EMei

★★★★☆ 4.3 (722) • $$

"If you know me on Yelp then you've probably dined on tantalizing spicy Sichuan cuisine with me at a spot like Han Dynasty and know how much I enjoy dining with a group at spots like it. So when a friend suggested getting a group together to meet in Chinatown for a meal at EMei it was something that didn't take me long to say hell yes to. And when I read about it being among Philly Mag's top 50 restaurants of 2024, and Yelp's top places to eat of 2023 list, I was even more sold on this decision!As soon as I walked in it didn't take long to understand why it was so well received as soon as I made note of perfect dining spots for all-size parties, a well-stocked bar that served Asian & US beers, wines, and tantalizing-sounding cocktails, exceptional service, and then some. They even had a robot that delivered takeout orders from the back to the front of the house!While having take-out food delivered to you by a robot is a perk, going with a group of four or more so you can share as much food as you can family style is definitely the way to go! And our group enjoyed the following:Dan Dan Noodles w/ Pork - not as good as the ones that you'd find at Han Dynasty or DanDan, but still a satisfyingly spicy dish!Cucumbers in Garlic Sauce - the perfect cold vegetable dish in a pungent sauce to counterbalance all the incoming heat with!Homemade Dumplings in Hot Chili Oil - perfect spicy pillows filled with pork.Beef & Vegetable Chow Fun Noodles - HUGE sauced noodles with shreds of beef and vegetables. So good!Hot & Spicy Flounder Filet Bowl - Flounder perfectly cooked in a double chili and peppercorn broth with napa cabbage, Chinese leeks, garlic, scallions, and cilantro!Stir-Fried Steak Slivers with Long Hot Peppers - Finely sauteed slivers of beef cooked with long hots to provide just the right tinge of spice.Smoked Pork Belly Slices with Chinese Leeks - perfectly cooked smoky fatty slivers of sweet pork belly cooked with leeks for just the right bit of succulent funk.With a great first impression like that, I'll definitely be back for more!"

Pho 75

★★★★☆ 4.4 (647) • $$

"Legit Philly Pho! Simply delicious! Clean broth and less MSG than NYC options. The parking in the plaza is chaotic but the fo water od was worth it"

Seorabol Center City

★★★★☆ 4.2 (285) • $$

"Absolutely love Seorabol!This is the only traditional good Korean food in center city. I love southgate but most dishes are fusion there. Chinatown has a few places but Seorabol blows them out of the park. Excellent ban Chan! Authentic dduk gook, japchae, and pajun! Have liked everything I've ordered from the menu. (Service could be better but I come here for the food)Will be back often and soon!!"

Pattaya

★★★★☆ 3.5 (370) • $$

"Needing a break from the typical campus eats, I suggested a business lunch at Pattaya. I really enjoyed the ambiance, proximity to Penn's campus, and the varied menu items at Pattaya. I was a little bummed that there were no lunch specials, and I was super sad that the only beverages they offered were canned or bottled - I was seeking a fresh Thai iced tea! However, the Panang Curry was to die for - I had no issue slurping the entirety of my meal. My colleagues ordered different noodle dishes, and the portions were huge! We shared an order of the Golden Triangles, which were okay - unremarkable, but tofu often is (sorry!!) We were all very happy with our main entrees, and I was the only one who didn't have an entire meal's worth of leftovers...a good value! Service was friendly and quick making for a nice dine-in experience."

Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings - KOP

★★★★★ 4.7 (196) • $$

"I had been to the Cherry Hill location and was excited for this one to open. The crab and pork soup dumplings will always be a staple item for me. My gf and I also enjoyed the scallion pancake with sliced beef. Shanghai Sui Mai was decent but I think next time I'd stick with the chicken sui mai."

Gummlai Thai

★★★★☆ 4.4 (211) • $$

"This place made a mostly good first impression.For appetizers, we got the Chicken Satay which was really good. The chicken was super tender and the sauce was perfectly sweet. Ordered the Thai Iced Tea for drinks which was great. It was sweet but not overly sweet like that drink tends to be.For entrees, we got the Massaman Curry with Chicken, Beef Pad Thai, and Beef Pad See Ew. All were really good. I think the Massaman Curry was definitely the best dish out of the three we got. All of them were portioned pretty well and were tasty.Just some minor service hiccups though. We actually ordered the Shrimp Pad See Ew, we received the Beef one instead. The person who ordered it ate it halfway before bringing that fact up so we decided to just leave it as is. They did charge us for the Shrimp one in the bill but they did change it to the Beef one when we brought it to our server's attention. We needed more rice to go with the Massaman Curry as it ran out pretty quickly, they might want to consider putting more rice with their curry dishes. We also had a little trouble getting the server's attention to get more rice; even though there was only one other table seated at the time. Minor hiccups aside, it was a good place to eat and I would come back."

El Fuego

★★★★☆ 3.6 (291)

"I am rarely in center city, but always make a point to stop in after a visit to the Dr's office across the street.The food here is always fresh and service is quick and friendly! I highly recommend the spicy beef as your protein choice."

Mr Sushi

★★★★☆ 4.1 (216)

"Consistent and delicious rolls. My favs: Dynamite, Godzilla, Valentine, and NE Viking. While a lot has shifted to takeout post-COVID, dining in here is also a good choice: still solidly great service, and also remember this is a BYOB."

Pho Palace

★★★★☆ 3.6 (269) • $

"I've been coming to this gem for years. The food is outstanding. I generally order the same thing, which is shrimp fried rice and Pho. But, they have never let me down. The woman at the front is always very personable and thankful for the business. We really do not have any Pho places in the far NE. But, this is it! If you haven't given them a try, I definitely recommend it."

White House Tajine

★★★★☆ 4.3 (176) • $$$

"This restaurant is, quite frankly, the epitome of charming. The decor is clearly done by hand, the painted stenciling slightly askew, the front window a darling mishmash of brocade and little sparkling candle-lamps and the odd hookah. A large mirror on the far wall stands like some magic portal in the back of a slightly chintzy bazaar, lending an airiness to the room along with the natural light from the wide front window.We were greeted by the proprietor, who learned all of his cooking from his mother and now shares the kitchen with his wife. Determined to ensure every visitor is treated to a flawless experience, he brought bottles of water and then proceeded to tour us through the menu, giving sound advice indeed on where to begin (and to end) the meal. Chatty and teasing, he is wonderful to talk to, but also knows when to vanish again and let you enjoy your food.And you Will.Sweet heaven.The caliber of the food brought to our table is far higher than a glance at the tables on the patio or the slightly drippy geometric patterns on the wall prepares you for. The plating was frankly lovely, and the flavours were absolutely to die for, from the lemony, garlicky eggplant to the sizzling, olive-studded chicken tagine. I came looking specifically for the pastilla, and the cinnamon-and-sugar-dusted, chicken and almond-stuffed pastry did not disappoint. Ultimately, the three of us could not finish everything, so a few scraps of leftovers, and a significant amount of baklava got packaged to go home. I recommend it, honestly, let the experience last as long as you can.So- We live hours south of this precious little place with its long couches and little round bolster pillows, but we Will be back. I'm sure I can find some sort of excuse in the area to make my way back up again, and bring friends. A significant portion of the menu is vegetarian, even, including nearly all of the appetizers (just get the mezze platter), and several other options including a tagine and a falafel gyro. There are also fish options for those who are pescatarian. And for full inclusiveness, it's wheelchair accessible as well."

Michael's Sandwich Shop

★★★★★ 4.5 (154) • $

"Worth the visit! So glad to have met Michael and the family/staff today. Michael was gracious enough to prepare for us one of HIS favorite cheesesteaks HIS way. I really appreciate that!Stop by if you are ever in the neighborhood!"

Yantze Chinese Gourmet

★★★★☆ 4.1 (166) • $$

"The food was delicious when we ordered delivery, but when we went in person we had to walk out after waiting to be seated. There were two people at the front counter and they greeted us, but they didn't offer to seat us and we had to ask. Neither could seat us and we had to wait for the host. After waiting around for the host, we decided to leave. It was a Friday night. Not sure if I want to come back in person again."

China Gourmet

★★★★☆ 3.8 (179)

"I'm so glad there's an authentic dim sum and Cantonese restaurant in the Northeast and with a parking lot. Saves a trip all the way to Chinatown! We've had their dim sum and dinner several times and it always hits the spot. The service isn't bad either - it's usually easy to flag someone if you need something and they follow through pretty quickly. During dim sum service if there's a dish you haven't seen on the carts, you can ask the servers about it and they usually put an order in. My favorites are the shrimp rice rolls, shrimp dumplings, turnip cake, egg custard buns, and snow mountain baked buns with roast pork filling. During dinner service you order family style, meaning the dishes are all shared between the table vs ordering individually. The photos in this review are what we typically order."

Pho Ever Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.9 (145) • $$

"The bbq spare ribs were incredible! So good, had a nice little bit of char, delicious depth of flavor and I could sit there any eat it all day!The house special pho was okay not great. In my opinion, it didn't have very good depth of broth. I would say it's not bad, but not great either.Ambiance is nice, clean and friendly. Prices are reasonable as well. It's in a nice mall that seems very up and coming. Overall if you are craving pho, this spot is not bad. If you want barbecue ribs, this spot is amazing!"

Pho Viet Thai

★★★★☆ 3.8 (141) • $$

Seafood Unlimited

★★★★☆ 3.5 (164)

"I decided to celebrate national fried shrimp day 2022 at Seafood Unlimited. I hadn't been there in probably 15 years. It turns out I made the best choice I could have possibly made. I stopped by during happy hour and they have a great happy hour. Good discounted drink specials and plenty of discounted snacks. There is shrimp on the happy hour menu, but I went for the Jumbo friend shrimp entrée from the regular menu. The shrimp were actually jumbo, juicy, and perfectly fried. The best friend shrimp I've had in Philly since the days of Bookbinders. If you like fried shrimp, this is the place to get them! The entree comes with a generous portion of crispy fries and tasty cole slaw. I wanted to sample more of the menu so I also tried the New England clam chowder. A hot bowl of soup almost as good as what you get in New England. I ended my meal with the carrot cake dessert. It was a bit cold and would have been better served at room temperature. But all the expected carrot cake deliciousness was there in that slice.I ended up staying at Seafood Unlimited longer than I anticipated. The people at the bar were nice and the bartender, Morgan, is awesome. The fried shrimp were to die for! I'll be back to try more of the menu!"

Pho Cyclo Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.2 (84)

"This is a great find. Not elegant or fancy inside but this is that hole in the wall that you've been looking for. Been a few times and I've never been disappointed. The atmosphere inside is very casual but does the job. Dine in and takeout are both consistent and I will be going back as long as I live in Philadelphia. Highly recommend!"

White Jasmin Thai Cuisine

★★★★☆ 4.4 (75)

"Some of the best Thai food available. The chef and her husband make a great team. The chicken and curry, red curry, and papaya salads are crazy good"

Pho Saigon

★★★★☆ 3.7 (103)

"Yes, the Pho is pretty good here, but the star of the show is the bun thit nuong.I order delivery from here quite often and everything always arrives fresh, and we'll packaged. With it being summertime, I was not in the mood for a hot soup this time around and ordered the vermicelli with grilled pork. I was surprised to see smaller grilled pieces rather than a pork chop, but oh my gosh, this is so much better. The pork was so flavorful and so tender. I did take off one star because the amount of sauce provided for the dish was not quite enough to cover the amount of food. Please do not pass on this dish!"

Pho Philly

★★★★★ 4.6 (65) • $$

"Tried the bum bo hue this time. Very good, but was expecting the tomato base broth. Overall good experience."

Pak Yue Chinese Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.2 (74)

"The family that runs Pak Yue has been fabulous during COVID-19. And they are really nice people. - Extremely reasonable prices for standard Chinese takeout.- Following all the standard guidelines for Covid social distancing.I've tried five or six entrées and a couple of apps since moving to the area and I've been happy with each one. The portion sizes are big enough that I get a dinner and a small lunch the next day.I think you will be pleased if you give them a try"

NAM Vietnamese Kitchen

★★★★☆ 3.7 (73)

"Great little spot!! Awesome vibe, good food, and relatively on point for Vietnamese food. Once we had some questionable texture but I think that's more personal taste so I won't hold it against them. Tofu mushroom egg rolls are delicious and I'm not vegan or vegetarian!"

Bridget Foy's

★★★★☆ 4.1 (59) • $$

"One of those reviews that's been a long time in the making!Long before I ever entered for a bite to eat, I enjoyed stopping by Bridget Foy's for years during South Street Festivals, admired the vibrant outdoor seating it had, and told myself that I would pay it a proper visit one day. But being the slacker that I can be, it never happened, and then a fire made it look like it never would!But this neighborhood institution had its justified community support, so much so that a major fire didn't leave them down and out. And, even though they ended up re-opening during a global pandemic, they somehow managed to come back better than ever and even added a second restaurant destination in Cry Baby Pasta (https://www.yelp.com/biz/cry-baby-pasta-philadelphia)With it literally being reborn from a fire like a phoenix, and still maintaining a strong community following on a street that has had so much influence on my life, I really needed to go. So when I went to my most recent TLA show I saw an opportunity to finally go beforehand, and it proved to be well worth the wait.When I entered the first thing I noticed was the impressive artwork hanging on every wall. The second thing I noticed was how friendly and spot-on the staff were with their suggestions. From letting us know that we could add any protein we wanted to our pasta dish, to making incredible drink and appetizer suggestions, to cracking hilarious jokes at the expense of the 3rd person we were waiting for as they were super attentive during it, they were super helpful throughout.The menu rotates so often and I'm such a slacker to the point that I couldn't even begin to fully identify what I had by looking at it online. But everything was reasonably priced and delicious, and the cocktail menu was filled with plenty of classics that felt modern. The best bet for me entree-wise was definitely the fresh pasta, even more so when I was able to add crab to an amazing vegetable pasta.With a vibrant rotating menu that covers beyond the basics,, a good selection of beers and wine to go with the cocktails, and a great-sounding brunch menu, there's plenty of reasons to pay a visit to this classic!"

Kelly's Seafood

★★★☆☆ 2.7 (119) • $$

"Food is always delicious! Kathy, Lori & Jeanine are amazing, their service is always on point. Not sure why the low stars but it def is a hidden gem!"

Mayura Indian Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.3 (37)

"There have been a stream of Indian restaurants at this location on Krewstown Road, just off Grant, but none of them have stuck until now. Me thinks the Mayura may break that trend and hang around for a long while. The dining room is colorful, the service is friendly, if not quite polished, and the menu is South Indian with an interesting list of vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices. We went with appetizers of Veggies Samosas, Onion Bajhi; large bowls of Vegetable Korma and Chicken Masala, and a smaller plate of Indo Chinese Chili Chicken. A basket of Garlic Ginger Naan and supply of Basmati Rice completed the table. Of course, we ordered way too much, but after tasting everything, we were happy to bring the leftovers home. The Samosas were golden fried and filled with mashed potatoes and green peas. Very good. The Onion Bajhi were basically dipped and deep fried in a light flour batter, made to be complemented by an excellent sweet/tart tamarind sauce. The Korma was a load of soft veggies in a dark tan cashew mild curry reduction. The Masala was darker and spicier, while the Chili Chicken was a decent rendition of the interaction between Chinese and Indian notions of inbred meals, not as crisp as found in Tibet, but leaning on Szechuan red chili with tumeric bite from south of the border. Each was a carousel of flavor and texture that deserved a trek in the high mountains between the two nations where life is hard , yet a grand adventure. We enjoyed it all. Oh, and the Naan was great with that hint of ginger mixed with garlic. The only downside was the Mango Lassi, which was from a mix that was so thick that it could not be pulled through a straw, and required major dilution with water in order to get it down the gullet. Otherwise, Mayura was all around a strong showing with only slight fraying around the edges."

Viet Bistro

★★★★☆ 3.8 (30)

"Had to come and viet this place to see if it was legit. There was an old Vietnamese man smoking a cigarette outside so we were pretty sure it was going to bistro good and we were right!I used to go to Huong Tram/Nam Son all the time when I lived here and I love The Breakfast Den but it's so great that there's a traditional Vietnamese place in Grad Hospital again! I recognized one of the waiters from Huong Tram I think and my friend recognized another from another closed Viet restaurant at 11th and Washington so it's so nice to see familiar faces again!Food:Egg rolls (cha gio)- usually call these spring rolls but either way they're delicious, fried and stuffed with pork.Spring rolls- usually call these summer rolls but, again, so delicious we forgot to take a pic. Shrimp and pork Pho Tai- we ordered Tai Nam but they brought the wrong one. Either way, good amount of meat, good broth (not as amazing as Washington Ave, but still good).Banh mi- ordered the BBQ pork and they brought out the wrong one, but brought out this one when we told them- toasty fresh bread, delicious meat, watch out for the jalapenos!Lemongrass beef bun (vermicelli)- great flavor beef and sauceGood size portions, great price, delicious food, quick service, and BYOB! Just double check when you order and get your food that you got the right thing. Hoping all the people who learned to love fusion Viet food from TBD migrate over here and support Viet Bistro too!"

Taste of India

★★★★★ 4.5 (20)

"Really kind, c carrying service and absolutely delicious food! Would love to return. Ordered tea, very tender & juicy chicken malai kebab, saag paneer, she fresh garlic naan. I wish I were closer to here!"

Saigon Eats

★★★★★ 4.9 (13) • $$

"Another amazing trip to Saigon Eats the other day! I couldn't NOT leave another review for this incredible pho place. The soup is so flavorful and rich, I feel like I will definitely become a regular here. I also tried the Calm Down Perk Up which is matcha and espresso together and it was very tasty! Kind and quick staff as well!"

Cameron's Seafood

★★★★☆ 4.4 (11)

"Shoutout out the management here!I walked in near closing, the staff on hands first words were "never turn away a customer." That statement alone will bring me back to visit! The food shrimp was cooked fresh and decently priced for a half pound. Definitely look forward to trying Cameron's again."

DaMò Pasta Lab

★★★★★ 4.7 (7)

"Friendly owners, fresh pasta. Delicious homemade tiramisu.Cute restaurant, honey, and welcoming"

Tastes Of The Caribbean

★★★☆☆ 3 (4)

"Very clean, bright and beautiful restaurant. The food was spectacular. The ladies that work here are so lovely if you're looking for authentic Caribbean food this is the place to be. Love love love the food. Licked all 10 fingers."