used really made the whole dish pop.
Anejo
We went here for Sunday bottomless brunch in Philadelphia. The vibes were really nice and lowkey. Plus, the deal itself was amazing. For $47, you got all of this:
Unlimited chips and guac (the chips were very hard, though)
Unlimited French toast (I’m not usually a french toast fan, but this one really changed my mind!)
Choice of entree (I got the breakfast tacos, and again the sauce was really the moment.)
Unlimited brunch cocktails — mimosas, Bloody Marias, sangria, and margaritas!
Double Knot
My coworker recommended Double Knot to satisfy our sushi cravings, and she was right. They are a modern Japanese restaurant specializing in sushi and robatayaki.
Ethan and I did the Chef’s Tasting, which included 10 shareable small plates. Everything was so good, but the highlights for me were the:
Tuna rice cracker
Shrimp tacos
Robatayaki
Japanese scallop
Double Knot Big Eye Tuna Roll
Fortunately, you’re able to choose your plates during the tasting, so you can make sure you get something you love! Click here to see almost everything we ate during our chef’s tasting.
3 Philly Cheesesteaks to Try in Philadelphia
Woodrow’s Sandwich Shop
Whewww, I cannot say enough about the Philly cheesesteak from Woodrow’s. It was the best one I had on the entire trip (and I had quite a few). Unlike most places that throw the cheese on top, Woodrow’s thoroughly combined the meat and cheese, so every bite was just as satisfying and flavorful as the last.
And get this… it’s truffle cheese whiz, so talk about flavor! It has to be hands down the best Philly cheesesteak I’ve ever had. Plus, their tomato basil soup was so creamy and not too acidic. Even their cajun fries were delicious.
Ishkabibble’s
Ishkabibble’s is another sandwich shop known for its cheesesteaks. The meat was so well-seasoned, and the fries were the perfect crispy pairing.
Jim’s South St.
You guessed it, we went to yet another cheesesteak place. I tried it with the provolone, but it was a bit too dry, so they added cheese whiz for me at no extra cost – and let me tell you, that was definitely the move.
Either way, you can’t go wrong with a Philly in Philly. There were a few more places with the best Philly Cheesesteaks in Philadelphia that were suggested to us by locals and tourists alike:
Pat’s King of Steaks
Geno’s Steaks
John’s Roast Pork (they have the most hilarious answering machine message btw.)
D’Allesandro’s
Dessert Places in Downtown Philly
Scoop Deville
After all that savory goodness, Imma need a lil something sweet. Scoop Deville has every dessert you could crave and, of course, ice cream. What makes this Philadelphia ice cream spot unique is that they combine your mix-ins so that it essentially creates your own custom ice cream flavor.
Federal Donuts
I’m not a huge donut girl, but Federal Donuts might’ve changed my mind. I ordered a warm cinnamon donut, and it was the perfect combination of light and fluffy for a cake donut. They had tons of flavors. And depending on the one you choose, it was made to order right there. The others are made fresh in store daily.
There are so many more places to enjoy in Philadelphia – and I know we didn’t get to them all. Are you planning a trip, or have you already been to Philly?