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I need to address these "Philadelphia's the future permanent site for the Final Four" rumors. I can tell you that these rumors are false. "Philadelphia" & " Final Four Permanent Site" don't belong in the same sentence. "Philadelphia" "Final Four Permanent Site"? Come on, get real pic.twitter.com/cdavI2IiH9
— Eri_Barrister (@Eri_Barrister) May 19, 2019
The 2019 Final Four is in Philadelphia and we at College Crosse couldn’t be happier. To assist visitors coming to Philly for Memorial Day Weekend, I’ve created this guide of places to eat and check out while you are in the city.
Before we begin and just to get it out of the way, if you’re looking for recommendations for cheesesteaks, just holler at Chris, as he is the source when it comes to steaks in the city (I am more of a buffalo chicken-cheesesteak man myself & my favorite spot is Kozmo, on South St.). If you Tweet us a picture of your cheesesteak while you’re in the city, I’ll make sure to try and put it in one of the posts this weekend.
Now that we got cheesesteaks taken care of, please also note that this guide is not a conclusive list of all the best places to eat while in Philly. It would be impossible to put all the great or newly opened restaurants in Philadelphia into one post. Given that fact, I highly encourage you to also check out sites like Philly.com, Philly Eater, Philly Mag, UWISHUNU & Thrillist Philadelphia, as they have high quality writers who cover the ever-changing Philly food scene. Moreover, there are also tons of foodie accounts on Instagram that are also great resources if you want to find some hidden gems or new spots.
Moreover, Philly has plenty of options if you are on the go or only have 20 minutes to eat. First and foremost is College Crosse favorite Wawa. There are a lot of them in the city, including the biggest one in the country in Old CIty.
Additionally, you have Reading Terminal in Center City, which provides you nearly 100 different shops, restaurants, merchants, & dessert options all in an enclosed public market that has been around since the 1890s.
If you are in the mood for a more traditional South Philly experience, you can always head over to the Italian Market for one of the oldest and largest open-air markets in America.
Needless to say, you can also find some of the best pizza in the country on just about any street corner in the city as well. You can also get chocolate chip cookies delivered to your hotel room at 2:00 AM if you are in frisky mood.
Anyway, the point is, Philly has it all and the places I highlighted below are merely my favorite spots or locations that came highly recommended by my good friend, current Philly resident, and fellow barrister, Joe Fantini. Without further delay, here’s our 2019 College Crosse Final Four Visitor’s Guide To Philadelphia.
College Crosse Visitor’s Guide: Midtown Village/Washington Square West
I’ll start with Midtown Village/Washington Square West as that’s where I used to live in Center City & unsurprisingly, it is also my favorite part of Philly. Moreover, I was still living there for the NFC Championship game and Super Bowl victory in 2018, so Midtown will forever hold a special place in my heart.
If you are staying in Midtown Village, I highly recommend that you check out Dilworth Park, which is at the foot of City Hall & also check out the the newly renovated Love Park, which is across the street from City Hall. Both parks are excellent free options for sitting outside, taking pictures, or just lounging around while you wait for the games.
Then you got Washington Square West, which provides you Washington Square Park, a wonderful place to catch some sun. Additionally, the surrounding area around Washington Square Park has some of the most scenic streets in the city, if not the country.
You can’t go wrong with staying in Midtown Village/Washington Square West. Most importantly, staying in this area allows for quick access to the Broad St. Line to get down to the Linc for the games on Saturday, Sunday, & Monday, which, of course, is kind of the whole point of this weekend.
College Crosse Philadelphia Food Guide: Center City/Washington Square
Name | Address | Cuisine | Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Name | Address | Cuisine | Cost |
Green Eggs Cafe (Multiple Locations) | 212 S. 13th St., Philadelphia, PA 19107 | Breakfast/Brunch | $ (Cash Only) |
Jones | 700 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106 | Mid-Century Americana | $ |
Talula's Garden | 210 W. Washington Square, Philadelphia, PA 19106 | Sustainable garden and farm-inspired meals | $ |
Shake Shack (Multiple Locations) | 105 South 12th St., Philadelphia PA 19107 | Fast Casual | $ |
Vetri Cucina | 1312 Spruce St. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Italian/Fine Dining | $$$ |
Del Frisco's | 426-28 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19102 | American Steakhouse | $$$ |
McGillins | 1310 Drury St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 | Tavern/Happy Hour | $ |
Sampan | 124 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 | Pan-Asian Small Plates/Happy Hour | $$ |
El Vez | 121 S. 13th St., Philadelphia, PA 19107 | Trendy Mexican/Happy Hour | $$ |
Double Knot | 120 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 | Japanese | $$ |
Maison 208 | 208 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 | French-American | $$ |
Jose Pistola's | 263 S 15th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102 | Mexican/Sports Bar | $$ |
College Crosse Visitor’s Guide: Rittenhouse Square
Next up is Rittenhouse Square. This area is probably the toniest part of town, but also one with plenty of shopping, restaurants, and picturesque streets for exploring. Rittenhouse Square itself is also a perfect place to hangout and do some people watching. This area is a bit pricey for sure, but you also got places like Hip City Veg, Federal Donuts, or the 16th street Honey Grow for a quick bite to eat at a reasonable price.
Additionally, Rittenhouse is only two or three blocks from One Liberty Observation Deck, a popular observatory that allows for 360 degree views of the city from the 57th floor of One Liberty Place.
Anyway, with regards to food, if you’re looking to go out to a really nice place for dinner while you are in the city, Rittenhouse is the place to be.
College Crosse Philadelphia Food Guide: Rittenhouse Square
Name | Address | Cuisine | Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Name | Address | Cuisine | Cost |
Parc Restaurant Bistro & Cafe | 227 S. 18th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103. | French Bistro | $$ |
Rouge | 205 S 18th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103 | American Bistro | $$ |
Vernick | 2031 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 | Fine Dining | $$$ |
Village Whiskey | 118 S 20th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103 | Burgers/Happy Hour | $ |
Barclay Prime | 237 S. 18th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103 | Fine Dining | $$$ |
Lacroix | 210 West Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103 | Fine Dining | $$$ |
Harp & Crown | 1525 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19102 | New American/Basement Bowling | $ |
College Crosse Visitor’s Guide: Old City/Independence Mall
Up next is Old City/Independence Mall. Also known as “America’s most historic square mile,” the area in and around Old City/Independence Mall is the birthplace of American Independence and home to the oldest residential street in the country, so this is definitely an area to check out if you want a history tour of our nation’s founding.
If you’re staying in the area, have some time to kill, and want to be outside, You should also check out Spruce St. Harbor, a family friendly urban beach located in Penn’s Landing and Cherry St. Pier a mixed-use space with artist studios, a marketplace, & an event space right next to the Ben Franklin Bridge.
College Crosse Philadelphia Food Guide: Old City/Independence Mall
Name | Address | Cuisine | Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Name | Address | Cuisine | Cost |
Famous 4th Street Delicatessen | 700 S. 4th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147. | Deli/Sandwiches | $ |
Fork | 306 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19106 | Modern American | $$ |
Zahav | 237 St James Pl, Philadelphia, PA 19106 | Modern Israeli | $$ |
Continental Old City | 138 Market St Philadelphia, PA 19106 | Restaurant/Martini Bar | $$ |
Franklin Fountain | No. 116 Market St. Philadelphia, PA 19106 | Ice Cream/Fountain Drinks | $ |
City Tavern | 138 South 2nd St at Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106 | Historic Tavern Hall | $$ |
Amada | 217-219 Chestnut St Philadelphia, PA 19106 | Spanish Tapas | $$ |
College Crosse Visitor’s Guide: Fishtown
Fishtown is a little out of the way from Center City, but you can easily get to it from City Hall in ten minutes via the Market-Frankford line. It is actually where I will be staying this weekend. One great open area in Fishtown that you should check out is Schmidt’s Commons, with its wide-array of shops and restaurants.
College Crosse Philadelphia Food Guide: Fishtown
Name | Address | Cuisine | Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Name | Address | Cuisine | Cost |
Suraya | 1528 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19125 | Lebanese Cafe | $ |
Pizzeria Beddia | 1313 N Lee St, Philadelphia, PA 19125 | Italian | $ |
La Colmbe Fishtown | 1335 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19125 | Modern Cafe | $ |
Cheu Fishtown | 1416 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19125 | Noodles/Dumplings | $ |
Sancho Pistola's | 19 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19125 | Modern Mexican | $ |
Andy's Chicken | 2001 Memphis St, Philadelphia, PA 19125 | Take-out Korean BBQ | $ |
Frankford Hall | 1210 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19125 | German Beer Hall | $$ |
Fette Sau | 208 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19125 | American BBQ | $$ |
College Crosse Visitor’s Guide: South Philly
No visitor’s guide of Philly would be complete without some mention of South Philly. The first thing you need to check out is South St., as you can pretty much get the total Philly experience in that 9-10 block section of the city.
Additionally, you have Chickie’s & Pete’s in South Philly if you are looking for a classic sports bar near the stadium. Anyway, the places below are some of the nicest restaurants in the city and are definitely places you should check out if you are looking for a nice meal in South Philly.
College Crosse Philadelphia Food Guide: South Philly
Name | Address | Cuisine | Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Name | Address | Cuisine | Cost |
Laurel | 1617 East Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia PA 19148 | Fine Dining/French-American Fusion | $$$ |
Will BYOB | 1911 E Passyunk Ave Philadelphia, PA 19148 | French-inspired BYOB | $$ |
Fond | 1537 South 11th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 | Modern American | $$ |
John's Roast Pork | 14 East Snyder Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148 | Cheesesteak/Roast Pork | $ |
Paradiso | 1627 East Passyunk Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19148 | Fine Dining/Italian | $$ |
Marra's | 1734 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148 | Brick Oven Pizza/Italian | $ |
Bing Bing Dim Sum | 1648 E Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148 | Asian Fusion | $$ |
ITV (In the Valley) | 1615 E Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19148 | French-inspired Wine Bar | $$ |
We hope you enjoyed this post. If you are going to be in Philly or have visited in the past, please share some of your food picks down in the comments section.