Fill up on everything from a hearty Italian meal to French fare during East Passyunk Restaurant Week, February 23-March 1. (Photos by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia)
Have you dined on East Passyunk Avenue’s restaurant row recently? If not, now’s the time to make a reservation and head to South Philly.
This Sunday, February 23, East Passyunk Restaurant Week returns for its second year with deals on meals at 24 participating restaurants through Saturday, March 1.
Depending on the restaurant, the tab for a three-course brunch, lunch or dinner rings in at $15, $25 or $35. Mix and match price points to take full advantage of the eclectic East Passyunk dining scene.
Read on for more on this week-long dining event, and make your reservations now.
The Layout
The stretch of East Passyunk Avenue between Mifflin and Dickinson streets has long been known for delicious and authentic Italian fare, but these days top chefs and of-the-moment restaurants are cooking on the avenue.
Recently named on Food and Wine magazine's list of the 10 Best Foodie Streets in America, the buzz only continues to grow for this so-hot-right-now restaurant row.
A total of 24 restaurants grouped within just a handful of blocks make this street an amazing dining destination any day of the week, but the dining deals available throughout the seven-day fest make East Passyunk a must-visit neighborhood this month.
For a map of all the East Passyunk Restaurant Week participants, check here or see below.
New Restaurants & Buzzed-About Spots
The avenue most recently stepped into the spotlight as the home of Top Chef winner Nicholas Elmi’s gorgeous BYOB, Laurel, which is also a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant of 2014.
And though reservations aren’t available at Laurel for at least the next eight weeks, there are many, many excellent options at hand on East Passyunk to celebrate the second, bigger-and-better year of East Passyunk Restaurant Week.
Of the new spots to check out, chef-owner Joncarl Lachman’s BYOB Noord might be on the top of many lists. As of now, there are reservations available for a $35 three-course menu with dishes like rabbit and green-apple barley risotto and pan-roasted pork loin.
At neighboring intimate BYOB destination Will, chef Christopher Kearse is set to serve his signature contemporary French-inspired fare — which recently earned him a spot as a James Beard Award semifinalist for Rising Star Chef of the Year — including a whole-roasted miatake mushroom and a “72 hour” short rib.
Chef Kearse wasn’t alone with his nod from the Beard Foundation, though, with chef Lee Styer of Fond and chef Joe Cicala of Le Virt joining the ranks of contenders for the title of Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.
Pricing & Reservations
Depending on the restaurant, a three-course prix-fixe brunch, lunch or dinner rings in at $15, $25 or $35.
Avenue favorites like Plenty, Stogie Joe’s, Marra's, South Philly Bar & Grill and the ever-classic Pub on Passyunk East offer up meals for $15, while places like Cantina Los Caballitos and Birra offer up $25 menus, and fine dining destinations like Noord, Fond, Le Virt and Will offer menus for $35.
Note that not all restaurants offer the restaurant week menus every day. For instance, Le Virt offers its three-course prix-fixe dinner on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, while Fond serves its menu Tuesday through Thursday.
The complete breakdown by price and restaurant is available right here, with menus, participating days and reservations just a click or two away.
A few participating restaurants are even slated to extend restaurant week menus a day or two past the official closing date, and retailers get in on the deals with sales and specials for those who mention East Passyunk Restaurant Week.
Make a reservation soon, as top spots have already booked and follow #EPRW on Twitter for last-minute and hard-to-get reservations.
Getting There & Staying Over
Getting to East Passyunk is a cinch. Perhaps the easiest method of transportation is to take SEPTA’s Broad Street (Orange) Line to the Tasker-Morris station and then walk two blocks east to East Passyunk Avenue. Or, take the train to the Snyder Avenue station and walk one block north to East Passyunk Avenue.
Making a big night out of the festival and staying over in Philadelphia? Check out the Visit Philly Overnight Hotel Package, a two-night package that includes free parking, for super deals on Center City hotel rooms.
Want to explore the neighborhood before or after a restaurant week meal? East Passyunk has even more great shops, restaurants and bars worth visiting. See Visit Philly's Philadelphia Neighborhoods East Passyunk section for a great map of places to check out.
Plus, right now photographers and Instagrammers can enter an East Passyunk Photo Contest for the chance to win a Philadelphia getaway presented by Visitphilly.com.
Enter the contest by submitting the best photos of the East Passyunk neighborhood right here. Just upload through Facebook or use the hashtag #EastPassyunk on Twitter or Instagram. One grand-prize winner will receive a one-night hotel stay at the Radisson Blu Warwick, along with gift cards to various restaurants and shops in the East Passyunk neighborhood.
Happy neighborhooding!
East Passyunk Restaurant Week
When: February 23-March 1
Where: Participating East Passyunk restaurants
Cost: Brunch, $15; Lunch, $25; Dinner, $35; Plus tax, beverages and gratuity
More info: www.eastpassyunkrestaurantweek.com
