Please note, all vegetarian-friendly restaurants are marked with a V. Restaurants without a V are still awesome, but vegetarian and vegan diners might be bummed. Click on the restaurant’s name to access its website.
Green Rock Tavern V
2546 E Lehigh Ave
(215) 208-0840
New owners Jamie and Nicole, life-long Philadelphians, kept the local charm of the old Green Rock Tavern while transforming the menu to include simple, fresh, locally-sourced pub food. Their thick hand cut fries are divine (and a steal at $3.50), their sandwiches provide a hardy meal for $6. And their pierogi, mac ‘n’ cheese, pork and kielbasa are all ideal when you want to get your drink on. The tap list is 90 percent local (Guinness is the sole exception) but they have a full bar and bottled domestics too.
Open seven days a week: noon-2am. Kitchen closes at 11:30pm. Full bar, cash only, ATM on premises.
Restaurant Week Special:
“Heading up to Lehigh Avenue, Green Rock Tavern (2546 E. Lehigh Ave.) is sticking with the winning combo of their mind-blowing burger and a beer from Philadelphia Brewing Co., all for $10.
Made with local ingredients — the Angus beef is from Kissin Fresh Meats, the roll from Metropolitan Bakery, both in Fishtown — the Green Rock burger straddles that rare balance of hearty deliciousness without falling apart in your lap.” – The Star
Hinge Café V
2652 E Somerset St
(215) 425-6614
This Port Richmond institution opened in 2003 intending to be a coffee shop and art house. Well, the best laid plans… The owner listened to the neighbors and opened a full kitchen serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is still the art house though, with an intimate live music venue upstairs, art classes for kids and a gallery space too. The food is amazing any time of day, but I can’t find a better egg and cheese bagel in town. Brunch on the weekend is fantastic, without the hour wait, especially the stuffed french toast!
Open for breakfast and lunch, 7 days: 8am-4pm. Dinner: Wednesday- Sunday 4pm-10pm.BYOB, credit cards accepted.
Restaurant Week Specials:
“A participant in last year’s event, Hinge Café is offering a similar layout to last year, a price fixed three-course offering comprised of a hybrid of their October menu items. Bring a friend and come inside and enjoy the artistic sights, tempting scents and mouth-watering flavors for which patrons come to expect from the Hinge.” – The Spirit
Johnny Brenda’s Tavern V
1201 Frankford Ave
(215) 739-9684
A Fishtown institution for several decades, current owners Paul and William have expanded the building and the menu. Their menu has a lot of small plates featuring fish and oysters, but the octopus is a shining star. Their new dining room and expanded kitchen has allowed for some menu changes with a rotating, seasonal menu featuring locally sourced ingredients and beers. Currently I recommend the vegetarian lasagna with spinach salad. The tap list is one of the best in the city, and after dinner you can go upstairs to see national and local live bands in a top-notch environment. Their weekend brunch is excellent without the hour long wait, and their blood marys are fantastic.
Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week: 11:30am- 1am. Weekend brunch Saturday and Sunday: 11:30am-4pm. Full bar, credit cards accepted.
Restaurant Week Special:
“For their part, Johnny Brenda’s is staying true to their theme of fresh and local, but taking it up a notch by offering a three-course pre fixe ($25) meal with a tasty fall focus.
Kimport said patrons will a have a choice of “surf or turf” that starts off with an autumn vegetable salad with green wine vinaigrette.
On the surf side, look for trout roasted with fingerling potatoes along with sautéed fall greens and a poblano pepper and corn relish; turf is a grilled pork chop with a peach and red chili chutney on roasted sweet potatoes and turnips along with sautéed dandelion greens.
And, with what sounds like a great pairing with the rotating assortment of local fall craft brews, dessert is apple or pumpkin pie ala mode.” – The Star
New Wave Cafe
2620 E Allegheny Ave
(215) 634-3224
New Wave Cafe offers the best Pierogi, Golabki, Potato Pancakes, Bigos and all kinds of soups you can imagine. On top of that, they have the largest selection in Polish beers like Zywiec, Okocim, Tyskie, EB, Warka etc. While enjoying your meal and drinking your favorite beer you can also catch up with the latest news, shows and sport by watching ITVN & POLSAT 2 broadcasting live from Warsaw Poland. People come from all over the region to try authentic Polish food and beers at the New Wave Cafe. So why haven’t you been there yet?
Open 7 days a week Kitchen is open from 12noon-8:30pm. Full bar, accepts credit cards.
Restaurant Week Specials:
“Interesting and eclectic corner joint in Port Richmond which is under the radar most times…until someone starts talking about pierogies that is! Then it is all anyone can mention is The New Wave Café. Mom & Pop place or should I say Babci & Dziadzio? Head over to the New Wave Café and enjoy all they have to offer during Restaurant and Café Week. Come hungry and sample homemade soups, entrees and extras. While the place is more of a corner bar than restaurant, there is ample seating and a friendly staff. Although some of the televisions are tuned into Polish stations, the menu is in English, so don’t worry if your Polish is rusty!” -The Spirit
Thang Long Noodle V
2536 Kensington Ave
(215) 425-0078
A great small Vietnamese restaurant under the El. Prices here are very reasonable, the staff is polite and patient. This family run shop is right next door to the family’s poulty shop as well where you can get fresh duck and chicken. Worth it for the Pho alone!
Open Every Day 8am to 8:30pm, Credit Cards Accepted
Restaurant Week Specials:
Four different specials, all $5 including a drink from 2pm to 6pm everyday!
-Small Beef Noodle Soup
-Small Chicken Noodle Soup
-Small Roast Pork with Rice
-Small Wonton Roast Pork Noodle Soup
Frankford Hall
1210 Frankford Ave
(215) 634-3338
Stephen Star’s Beer Hall has proven to be a hit from day one. Serving German Beer Hall fare including 3 wursts, beets salads, and huge soft pretzels, this place will set you up just right to enjoy a liter of Franziskaner.
Restaurant Week Specials:
Jagerschnitzel entrée — a pork cutlet in mushroom gravy with a side of German potato salad — with a half-liter of Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel, a dark and malty wheat beer. $14
Soup Kitchen Cafe
2146 E Susquehanna Ave
(215) 315-3077
Opened early this year, the Soup Kitchen works hard to bring interesting regional ingredients to cozy, familiar dishes and a cozy, familiar dining area. As the name implies there are always 2 creative, but approachable soups on, but dont skip over the sandwiches! Pulled Pork, meatloaf, and the legendary breakfast sandwich with prosciutto, provolone, egg, and asparagus cant be beat!
Restaurant Week Specials:
$1 off all lunch sandwiches! Check out the full menu here!
Byrne’s Tavern
3301 Richmond St
(215) 423-3444
The sign that announces “Welcome to Friendly Port Richmond” on the side of the building of Byrne’s Tavern says it all. Byrne’s Tavern is a local friendly place situated off of I95 at the Allegheny exit, serving good food and cold beer at neighborhood prices. Famous for its crabs and chicken wings, Byrne’s Tavern has built its reputation since 1978 on quality and care to all patrons. Whether serving a perfectly poured pint of Guinness Stout or one of its delicious platters of “Bobby Chez” crab cakes along with Byrne’s Tavern famous hot and tasty “Potato Logs”, customers keep coming back to enjoy the warm and friendly atmosphere of Byrne’s Tavern.
Restaurant Week Specials:
“They’ll be offering their “Byrne’s Sampler” for half off all week, including their famous pressure cooked, super tender hot wings, mozzarella sticks, broccoli bites, and chicken fingers with sauces.” – The Star
Brindle Cafe
221 East Girard Ave
(215) 279-8866
Scott knows food. As Brindle’s proprietor he greets, takes orders, prepares your food, and rings you up. The one man approach ensures attention to every detail, and a satisfying dining experience. Most important thing about Scott though, is he knows food! He can prepare Thai tea drinks and brazed pork and everything in between with expert skill. You wont be disappointed.
Restaurant Week Specials:
“They’re offering a few $10 options that include drinks.
The Wasabi Chicken Salad Wrap is baked chicken tossed with fresh chives, scallions, onion, celery, toasted sesame seeds, ginger, Thai basil and a house-made hot wasabi mayo that pairs a Thai red tea blended with sweetened, condensed milk.
The Chicken “El Burrito” is grilled chicken tossed with a house-made “very special HOT chili spice blend” a dash of extra virgin olive oil, cool sour cream, fresh made pico de gallo, rice and black beans. A vegetarian burrito is also available, and both come with fresh limeade.” – The Star
no references to places in Kensington and fishtown?????
Most of the places are in Kensington and Fishtown. In Fishtown: Sketch, Johnny Brenda’s, and Starboard Side. In Kensington: Thang Long Noodle, O’Rielly’s Pub, and Green Rock.
Brindle Cafe seems to have its restaurant week menu up on its website and they seem to have both vegetarian and non-vegeterian options…sweet!!
Are we going to here about others as well?
Green Rock is not in Kensington…it’s in Fishtown/Port Richmond. Hinge is in Port Richmond and is amazing most days – check it out.
Well, that’s tricky to put your finger on precisely, since Fishtown and much of Port Richmond are both historically PART of Kensington, but hey, who’s counting? And I agree, Hinge is delicious!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington,_Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania